Across The Shield: Chris Olave Tops 100 Yards Again, Ezekiel Elliott Scores Twice in Return and Justin Fields Suffers Shoulder Injury

The former Ohio State receiver hit triple digits for the third time in his NFL career on Sunday, when he helped lead the New Orleans Saints to a 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams by catching five passes for 102 yards, highlighted by a 53-yard touchdown on the longest play so far in his NFL rookie season.

DALTON DEEP TO OLAVE - 53-YARD TD STRIKE!!!!#LARvsNO | : FOX pic.twitter.com/OmWF2gwsk5

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 20, 2022

That catch, which looked quite similar to his 56-yard touchdown catch against Clemson in the same stadium in the 2021 Sugar Bowl, was his third touchdown catch as a pro and the third-longest catch by any NFL player in Week 11. And his overall 102-yard performance earned Olave our Pro Buck of the Week honor for the second time this season as the top NFL performer of the week among former Ohio State players.

Olave now ranks 10th among all NFL receivers this season with 760 yards on 51 catches. 

Zeke scores twice in return

After missing the Dallas Cowboys’ previous two games with an MCL sprain, Ezekiel Elliott picked up where he left off in his most recent game by running for two touchdowns to help lead the Cowboys to a win.

The Cowboys pulverized the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 40-3, and they twice turned to Elliott to finish off drives by running into the end zone for 1-yard touchdowns.

Zeke & destroy anyone who tries to stop @EzekielElliott on the goal line!

: @NFLonCBS | #DALvsMIN pic.twitter.com/cHd59txdE1

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 20, 2022

We'll take @EzekielElliott at the goal line all day, everyday and two times on Sunday!

: @NFLonCBS | #DALvsMIN pic.twitter.com/v4ZJN9IpXz

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 20, 2022

Elliott, who finished Sunday’s game with 42 rushing yards on 15 carries, has now rushed for five touchdowns in the last three games he’s played in, including back-to-back two-touchdown games for the first time since 2019.

Elliott’s second touchdown of the game was set up by a 35-yard catch by his former Ohio State teammate Noah Brown, who had two catches for 42 yards for the Cowboys against the Vikings.

Noah Brown gets the #DallasCowboys to the goal line.

: #DALvsMIN on CBS
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/nraAG7FZ6b pic.twitter.com/95yngUdiKA

— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2022

Fields continues TD streak but suffers shoulder injury

Justin Fields also accounted for a pair of touchdowns in Week 11 as he both threw a touchdown pass and ran for a touchdown for the fifth straight game, becoming just the second quarterback in the Super Bowl era (along with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray) to have both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in five straight NFL games.

This is Justin Fields' 5th STRAIGHT GAME with a Pass TD and a Rush TD.

This ties Kyler Murray for the longest streak SINCE 1950!#DaBears | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/HgBjschFES

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) November 20, 2022

Fields’ 16-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney led a 153-yard passing performance against the Atlanta Falcons, while his four-yard touchdown run came as part of an 18-carry, 85-yard day on the ground.

The 1 to 11 connection getting going early

: #CHIvsATL on FOX pic.twitter.com/dLidG5Kre1

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 20, 2022

A touchdown scoring machine. @JustnFields' 10th TD in his last 10 quarters!

: #CHIvsATL on FOX
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/IaVHvq433O pic.twitter.com/rh5vwx7diN

— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2022

While both of Fields’ touchdowns came in the first half, his most spectacular highlight of the game came in the fourth quarter, when he eluded a bevy of Falcons defenders behind the line of scrimmage to keep the play alive before completing a pass to Equanimeous St. Brown to convert 3rd-and-12.

Watch @JustnFields extend this play. Electric.

: #CHIvsATL on FOX
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/IaVHvq433O pic.twitter.com/LVyxvJmC3D

— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2022

The game ended on a sour note for Fields, however, when he threw a game-sealing interception on the Bears’ final possession. Even worse, Fields suffered a shoulder injury on a run two plays earlier, and that injury – even though he managed to play through it for two more plays – was serious enough that Fields was carted back to the locker room.

Bears QB Justin Fields carted off for further evaluation after the game. Hes still holding his left shoulder. pic.twitter.com/UOUfGL27LT

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 20, 2022

How severe Fields’ shoulder injury is and how much time he may or may not miss as a result remains uncertain. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Fields had suffered a left shoulder dislocation, but Adam Schefter disputed that report during ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast.

Adam Schefter: "Justin Fields day-to-day with a left shoulder injury that I'm told is *not* a dislocated shoulder." #Bears pic.twitter.com/HGhK2Ay8M3

— Matt Clapp (@DaBearNecess) November 22, 2022

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that Fields’ status going forward is “day-to-day,” though Eberflus did not rule out the possibility that the injury could be season-ending, leaving in question whether Fields will be able to build upon the sophomore-year breakout he’s had in recent weeks.

Samuel runs for a score

One other Buckeye who scored a touchdown in Week 11 was Curtis Samuel, who scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and his fourth touchdown of the year overall on a 10-yard run in the Washington Commanders’ 23-10 win over the Houston Texans.

