Across The Shield: Sam Hubbard Scores Game-Winning 98-Yard Touchdown, Nick Bosa Makes Key Fumble Recovery and Johnathan Hankins Sacks Tom Brady

By Dan Hope on January 17, 2023 at 10:10 am
Sam Hubbard
Sam Greene – USA TODAY Sports
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Sam Hubbard made the top play of the NFL’s wild card weekend all the while breaking an NFL playoff record and leading the Cincinnati Bengals to a first-round win over the Baltimore Ravens in the process.

The former Ohio State defensive end made a game-changing play in the truest sense of the phrase when he plucked a goal-line fumble by Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley out of the air and returned it all the way to the opposite end zone for a 98-yard touchdown, setting a new record for the longest fumble return touchdown in an NFL postseason game.

On a play where the Ravens were just inches away from taking a 24-17 lead themselves, the Bengals took a 24-17 lead instead. Hubbard’s touchdown would end up being the final score of the game and therefore the game-winner, making all the difference between a win and a loss for his hometown team.

As such, Hubbard was an easy choice for this week’s Pro Buck of the Week award as the former Ohio State player who made the biggest impact for his respective team in the wild card round of the playoffs.

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
WEEK 18 Steelers DE Cameron Heyward 8 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 QB hits, 1 PD
WILD CARD Bengals DE Sam Hubbard 98-yard fumble return touchdown, 4 tackles, 1 QB hit

Nick Bosa makes key fumble recovery

Hubbard wasn’t the only former Ohio State defensive end who helped lead his team to a win with a fumble recovery on wild card weekend.

With the San Francisco 49ers ahead by only six points and the Seattle Seahawks in the red zone threatening to retake the lead in the third quarter, Bosa recovered a fumble forced by his teammate Charles Omenihu to preserve San Francisco’s advantage on the scoreboard.

That scoop-up by the NFL Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner – the first fumble recovery by Bosa in any game this year – set the wheels in motion for the 49ers to seize full control of the game. They went on to score on their ensuing possession and pulled away from there, ultimately earning a 41-23 win.

While Bosa finished the game without a sack for just the fourth time in any game all year, he made a big impact on run defense as he recorded five total tackles, including a tackle for loss, in addition to his fumble recovery.

Hankins sacks Brady in return

After missing the Dallas Cowboys’ final four games of the regular season with a pectoral strain, Johnathan Hankins returned for their playoff opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. The former Ohio State defensive tackle made his mark by sacking Tom Brady in the final quarter of the legendary former Michigan quarterback’s 23rd NFL season.

With the Cowboys leading 31-6 in the fourth quarter, Hankins took down Brady for a 9-yard loss on a 3rd-and-goal pass play, leading to a turnover on downs for the Buccaneers one play later.

It was the first sack by the former Buckeye in any game since 2020, as he did not have any sacks in 2021 or during the 2022 regular season. It helped accentuate a dominant performance for Dallas, who advanced with a 31-14 win over Tampa Bay.

Dobbins impresses but expresses frustration

Though the Ravens lost to the Bengals on Sunday, it wasn’t due to any lack of effort or performance by J.K. Dobbins – at least as much as he could control.

After playing in only eight games during the regular season due to knee surgery, Dobbins looked as healthy as ever against the Bengals as he went for 105 total yards (62 rushing, 43 receiving) on 17 total touches.

Dobbins scored the Ravens’ first points of the game when he caught a pass out of the backfield and stretched the ball past the pylon for a 2-yard touchdown.

He made a spectacular play in the third quarter when he turned a screen pass into a 27-yard gain by juking out one defender and running past two more (including Hubbard) while tiptoeing the sideline.

Dobbins’ touchdown, however, was one of only two touches he got in the red zone against the Bengals. Dobbins didn’t mince words while speaking with reporters after the game, making it clear he felt as though the ball should have been in his hands more near the goal line and that the Ravens would have achieved a different result if they gave him the ball on the goal-to-go series that ended in Hubbard’s touchdown.

Joey Bosa tips pass for pick, gets penalized three times

The elder Bosa got off to a strong start in the Los Angeles Chargers’ wild card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, tipping a pass that was intercepted by Chargers safety Drue Tranquill on just the second play of the game.

