Across The Shield: Buckeyes Pray for Damar Hamlin, Marshon Lattimore Makes A Pick-Six in His Return and Justin Fields Has A Historic First Quarter

By Dan Hope on January 3, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Marshon Lattimore’s pick-six
Eric Hartline – USA TODAY Sports
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While there were plenty of highlights around the NFL in Week 17, all of that took a back seat to what happened in Cincinnati on Monday night.

During the first quarter of Monday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle. Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field after medical professionals administered CPR, but he remained in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center early Tuesday morning.

The game was suspended and ultimately postponed, and there was no word as of Tuesday morning if and when the game would be resumed as Hamlin’s prognosis remained in question. (Update: The NFL announced Tuesday afternoon that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week.)

Many current and former Ohio State football players were among those who took to social media to share their thoughts and prayers for Hamlin.

In a widespread show of support of Hamlin, who played collegiately at Pittsburgh before being drafted by the Bills in 2021, a GoFundMe he started to raise money for a toy drive in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, received more than $4 million in donations from all over the world by Tuesday afternoon.

As everyone around the NFL hopes for good news on Hamlin, his health certainly overshadows everything that happened around the league in Week 17. That said, there were plenty of notable performances by former Ohio State football players in the other 15 NFL games that were played over the weekend, and Across The Shield is where we recap those performances. We do that below, starting with a pair of Ohio State cornerbacks who made interceptions.

Lattimore makes pick-six in return

After missing nearly three months with a kidney laceration, Marshon Lattimore made a big impact in his return to action for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Playing in just his fifth game of the 2022 season, Lattimore made a perfect jump on a Gardner Minshew pass for his first interception of the year and returned it 12 yards to the end zone for a pick-six, which would end up being the final scoring play in the Saints’ 20-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lattimore also recorded another pass breakup and had six total tackles in the Saints' win. Going against one of the NFL’s best receiving corps, Lattimore gave up just 44 yards on five catches and eight targets and received the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any NFL defensive player in Week 17, which also earns him our Pro Buck of the Week award for the penultimate week of the regular 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
WEEK 16 49ers DE Nick Bosa 7 tackles, 2 sacks (19 yards), 1 FF, 4 QB hits
WEEK 17 Saints CB Marshon Lattimore 6 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 TD

Lattimore told reporters after the game that he was still feeling the effects of his injury, but that didn’t show in his play on the field Sunday. He’ll have only one more game to play this year, though, as the Saints were eliminated from playoff contention this weekend despite their third straight win.

Ward picks off pass intended for McLaurin

Lattimore wasn’t the only former Ohio State cornerback who made an interception in Week 17 as Denzel Ward made his second interception in a span of just three weeks.

This time, it came at the expense of one of his former Ohio State teammates as he broke in front of Terry McLaurin to pick off a pass by Carson Wentz.

Ward was dominant in coverage throughout the Browns’ 24-10 win. Per PFF, Ward did not give up a single catch against the Washington Commanders, with his interception coming on the only pass he was targeted on in the entire game.

Historic first quarter for Fields

Justin Fields had his third 100-yard game as a rusher on Sunday, and it took him less than a quarter to reach that mark. Less than 13 minutes into the Chicago Bears’ game against the Detroit Lions, Fields already had 105 rushing yards – the most in any quarter by an NFL quarterback since the league began tracking play-by-play stats in 1978. His torrid start to the game included a 31-yard run and a 60-yard run on the Bears’ first two possessions.

Unfortunately for Fields and the Bears, things went steeply downhill in the game’s final three quarters, in which the Lions outscored Chicago 34-0. Fields finished the game with only seven completions for 75 yards on 21 pass attempts with one touchdown pass and one interception while he ran for only 27 yards after the first quarter.

With his 132 overall yards for the game, Fields surpassed Michael Vick for the second-most rushing yards in a season by an NFL quarterback. At 1,143 rushing yards for the year, the sixth-most among all NFL rushers in 2022, Fields is only 64 yards away from breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record for an NFL quarterback. Whether he’ll actually get the chance to break that record is in question, however, as Bears coach Matt Eberflus indicated Monday the team is weighing the possibility of not playing Fields in its season finale against the Minnesota Vikings as he has dealt with both shoulder and foot injuries this season.

1,000-yard rookie year for Wilson

Garrett Wilson caught only three passes for 18 yards in the New York Jets’ 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but that was enough for Wilson to top 1,000 receiving yards for the season, becoming the first rookie in Jets history to ever reach that milestone.

Now up to 74 catches for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns in his first NFL season, Wilson was also recognized off the field last week with the Jets’ Bill Hampton Award, which is awarded by the Jets’ equipment staff to the team’s “rookie who acts like a pro.” 

Wilson is one of 17 NFL players and one of two former Buckeyes (Terry McLaurin) who have totaled 1,000 receiving yards this season. They could be joined in that club next week by Chris Olave, who needs just 18 yards in Week 18 to reach 1,000 yards for his rookie season after he caught four passes for 42 yards in Week 17.

Zeke’s touchdown streak continues

It’s now been nearly three months since Ezekiel Elliott has played in a football game without running for a touchdown.

Elliott has rushed for a touchdown in all of the last nine games he’s played in – including all of the Dallas Cowboys’ last seven games since he returned from missing two weeks with a knee injury – as he continued his streak with a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter of Dallas’ 27-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Aside from the touchdown, Elliott had his least productive game of the season against Tennessee, running for a season-low 37 yards on 19 attempts. But his early touchdown run gave the Cowboys a lead in the game they would never relinquish.

