Across The Shield: Terry McLaurin Comes Up Clutch Again, Garrett Wilson Goes for 115 Yards and Dre’Mont Jones Dominates in London

By Dan Hope on November 1, 2022 at 10:10 am
Terry McLaurin
Trevor Ruszkowski – USA TODAY Sports
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Terry McLaurin came through in the clutch to lead the Washington Commanders to a win for the second week in a row.

One week after propelling the Commanders to a home upset win over the Green Bay Packers with multiple key catches including a 37-yard touchdown grab, McLaurin came up even bigger in his hometown of Indianapolis, catching six passes for 113 yards including a spectacular catch in the game’s final minute that set up the game-winning touchdown in the Commanders’ 17-16 win over the Colts.

That earns McLaurin top billing in the Week 8 edition of the Across The Shield, our recap of the most impressive and notable performances of the week for former Ohio State players in the NFL.

Pro Buck of the Week: McLaurin clutch in Indy homecoming

McLaurin’s first game back in Indianapolis as a pro got off to a special start when he had the opportunity to take a picture with Marvin Harrison, who is not only the father of current Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. but also the player McLaurin idolized growing up during the elder Harrison’s Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Colts.

He began making his presence felt in the game early in the second quarter when he turned a short pass into a long gain for a 42-yard catch, which got the Commanders into the red zone and set up their first touchdown of the day.

With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, McLaurin came up even bigger. With his team trailing by six points and needing a touchdown, McLaurin made a leaping grab 33 yards downfield over Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore on a 50/50 ball at the 1-yard line, setting up a game-winning touchdown run for Taylor Heinicke on the next play.

The typically mild-mannered Commanders captain didn’t hold back his emotions after making the play of the game, showing just how much it meant to him to get a win in front of a large group of family members and friends from Indianapolis in attendance.

The Commanders awarded McLaurin the game ball during their postgame locker room celebration.

While Sunday was McLaurin’s first NFL game in the city where he was raised, it was just the latest example of McLaurin having a big game inside Lucas Oil Stadium, where he also won four state championships in high school and helped lead the Buckeyes to two Big Ten Championship Game wins.

McLaurin was one of three wide receivers from Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class on the field in Indianapolis, and all three of them made big plays. Curtis Samuel had three catches for 50 yards and four runs for 29 yards and also made a clutch play for the Commanders, converting a 4th-and-6 in the fourth quarter with an 18-yard catch to set up a field goal that was also crucial to their comeback win.

In a losing effort for the Colts, Parris Campbell made two catches for 43 yards and also had a 28-yard run, the longest running play of his NFL career to date.

In more unfortunate news, former Ohio State defensive end Tyquan Lewis ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee – the same injury he suffered in his right knee during an interception return last year – during the Commanders’ game-winning touchdown drive. Colts coach Frank Reich said Monday that Lewis will be out for the rest of the season.

Pro Bucks Of The Week
Week Player Stats
WEEK 1 Saints WR Michael Thomas 5 catches, 57 yards, 2 TD
WEEK 2 Jets WR Garrett Wilson 8 catches, 102 yards, 2 TD
WEEK 3 Saints WR Chris Olave 9 catches, 147 yards
WEEK 4 Bengals S Vonn Bell 4 tackles, 2 INT
WEEK 5 Broncos LB Baron Browning 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks (13.5 yards), 2 TFL, 6 QB hits
WEEK 6 Broncos LB Baron Browning 3 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), 2 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR
WEEK 7 Bears QB Justin Fields 13/21 passing, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 14 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD
WEEK 8 Commanders WR Terry McLaurin 6 catches, 113 yards

Wilson’s second 100-yard game

As well as McLaurin played on Sunday, he didn’t have the most yards of any former Ohio State receiver in Week 8. That feat was achieved by Garrett Wilson, who topped McLaurin by two yards as he caught six passes for 115 yards in the New York Jets’ loss to the New England Patriots.

Wilson gained 54 of those yards on his first catch of the day for his longest reception as an NFL player so far.

Wilson’s 115 yards for the game were a new career-high for his young NFL career, and in the process, he became the first Jets rookie since Al Toon in 1985 with two 100-yard receiving games in his first NFL season.