Curtco with the score

#WASvsHOU FOX pic.twitter.com/pHy2eG1MRe

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 20, 2022

With that touchdown run, the sixth of his NFL career, Samuel became just the fourth receiver in the Super Bowl era with at least 600 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 2,500 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.

Curtis Samuel is 1 of 4 WRs in the Super Bowl era with 600+ rush yds, 6+ rush TD, 2,500+ rec yds, 15+ rec TD in a career.

The others are Jerry Rice, Tyreek Hill, and Eric Metcalf.#HTTC @Commanders

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 20, 2022

Samuel finishes with two carries for 18 yards and one catch for 10 yards for the Commanders on Sunday while fellow former Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin had four catches for 55 yards as the Commanders earned their fifth win in six games.

Bosa makes a half-ending sack

Nick Bosa reached 10.5 sacks for the season, moving into second place among all NFL players so far in 2022, when he recorded a half-ending sack on the final play of the first half in the San Francisco 49ers’ 38-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.

Sacks before the half! @nbsmallerbear

: #SFvsAZ on ESPN
: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/nqIghwvN4b

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 22, 2022

Bosa, who had three total tackles and three total quarterback hits on Monday, has now recorded at least one sack in eight of the nine games he’s played in this season and has accumulated double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons.

Chrisman’s NFL debut

Former Ohio State punter Drue Chrisman made his NFL debut on Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals elevated him from the practice squad to serve as their punter against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chrisman, who became the first punter other than Kevin Huber to punt for the Bengals in a regular-season game since 2013, punted three times for 150 yards in his first game as a pro. The former Buckeye, who has spent most of the last two years with the Bengals since he went undrafted in 2021 but had never been elevated to the active roster for a regular-season game before Sunday, downed both of his first two punts of the game inside the 10-yard line as he hit a 53-yard punt to the 7-yard line and and a 57-yard punt to the 3-yard line.

Drue Chrisman on his big day of punting, especially the one in fourth quarter from his end zone. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/d1i3lcLSl6

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) November 21, 2022

Following Cincinnati’s 37-30 win over the Steleers on Sunday, Chrisman is expected to be added to the Bengals’ 53-man roster and remain their punter moving forward.

Buckeyes bound for XFL

In non-NFL news, three former Ohio State players who are not on NFL rosters are set to play in the third iteration of the XFL in 2023.

Former Ohio State defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson was selected by the Seattle Sea Dragons in the defensive front seven portion of last week’s XFL Draft while former Ohio State running back Rod Smith was selected by the Vegas Vipers in the open rounds of the draft. Former Ohio State walk-on wide receiver and special teamer Chris Booker also announced on Twitter that he would be joining the Houston Roughnecks.

Smith is headed to the XFL after spending time with six different NFL teams from 2015-21. Jackson and Booker will get their chance to play professional football in the XFL after going undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft and failing to stick with an NFL team after rookie minicamp invitations.

Quick hits

• Cameron Heyward tied his season-high with seven total tackles, including two tackles for loss and his fourth sack of the season, in the Steelers’ loss to the Bengals.

Cam Heyward BULLIED #67 again and got the sack on Burrow! #Steelers pic.twitter.com/8uH0nWJxuL

— @ (@FTBeard7) November 20, 2022

• Garrett Wilson wasn’t shy about his frustration with the New York Jets’ offense after he caught only two passes for 12 yards and the Jets scored only three points on 103 total yards in their 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

Garrett Wilson says "this s---'s not okay" in reference to the Jets' offense:

"We've got the dudes. It's time to be consistent. It's time to start winning the games we should win." pic.twitter.com/eipi6rZ0sC

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022

• Jeff Okudah was forced to leave the Detroit Lions’ win over the New York Giants due to concussion protocol. Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters after Sunday’s game that Okudah is likely to miss their Thanksgiving game against the Buffalo Bills, but Okudah indicated he was fine in a postgame tweet.

Im Good.

— Jeff Okudah (@jeffokudah) November 20, 2022

• Chase Young was activated to the Commanders’ 53-man roster on Monday. The Commanders had to activate Young off of the physically unable to perform list this week for him to be eligible to return this season, though Commanders coach Ron Rivera said whether he actually makes his season debut in Week 12 against the Atlanta Falcons will depend on how much he’s able to do in practice this week.
• Isaiah Prince, who missed the first 11 weeks of the season with an elbow injury, was activated off injured reserve by the Bengals on Monday.
• Nick Vannett was waived by the Saints on Saturday. The former Ohio State tight end had appeared in only three games for New Orleans this season, catching just two passes for 13 yards. The Giants added him to their practice squad on Tuesday.
• Former Ohio State defensive lineman Jashon Cornell worked out for the Patriots on Monday, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. He has not played in an NFL game this year after he was waived by the Lions prior to the start of the regular season.

Full Week 11 and season statistics for every Buckeye who has played in a game this season can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge.