Across The Shield: Justin Fields Breaks NFL Quarterback Rushing Record, Garrett Wilson Helps Lead the Jets to A Big Win and Curtis Samuel Makes A Spectacular Catch

By Dan Hope on November 8, 2022 at 10:10 am
Justin Fields running against the Miami Dolphins
Jamie Sabau – USA TODAY Sports
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No quarterback has ever rushed for more rushing yards in an NFL regular-season game than Justin Fields did on Sunday.

Fields was the leading rusher among all NFL players in Week 9 of the 2022 season as he ran for 178 yards, breaking the previous single-game record for quarterback rushing yards of 173 set by Michael Vick in 2002. The former Ohio State quarterback also threw three touchdown passes for the first time in his pro career on Sunday, making him the clear-cut choice to lead off this week’s edition of Across The Shield, our weekly roundup of how former Buckeyes are faring throughout the NFL.

Pro Buck of the Week: Fields breaks NFL QB rushing record

The highlights came early and often for Fields in Week 9. On the Chicago Bears’ second drive of the game against the Miami Dolphins, Fields turned a 3rd-and-8 into a first down with an elusive 12-yard scramble on which he made multiple defenders miss. He followed that up later in the drive by throwing his first touchdown pass of the day to Cole Kmet, who scored from 18 yards out off of play action.

Fields threw his second touchdown pass of the game late in the first half on a perfect pass to the left side of the end zone which Darnell Mooney caught for a 16-yard score.

Fields’ pursuit of the quarterback rushing record became a reality on the Bears’ opening drive of the third quarter when he raced through the Dolphins defense for a 61-yard touchdown, his longest run since he was in high school.

He threw his career-best third touchdown when he completed a 4-yard scoring pass to Cole Kmet early in the fourth quarter.

Fields gained at least 10 yards on eight of his 15 carries against the Dolphins, breaking Vick’s record on his final run of the day, a 12-yard gain.

Fields didn’t get much help from the Bears’ defense or special teams, which relinquished five touchdowns to the Dolphins. Fields’ spectacular performance nevertheless gave the Bears a chance to win, as he accounted for 301 of the Bears’ 368 yards for the game with his legs and arm, but Chicago ultimately lost 35-32 after a fourth-down pass by Fields went through the hands of Bears receiver Equanimeous St. Brown.

With his record-breaking performance this week, Fields now ranks 11th among all NFL players and second among quarterbacks (behind only Lamar Jackson) this season with 602 rushing yards.

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
WEEK 9 Bears QB Justin Fields 17/28 passing, 123 yards, 3 TD; 15 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD

Wilson helps lead Jets to big win

The New York Jets had one of the biggest upset wins of Week 9 when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-17, and former Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson played a big role in making that happen.

Fresh off earning NFL Rookie of the Week honors for a six-catch, 115-yard performance in Week 8 against the New England Patriots, Wilson followed that up by leading the Jets with eight catches for 92 yards against Buffalo. The No. 10 overall pick put his vast array of skills on display as he made Bills defenders miss with shifty moves in the open field, gained seven yards on his lone carry of the game and also made a spectacular one-handed catch, though that one didn’t count as he was out of bounds.

Nine games into his rookie season, Wilson has caught 42 passes for 521 yards, ranking second among all rookie receivers behind only his former Ohio State teammate Chris Olave.

Samuel catches a touchdown in triple coverage

Curtis Samuel made one of the NFL’s catches of the week when he skied to catch a Taylor Heinicke deep ball over three defenders in the Washington Commanders’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. He then rolled into the end zone without being touched to score a 49-yard touchdown and give the Commanders a 10-7 lead early in the third quarter.

While Samuel had some unintended help on the play from the back judge running into Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and knocking him down, the play nonetheless went into the books as the second-longest catch of Samuel’s NFL career.

Samuel finished the game, which the Vikings won 20-17, with three catches for a team-high 65 yards as well as one run for 16 yards. He and former Ohio State teammate Terry McLaurin accounted for all but 28 of Heinicke’s passing yards against the Vikings as McLaurin caught five passes for 56 yards in the loss.

Okudah forces first fumble, apologizes for friendly fire

The Detroit Lions earned their second win of the season with a 15-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and Jeff Okudah played a part in the Lions’ best defensive performance of the season.

During the Packers’ final drive of the game, Okudah forced the first fumble of his NFL career after giving up a 32-yard catch to Packers receiver Samori Toure. He nearly recovered the loose ball himself for what would have been a game-sealing takeaway, but it ended up going out of bounds before he could secure possession.

Nevertheless, Aaron Rodgers would not complete another pass after that play, allowing the Lions to hold on for the six-point victory.

It was an up-and-down day for Okudah, who knocked two different teammates out of the game – defensive end Julian Okwara and safety Kerby Joseph – after accidentally hitting them while attempting to make tackles. They were able to share a laugh about it after the game, though, since both of them avoided serious injuries and the Lions won.

Werner joins list of injured New Orleans Buckeyes

While the New Orleans Saints have more former Ohio State players on their roster than any other team in the NFL, only one of them actually played a full game for the Saints on Monday night.

