Across The Shield: Denzel Ward Leads Dominant Defensive Performance, Noah Brown Scores Second and Third NFL Touchdowns, Justin Fields and Terry McLaurin Reach 1,000-Yard Milestones

By Dan Hope on December 20, 2022 at 10:10 am
Denzel Ward
Scott Galvin – USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Ravens scored only three points in their loss to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, and former Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward played a big role in the Browns’ dominant defensive performance.

With the score 6-3 on the opening series of the third quarter, Ward ended one of the Ravens’ most promising drives of the game when he picked off Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley in the red zone, breaking on the ball at the perfect time and stealing it away from De’Sean Jackson for his second interception of the year.

Ward nearly snagged a second interception late in the fourth quarter. His dropped interception was just as effective for the Browns, though, as his pass breakup forced a turnover on downs on 4th-and-13 that sealed a 13-3 win for the home team.

It was the second game in a row and the fourth time overall this season that Ward had two pass breakups or interceptions in a game. He was dominant in coverage throughout the game, giving up just one catch for 19 yards on 37 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus, which gave Ward the highest game grade (90.7) of any NFL cornerback in Week 15 – and earns him our Pro Buck of the Week honor for the first time this 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
WEEK 9 Bears QB Justin Fields 17/28 passing, 123 yards, 3 TD; 15 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD
WEEK 10 Bears QB Justin Fields 12/20 passing, 167 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 13 carries, 147 yards, 2 TD
WEEK 11 Saints WR Chris Olave 5 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD
WEEK 12 Jets WR Garrett Wilson 5 catches, 95 yards, 2 TD
WEEK 13 49ers DE Nick Bosa 3 sacks (20 yards), 1 FF, 4 QB hits
WEEK 14 Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins 15 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD
WEEK 15 Browns CB Denzel Ward 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU

Two-touchdown Noah Brown

Going into Week 15, Noah Brown had caught only one touchdown pass in his entire NFL career. He caught twice that many touchdown passes in the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

For the game as a whole, Brown caught six passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns, bringing him to 40 receptions for 533 yards and three touchdowns for the 2022 season – all numbers that surpass his totals from his first four NFL seasons combined (39 catches for 425 yards and zero touchdowns).

Sunday’s game ended on a sour note for Brown and the Cowboys, however, as a pass that went off his hands was intercepted by Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins for a walk-off pick-six in overtime.

Fields reaches 1,000 rushing yards

Justin Fields has rushed for exactly 1,000 yards this season.

Fields hit that number on the nose by rushing for 95 yards in the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, becoming just the third quarterback in NFL history (along with Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson) to run for 1,000 yards in a single season.

With three weeks still to go in the regular season, Fields has a real shot at breaking the NFL’s single-season quarterback rushing record, needing 207 yards to surpass Jackson’s record total from the 2019 season.

Fields’ 95-yard day on the ground against Philadelphia was highlighted by a spectacular 39-yard run on which he spun out of a near-sack in the pocket then took off and made multiple defenders miss in the open field before stepping out at the 9-yard line.

Fields had to leave the game briefly in the fourth quarter due to leg cramps, but was able to return to the game on the next series and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass on the run on the Bears’ final possession of the day to finish the game with 247 total yards of offense (152 passing, 95 rushing).

McLaurin hits 1,000 for third straight year

Terry McLaurin also reached an 1,000-yard milestone in Week 15, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark as a receiver for the third year in a row amid a six-catch, 70-yard night in the Washington Commanders’ loss to the New York Giants. He became the first Commanders receiver to top 1,000 yards in three straight seasons since Henry Ellard accomplished that feat from 1994-96.

The highlight of McLaurin’s game came early in the third quarter when he leaped up to catch a high screen pass and then exploded after the catch to turn that screen into a 20-yard gain.

The night ended on a frustrating note for McLaurin, though, when he was flagged for an illegal formation penalty that nullified a touchdown the Commanders needed to stay alive in the game. McLaurin seemingly got a raw deal on the play, as he looked to an official for confirmation that he was lined up properly yet was still penalized despite receiving a nod of approval.

He wasn’t the only Washington Buckeye who had reason to be upset with the officiating at the end of Sunday night’s game, as officials also missed what clearly looked to be defensive pass interference by Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes when Holmes grabbed Curtis Samuel from behind before he had any chance to make a potential touchdown catch on 4th-and-goal.

Samuel did have one of the highlight plays of the night to begin the Commanders’ final drive when he deftly got both feet down in bounds on a leaping catch along the right sideline for a 27-yard gain.