Wilson is one of just two NFL rookie wide receivers who has had two 100-yard receiving games this season, with the other being his former Buckeye teammate Chris Olave.

Dre’Mont dominates in London

The Denver Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the final London game of the 2022 NFL season on Sunday, and the play of former Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones was a big reason why.

Fresh off a two-sack performance one week earlier, Jones tied a career-high with three tackles for loss and had seven total tackles in the Broncos’ 21-17 win. Those tackles included a big third-down sack in the fourth quarter, after which Jones and teammate Bradley Chubb got into the spirit of playing in England with a tea-sipping celebration.

Fellow former Ohio State defensive lineman Jonathon Cooper also had his most productive game of the season to date in the Broncos’ win, recording a season-high five tackles as he saw increased playing time in the outside linebacker rotation with Baron Browning sidelined by a hip injury.

Togiai, Bell, Hubbard force turnovers on Monday night

Former Ohio State defensive tackle Tommy Togiai made the first fumble recovery of his NFL career when he scooped up a fumble forced by his teammate Sione Takitaki in the second quarter of the Cleveland Browns’ 32-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.

Togiai also made his first pass breakup of the season in the Battle of Ohio victory.

While it was an ugly night for the Bengals overall, their former Ohio State defenders forced two takeaways in the loss.

Vonn Bell, who had only two regular-season interceptions in his first six NFL seasons, recorded his fourth interception of this season – tying him for the league lead – when Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper threw the ball right to him on an ill-advised trick play.

Bell and his Buckeye teammate Sam Hubbard combined to force a turnover later in the first half when they both hit Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett for a strip sack. Hubbard was officially credited with the forced fumble, which Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither recovered. (The play was initially ruled to be an interception, but later changed to a fumble recovery.)

Hubbard recorded a season-high nine tackles, while Bell finished the game with four tackles. Hubbard underwent an X-ray after the game and was seen with a splint on his finger but told reporters he was OK and that the X-ray came back negative, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. Former Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple was inactive for the Bengals on Monday night due to a hamstring injury.

Fields accounts for three touchdowns, gives up one

Even though the Chicago Bears suffered their fifth loss of the season in Week 8, Justin Fields continued to build some momentum for his future as the Bears’ quarterback as he performed well individually for the second week in a row.

As a passer, Justin Fields posted a quarterback rating of 120 – the best of his NFL career to date – as he completed 17 of his 23 passing attempts for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

Fields also ran for 60 yards on just eight carries and scored his third rushing touchdown of the season with his second in as many weeks.

There’s certainly a couple of plays from Sunday that Fields would like to have back, including a throw that would have been an interception if not for a roughing the passer penalty. He also made a critical mistake after a fumble by teammate David Montgomery when he hopped over Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons instead of touching him down after he recovered the fumble, allowing Parsons to get back up and take the ball all the way back to the end zone for a defensive touchdown.

All in all, though, Fields received positive reviews for his performance against the Cowboys despite his team’s 49-29 defeat. After the game, Fields shared a moment with former Buckeye running back Ezekiel Elliott, who did not play for the Cowboys due to a knee injury but was still in AT&T Stadium for the game.

With Noah Brown (foot) and Malik Hooker (hamstring) also sidelined by injuries, the only Buckeye who actually played for the Cowboys on Sunday was Johnathan Hankins, who had three tackles in his Cowboy debut and made a big impression on Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy in the process.

Quick hits

  • Nick Bosa recorded his eighth sack of the season, tied for the third-most in the NFL this year, in the San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Los Angeles Rams.
  • Pete Werner tipped a pass that was intercepted by his New Orleans Saints teammate Tyrann Mathieu and also recorded a team-high 11 tackles to lead the way for the Saints defense as they held the Las Vegas Raiders to only 183 yards of offense in a 24-0 shutout win.
  • Bradley Roby was placed on injured reserve by the Saints after suffering an ankle injury in their Week 7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, which means he will be out for at least three more weeks before he is eligible to return.