Joey Bosa returns

After missing more than three months with a core muscle injury, Joey Bosa returned to action in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 31-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Bosa played just under half of the Chargers’ defensive snaps in the game (24 of 49) and recorded two tackles. After returning to practice earlier in the week, Bosa told reporters that he’s “feeling better than I have in years” after dealing with core muscle issues for multiple seasons.

“This was something that really caused me a lot of pain and kind of stress throughout the last couple years, and I’d gotten to a point where I was used to it. I didn’t understand how much was really wrong. So obviously it sucks to miss all this time, but it’s honestly something that I really, really needed to get done,” Bosa said, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Nick Bosa sets up game-winning interception

Statistically, the younger Bosa brother had a quiet game by his standards in Week 17 as he did not record any tackles. Yet the potential Defensive Player of the Year still had a big impact on the game.

Nick Bosa was credited with five quarterback hits against Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham, including one in overtime that forced Stidham to throw an interception to San Francisco 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson that set up the 49ers’ game-winning field goal.

Bosa has now recorded 47 quarterback hits in 2022, 13 more than any other NFL player.

Quick hits

  • Parris Campbell caught three passes for 52 yards in the Indianapolis Colts’ loss to the New York Giants, including a season-long 49-yard catch on a deep-ball grab against two defenders.
  • J.K. Dobbins rushed for 93 yards on a career-high 17 carries in the Baltimore Ravens’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • Former Ohio State offensive lineman Wyatt Davis was claimed by the Giants after he was waived by the Arizona Cardinals last week. Davis, who was inactive for his first game as a Giant, has now been with four different NFL teams this year, as he spent the entire preseason with the Vikings and spent the first two months of the season with the Saints.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs signed former Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard to their practice squad last week.

Full stats from Week 17 and for every Buckeye who has played during the 2022 season can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors data analyst Matt Gutridge.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 17 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS Game postponed 43 tackles, 1 TFL, 8 PBU
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 5 tackles, 1 PBU 97 tackles, 4 sacks (19.5 yards), 6 TFL, 5 QB hits, 4 PBU, 1 FF
VONN BELL S BENGALS Game postponed 74 tackles, 1 sack (6.5 yards), 4 TFL, 4 QB hits, 4 INT, 7 PD, 2 FF
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS 2 tackles 9 tackles, 1.5 sacks (12.5 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 5 QB hits 48 tackles, 17.5 sacks (128 yards), 18 TFL, 47 QB hits, 1 PBU, 2 FF
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS 1 catch, 7 yards 42 catches, 545 yards, 3 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Inactive 21 tackles, 4 sacks (27.5 yards), 7 TFL, 11 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FR
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR COLTS 3 catches, 52 yards; 1 carry, 1 yard 57 catches, 581 yards, 3 TD; 3 carries, 31 yards
DRUE CHRISMAN P BENGALS Game postponed 21 punts, 46.5 average, 10 inside 20
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 4 tackles, 1 QB hit 43 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards), 3 TFL, 7 QB hits
WYATT DAVIS OG GIANTS Inactive 2 games played
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 16 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS 17 carries, 93 yards 92 carries, 520 yards, 2 TD; 7 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD
PAT ELFLEIN C PANTHERS Injured reserve (hip)  6 starts at C
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 19 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD 223 carries, 866 yards, 12 TD; 17 catches, 92 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Played at TE 3 catches, 29 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 7/21 passing, 75 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 10 carries, 132 yards 192/318 passing, 2,242 yards, 15 TD, 11 INT; 145 carries, 1,143 yards, 8 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS Injured reserve (hamstring) 10 tackles, 1 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 2 tackles 49 tackles, 2.5 sacks (7 yards), 5 TFL, 6 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 Played at LB 31 tackles, 1 TFL
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 4 tackles 68 tackles, 8.5 sacks (58 yards), 11 TFL, 15 QB hits, 4 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 3 tackles 57 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 1 FR, 1 TD
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS Game postponed 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks (31.5 yards), 11 TFL, 1 FF, 21 QB hits, 3 PBU
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at G 12 starts at G
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 6 punts, 45.7 average, 2 inside 20 84 punts, 48.3 average, 32 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 16 games played
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS 6 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 TD 21 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PD, 1 TD
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 13 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 16 games played
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 2 catches, 25 yards; 1 carry, 12 yards 74 catches, 1,117 yards, 4 TD; 7 carries, 29 yards
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS 4 tackles 31 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, 15 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 16 starts at C
ANDREW NORWELL OG COMMANDERS Started at LG 16 starts at LG
JEFF OKUDAH CB LIONS 1 tackle 73 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 1 TD, 7 PD, 1 FF
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 4 catches, 42 yards 67 catches, 982 yards, 3 TD; 2-point conversion
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Inactive 15 starts at RT
BILLY PRICE OL CARDINALS Started at C 10 starts at C
BRADLEY ROBY CB SAINTS 1 tackle 35 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 PBU, 2 FR
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Inactive 8 games played
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 1 catch, 6 yards 63 catches, 658 yards, 4 TD; 37 carries, 191 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 Played at TE 4 catches, 37 yards
BINJIMEN VICTOR WR RAVENS Waived 1 tackle
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS Inactive 2 tackles
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 1 tackle, 1 INT 41 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QB hit, 3 INT, 12 PD, 2 FR, 2 TD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS Started at LB 79 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 PBU, 2 FF
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 3 catches, 18 yards 74 catches, 1,014 yards, 4 TD; 3 carries, -3 yards
CHASE YOUNG DE COMMANDERS 1 tackle, 1 QB hit 3 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU
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