Bosa continues to dominate

Nick Bosa has recorded 15.5 sacks in back-to-back seasons.

With three weeks to go in the 2022 season, Bosa matched his total from the 2021 season on Thursday night when he beat Seattle Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross to bury Geno Smith for an 11-yard loss.

That sack came as part of another dominant outing for the potential NFL Defensive Player of the Year as he recorded three total quarterback hits and six total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He also forced what would have been a pick-six for his San Francisco 49ers teammate Deommodore Lenoir if not for a very questionable roughing the passer penalty on what certainly appeared to be a clean hit on Smith by Bosa.

Wilson continues to shine

Garrett Wilson has emerged as the frontrunner to win this year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and he continued to strengthen his case on Sunday.

Wilson topped 90 receiving yards for the fifth time in the New York Jets’ last seven games as he gained 98 yards on just four catches against the Detroit Lions. His day included a pair of 33-yard catches, one of which came even as he was pulled down to the ground by Lions cornerback Will Harris.

Wilson now leads all NFL rookies this season with 67 catches for 966 yards. He now holds the Jets’ rookie records for both receptions and receiving yards and is just 34 yards away from becoming the Jets’ first 1,000-yard receiver since 2015.

Following Saturday’s game, Wilson shared a moment with a former Ohio State teammate as he and Jameson Williams swapped jerseys and took a photo together.

Roby makes game-sealing fumble recovery

Denzel Ward wasn’t the only former Ohio State cornerback who came up with a key takeaway to help his NFL team secure a win in Week 15. Bradley Roby did so for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday when he plucked a forced fumble out of the air to effectively seal a 21-18 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Roby was one of two Buckeyes who played a part in the Saints holding the Falcons to 18 points as former Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner also returned to action after missing four games due to ankle surgery. Werner recorded four tackles in his first game back, while Roby recorded one tackle in addition to his fumble recovery.

Big game for Heyward

Cameron Heyward has continued to be a quietly productive force on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive line this season but had his most productive game of the year in Week 15 as he recorded a season-high 1.5 sacks as well as a season-high six total quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus.

Heyward, who has now recorded 6.5 sacks and 44 total quarterback pressures for the 2022 season, joined Ward and Bosa as former Buckeye defenders who received grades above 90 from PFF in Week 15.

Dobbins runs for 125

In his first two games back from arthroscopic knee surgery, J.K. Dobbins has rushed for 245 yards.

After rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in his first game back against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dobbins went even bigger against the Browns, gaining 125 yards on just 13 carries. His performance was highlighted by a 25-yard run and a 37-yard run in the third quarter.

Dobbins was one of the NFL’s top five rushers for the second week in a row even though it was apparent – particularly on the 37-yard run, when he was unable to find the extra gear he needed to break away from a gaggle of Browns defenders in the open field – that he’s still not quite 100%. But that didn’t stop him from averaging 9.6 yards per carry in Cleveland, and he’s confident he will be back to full form soon.

Zeke extends touchdown streak

Noah Brown wasn’t the only Buckeye to score for the Cowboys on Sunday as Ezekiel Elliott ran for a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Elliott has now rushed for at least one touchdown in each of his last seven games, including all of the Cowboys’ last five games after he missed two games with a knee injury.

Elliott finished Saturday’s game with 16 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 13 yards.

Dre’Mont done for season

Dre’Mont Jones’ fourth season in the NFL came to an early end on Saturday when he was placed on injured reserve by the Denver Broncos with a hip injury. With only three weeks remaining in the season for the Broncos, who have been eliminated from the playoffs, Jones will not be eligible to return from IR before the end of the season.

In 13 games before his injury this season, Jones set a new career-high 47 total tackles and tied previous career-highs with 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss – all numbers that will bolster his chances of earning a big contract as he becomes a free agent for the first time in his NFL career after this season.

Quick hits

  • Sam Hubbard left the Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a left calf injury he suffered in the second quarter. Hubbard is “expected to miss a few weeks” but the Bengals are hoping to have him back for the playoffs, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
  • Drue Chrisman executed a perfect coffin-corner punt for the Bengals on Sunday, landing a 46-yard boot at the 2-yard line.
  • Raekwon McMillan made a strong tackle on special teams to end a 12-yard punt return by Hunter Renfrow.
  • Bosa leads all NFL defensive players with 239,151 fan votes to make this year’s Pro Bowl roster.