Full stats for every Buckeye who played in Week 8 and has played in at least one game this season can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 8 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS Inactive 19 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 5 tackles 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks (6.5 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QB hits, 2 PBU
VONN BELL S BENGALS 4 tackles, 0.5 sack (5 yards), 1 INT, 1 QB hit 39 tackles, 0.5 sack (5 yards), 4 TFL, 2 QB hits, 4 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FF
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS Bye 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks (12.5 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 3 tackles, 1 sack (11 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QB hits 22 tackles, 8 sacks (58 yards), 7 TFL, 19 QB hits
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS Inactive 25 catches, 339 yards, 1 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Inactive 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks (20.5 yards), 5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR, 7 QB hits
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR COLTS 2 catches, 43 yards; 1 carry, 28 yards 30 catches, 282 yards, 2 TD; 1 carry, 28 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 5 tackles 8 tackles, 2 QB hits
WYATT DAVIS OG SAINTS Inactive 1 game played
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 7 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (knee) 35 carries, 123 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD
PAT ELFLEIN C PANTHERS Injured reserve (hip) 6 starts at C
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS Inactive 109 carries, 443 yards, 4 TD; 6 catches, 32 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Played at TE 1 catch, 11 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 17/23 passing, 151 yards, 2 TD; 8 carries, 60 yards, TD 93/159 passing, 1,199 yards, 7 TD, 6 INT; 76 carries, 375 yards, 3 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS Injured reserve (hamstring) 10 tackles, 1 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 4 tackles 26 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 QB hit
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS 3 tackles 13 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 3 tackles 21 tackles, 1 TFL
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 2 tackles, 1 sack (5 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QB hits 32 tackles, 3 sacks (15 yards), 5 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS Inactive 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 9 tackles, 1 sack (5 yards), 1 FF, 2 QB hits 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks (21.5 yards), 6 TFL, 1 FF, 13 QB hits, 3 PBU
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 4 starts at G
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 8 punts, 46.8 average, 3 inside 20 35 punts, 48.7 average, 18 inside 20
DRE’MONT JONES DE BRONCOS 7 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 3 TFL, 1 QB hit 31 tackles, 5.5 sacks (44 yards), 8 TFL, 5 QB hits, 1 FF
JAMARCO JONES OG TITANS Injured reserve (triceps) Has not played
MICHAEL JORDAN OG PANTHERS Played on special teams 8 games played
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS Inactive 15 tackles, 2 PBU
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS 1 tackle, 2 QB hits, 1 PBU 14 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 1 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 PBU, 1 FF
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Bye 5 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 8 games played
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 113 yards; 1 carry, -7 yards 33 catches, 553 yards, 2 TD; 4 carries, 11 yards
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS 1 tackle 14 tackles, 1 TFL
JAKE McQUAIDE LS COWBOYS Injured reserve (triceps) 4 games played
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Played at RT 2 starts, 6 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 8 starts at C
ANDREW NORWELL OG COMMANDERS Started at LG 8 starts at LG
JEFF OKUDAH CB LIONS 5 tackles 44 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 PBU
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 5 catches, 52 yards 37 catches, 547 yards, 2 TD; 2-point conversion
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Started at RT 7 starts at RT
BILLY PRICE OL CARDINALS Started at C 2 starts at C
BRADLEY ROBY CB SAINTS Injured reserve (ankle) 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 FR
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Played on special teams 5 games played
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 3 catches, 50 yards; 4 carries, 29 yards 42 catches, 390 yards, 2 TD; 14 carries, 93 yards
TREY SERMON RB EAGLES Inactive 2 carries, 19 yards
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS Inactive 16 catches, 171 yards, 3 TD
TOMMY TOGIAI DT BROWNS 1 FR, 1 PBU 6 tackles, 0.5 sack (4.5 yards), 1 FR, 1 PBU, 2 QB hits
NICK VANNETT TE SAINTS 1 catch, 8 yards 2 catches, 13 yards
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS Inactive 1 tackle
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS Inactive 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FR, 1 TD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 11 tackles, 1 PBU 72 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 PBU, 2 FF
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 6 catches, 115 yards 34 catches, 427 yards, 2 TD; 1 rush, -2 yards
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