The Chargers’ defense was dominant in the first half, intercepting Trevor Lawrence four times to pull out a 27-0 lead. But things went sharply downhill for Bosa and the Chargers in the second half.

Los Angeles ended up suffering one of the worst collapses in NFL playoff history, allowing Jacksonville to score 31 of the game’s final 34 points to earn a 31-30 victory, and Bosa contributed to that meltdown as he was called two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties – one for an argument with referee Shawn Smith and another for throwing his helmet.

Bosa was clearly upset with how the game was being officiated after he was called for an offsides penalty that nullified what would have been a third-down sack by the Chargers in the third quarter, and former Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson – who alleged during the regular season that Smith told him “this ain’t O State no more” during a game – felt Smith may have had it out for Bosa because of his Buckeye roots.

Bosa expressed further displeasure toward the officials while meeting with reporters on Sunday, saying “I need to be more accountable for my actions, obviously,” but then questioning the officials’ motive for calling the penalties against him.

Nevertheless, Bosa’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalties proved costly as the Chargers’ playoff run came to an end. The second unsportsmanlike penalty moved the Jaguars to the 1-yard line for a 2-point attempt that they would convert, setting them up to kick a game-winning field goal on their next possession.

Baker gets a sack

Less than six minutes into the first playoff game of his NFL career, former Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker recorded a 7-yard sack against Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Baker, who had 100 total tackles with four sacks during the regular season, finished his first career playoff game with seven total tackles. However, he was also flagged for two first-quarter penalties and got beat by Bills tight end Dawson Knox for a 6-yard touchdown catch just two plays after his sack.

He’ll have to wait until at least next year for another chance to play in the postseason, as his Miami Dolphins gave the higher-seeded Bills a battle but were ultimately eliminated from the playoffs in a 34-31 loss.

14 Buckeyes in divisional round

Of the 18 total Buckeyes who played in playoff games this weekend, all but five of them advanced to the divisional round with wins. The only Buckeyes who were eliminated from the playoffs were Baker, Bosa, Dobbins, Malik Harrison and Corey Linsley.

The 13 former Ohio State players who were on winning teams over the weekend will be joined in the divisional round of the playoffs by Trey Sermon, whose Philadelphia Eagles had a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Six of the eight teams remaining in the playoffs have at least one Buckeye on their roster, and all four games this upcoming weekend will feature at least two former Ohio State players in action.

The full schedule for the second round of the NFL playoffs with the list of Buckeyes on the active rosters of the teams participating in each game:

Saturday

  • 4:30 p.m., NBC: No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars (Luke Farrell, DaVon Hamilton) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (None)
  • 8:15 p.m., FOX: No. 6 New York Giants (Wyatt Davis, Nick Vannett) at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles (Trey Sermon)

Sunday

  • 3 p.m., CBS: No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, Drue Chrisman, Sam Hubbard) at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (None)
  • 6:30 p.m., FOX: No. 5 Dallas Cowboys (Noah Brown, Ezekiel Elliott, Johnathan Hankins, Malik Hooker) at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (Nick Bosa)

Full stats from Wild Card weekend for every Buckeye who participated in the first round of the NFL playoffs can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors’ Matt Gutridge.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WILD CARD STATS
ELI APPLE CB BENGALS 6 tackles
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 7 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards)
VONN BELL S BENGALS 4 tackles
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS 1 tackle, 1 QB hit
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR
NOAH BROWN WR COWBOYS 2 catches, 18 yards; 1 tackle
DRUE CHRISMAN P BENGALS 3 punts, 50.3 average, 2 inside 20
WYATT DAVIS OG GIANTS Inactive
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS 13 carries, 62 yards; 4 catches, 43 yards, 1 TD
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 13 carries, 27 yards; 1 catch, 9 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Played at TE
DAVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 3 tackles, 1 PD
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS 2 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards)
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS Played at LB
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 6 tackles
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 4 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 FR (98 yards), 1 TD
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Started at C
TREY SERMON RB EAGLES Bye
NICK VANNETT TE GIANTS Played at TE
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