Michael Thomas and Bradley Roby are both on injured reserve, with Thomas expected to miss the remainder of the season with a toe injury after he was placed on IR last week. Marshon Lattimore missed his fourth straight game with an abdominal injury while Nick Vannett and Wyatt Davis (who was later cut by the Saints on Tuesday) were both healthy scratches for Monday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Saints then lost another one of their Buckeyes when Pete Werner, their leading tackler this season, went down with an ankle injury in the third quarter. The injury was significant enough that Werner was carted back to the locker room, and he did not return to the game after being designated as questionable.

Olave, the lone Buckeyes who did play four quarters for the Saints on Monday, caught six passes for 71 yards against the Ravens, highlighted by a 16-yard catch on which he demonstrated his route-running skill and ability to make toe-tapping grabs.

Victor makes NFL debut

The Ravens had two Buckeyes on their own active roster on Monday night, including Binjimen Victor, who played in the first regular-season game of his NFL career after being elevated from the practice squad for Monday’s game.

Victor, who has been on the Ravens’ practice squad since last year but had never played in an NFL regular-season game before this week, did not catch any passes but recorded a tackle on kickoff coverage in his NFL debut.

Malik Harrison also recorded two tackles for the Ravens in their 27-13 win over the Saints.

Quick hits

  • Raekwon McMillan recorded his first career sack in the New England Patriots’ 26-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts. It was the ninth sack of the game for the Patriots, which tied a franchise record for the most sacks in a single game.
  • Eleven former Ohio State players had the week off as the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers were all on byes in Week 9.
  • Chase Young returned to practice for the Commanders last week. The former Ohio State defensive end has yet to play this season after tearing his ACL last November, but had a “very good week” of practice last week according to Commanders coach Ron Rivera, which could enable him to make his season debut in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

Full stats for every Buckeye who played in Week 9 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 9 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS 2 tackles, 1 PBU 21 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 7 tackles 49 tackles, 1.5 sacks (6.5 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QB hits, 2 PBU
VONN BELL S BENGALS 2 tackles 41 tackles, 0.5 sack (5 yards), 4 TFL, 2 QB hits, 4 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FF
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS Injured reserve (groin) 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks (12.5 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS Bye 22 tackles, 8 sacks (58 yards), 7 TFL, 19 QB hits
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS Bye 25 catches, 339 yards, 1 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Bye 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, 15 yards 32 catches, 297 yards, 2 TD; 1 carry, 28 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS Bye 8 tackles, 2 QB hits
WYATT DAVIS OG SAINTS Inactive 1 game played
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 8 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 Bye 109 carries, 443 yards, 4 TD; 6 catches, 32 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS 1 catch, 15 yards 2 catches, 26 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 17/28 passing, 123 yards, 3 TD; 15 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD 110/187 passing, 1,322  yards, 10 TD, 6 INT; 91 carries, 553 yards, 4 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS Injured reserve (hamstring) 10 tackles, 1 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 3 tackles, 1 TFL 29 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 QB hit
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS Bye 13 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 2 tackles 23 tackles, 1 TFL
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS Bye 32 tackles, 3 sacks (15 yards), 5 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS Bye 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 2 tackles 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks (21.5 yards), 6 TFL, 1 FF, 13 QB hits, 3 PBU
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 5 starts at G
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 4 punts, 52.0 average, 1 inside 20 39 punts, 49.1 average, 19 inside 20
DRE’MONT JONES DE BRONCOS Bye 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 9 games played
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS Inactive 15 tackles, 2 PBU
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS Injured reserve (knee) 14 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 1 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 PBU, 1 FF
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Started at C 6 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 9 games played
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 5 catches, 56 yards 38 catches, 609 yards, 2 TD; 4 carries, 11 yards
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS 2 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 16 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 2 TFL, 1 QB hit
JAKE McQUAIDE LS COWBOYS Injured reserve (triceps) 4 games played
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Played at RT 2 starts, 7 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 9 starts at C
ANDREW NORWELL OG COMMANDERS Started at LG 9 starts at LG
JEFF OKUDAH CB LIONS 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF 49 tackles, 2 TFL, 3 PBU, 1 FF
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 6 catches, 71 yards 43 catches, 618 yards, 2 TD; 2-point conversion
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Started at RT 8 starts at RT
BILLY PRICE OL CARDINALS Started at C 3 starts at C
BRADLEY ROBY CB SAINTS Injured reserve (ankle) 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 FR
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Inactive 5 games played
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 3 catches, 65 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 16 yards 45 catches, 455 yards, 3 TD; 15 carries, 109 yards
TREY SERMON RB EAGLES Inactive 2 carries, 19 yards
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS Injured reserve (toe) 16 catches, 171 yards, 3 TD
TOMMY TOGIAI DT BROWNS Bye 6 tackles, 0.5 sack (4.5 yards), 1 FR, 1 PBU, 2 QB hits
NICK VANNETT TE SAINTS Inactive 2 catches, 13 yards
BINJIMEN VICTOR WR RAVENS 1 tackle 1 tackle
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS Inactive 1 tackle
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS Bye 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FR, 1 TD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 3 tackles 75 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 PBU, 2 FF
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 8 catches, 92 yards 42 catches, 519 yards, 2 TD; 1 rush, -2 yards
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