Full statistics from Week 15 of the NFL season and the year as a whole for every Buckeye who has played in at least one game this year can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 15 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS 7 tackles, 2 PBU 43 tackles, 1 TFL, 7 PBU
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 6 tackles 89 tackles, 4 sacks (19.5 yards), 6 TFL, 5 QB hits, 3 PBU, 1 FF
VONN BELL S BENGALS 3 tackles 68 tackles, 1 sack (6.5 yards), 4 TFL, 3 QB hits, 4 INT, 6 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 2 tackles, 1 sack (11 yards), 1 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PBU 41 tackles, 15.5 sacks (109 yards), 16 TFL, 38 QB hits, 1 PBU, 1 FF
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS 6 catches, 49 yards, 2 TD 40 catches, 533 yards, 3 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS 1 tackle, 0.5 sack (1 yard), 1 QB hit 20 tackles, 4 sacks (27.5 yards), 7 TFL, 11 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR COLTS 2 catches, 13 yards 52 catches, 510 yards, 3 TD; 2 carries, 30 yards
DRUE CHRISMAN P BENGALS 4 punts, 45.0 average, 2 inside 20 18 punts, 47.0 average, 9 inside 20
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 3 tackles 32 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards), 3 TFL, 6 QB hits
WYATT DAVIS OG CARDINALS Inactive 2 games played
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 14 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS 13 carries, 125 yards; 1 catch, 3 yards 63 carries, 368 yards, 2 TD; 7 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD
PAT ELFLEIN C PANTHERS Injured reserve (hip)  6 starts at C
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 16 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 13 yards 188 carries, 774 yards, 10 TD; 16 catches, 86 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Played at TE 3 catches, 29 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 14/21 passing, 152 yards, 2 TD; 15 carries, 95 yards 170/274 passing, 2,048 yards, 13 TD, 10 INT; 128 carries, 1,000 yards, 8 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS Injured reserve (hamstring) 10 tackles, 1 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 4 tackles, 1 PBU 43 tackles, 1.5 sack (2 yards), 4 TFL, 5 QB hits, 1 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS Injured reserve (pectoral) 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 4 tackles 29 tackles, 1 TFL
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks (15 yards), 2 QB hits 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks (40 yards), 8 TFL, 13 QB hits, 3 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 5 tackles 49 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 2 PBU, 1 FR, 1 TD
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 1 tackle, 1 QB hit 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks (31.5 yards), 11 TFL, 1 FF, 21 QB hits, 3 PBU
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 10 starts at G
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 5 punts, 46.8 average, 2 inside 20 73 punts, 48.8 average, 28 inside 20
DRE’MONT JONES DE BRONCOS Injured reserve (hip) 47 tackles, 6.5 sacks (44 yards), 9 TFL, 9 QB hits, 1 FF
JAMARCO JONES OG TITANS Injured reserve (triceps) Has not played
MICHAEL JORDAN OG PANTHERS Played on special teams 14 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 11 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 14 games played
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 70 yards 68 catches, 1,015 yards, 3 TD; 6 carries, 17 yards
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS 1 tackle 26 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 5 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 FR, 1 TD
JAKE McQUAIDE LS COWBOYS Injured reserve (triceps) 4 games played
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Played at OT 4 starts, 13 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 14 starts at C
ANDREW NORWELL OG COMMANDERS Started at LG 14 starts at LG
JEFF OKUDAH CB LIONS 6 tackles, 2 PBU 66 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 1 TD, 7 PBU, 1 FF
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 3 catches, 53 yards 63 catches, 940 yards, 3 TD; 2-point conversion
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Started at RT 14 starts at RT
BILLY PRICE OL CARDINALS Started at C 8 starts at C
BRADLEY ROBY CB SAINTS 1 tackle, 1 FR 31 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 PBU, 2 FR
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Inactive 8 games played
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 3 catches, 44 yards; 5 carries, 1 yard 57 catches, 600 yards, 3 TD; 36 carries, 189 yards, 1 TD
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 Inactive 10 tackles, 0.5 sack (4.5 yards), 1 FR, 1 PBU, 2 QB hits
NICK VANNETT TE GIANTS 1 catch, 15 yards 4 catches, 37 yards
BINJIMEN VICTOR WR RAVENS Practice squad 1 tackle
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS Did not play 2 tackles
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 3 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBU 39 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 INT, 10 PBU, 2 FR, 2 TD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 4 tackles 79 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 PBU, 2 FF
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 4 catches, 98 yards 67 catches, 966 yards, 4 TD; 3 carries, -3 yards
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