Across The Shield: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Catches A Game-Winning Touchdown, Terry McLaurin Has A Career Day and Trey Sermon, Thayer Munford, Ronnie Hickman Have Breakout Games

By Dan Hope on December 19, 2023 at 10:10 am
Terry McLaurin vs. Rams
Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports
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Fourteen games into his NFL career, Jaxon Smith-Njigba already has two game-winning touchdown catches.

Having already made one earlier this season on a 9-yard catch with just 38 seconds left to play against the Cleveland Browns, Smith-Njigba did it again on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, hauling in a 29-yard deep ball with just 28 seconds left to play to propel the Seattle Seahawks to a 20-17 win.

The catch bore an uncanny resemblance to his game-tying touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s Rose Bowl win over Utah at the end of the 2021 season, a game in which he set school records by catching 15 passes for 347 yards, including three touchdowns.

“The Ohio State, they prepared me for these moments,” Smith-Njigba said during a postgame interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “Every game, I come with the same approach: Let’s win. Let’s bring it all on the line. I had that mindset in college, and I have that mindset here in the pros.”

That game-winning touchdown highlighted a four-reception, 48-yard night for the rookie wide receiver from Ohio State and brought the Seahawks back to a .500 record (7-7) for the season.

McLaurin, Samuel set career-highs

Two former Ohio State receivers achieved new career-highs in the Washington Commanders’ game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Terry McLaurin, who had not topped 100 receiving yards in any of the Commanders’ first 13 games of the season, caught six passes for a career-high 141 yards in Week 15. Three of those catches for 93 yards came in the fourth quarter as he helped the Commanders make a near-comeback in their eventual 28-20 loss. McLaurin made a contested 29-yard touchdown catch, then hauled in another deep ball for a 48-yard gain (that was initially ruled to be a touchdown but overturned) on the Commanders’ subsequent drive to set up a touchdown catch for Curtis Samuel.

McLaurin’s big day could have been even bigger as he nearly hauled in what would have been one of the catches of the year with a diving one-handed snag on a deep ball that was ultimately ruled to have hit the ground.

Even without that catch, McLaurin – who also made a tackle after an interception – earns our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer in Week 15 thanks to his career-best game.

Pro Bucks of the Week
Week Player Stats
Week 1 Saints CB Marshon Lattimore 1 INT, 3 PBU, 2 tackles
Week 2 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 30-47 passing, 384 yards, 2 TD
Week 3 Saints WR Chris Olave 8 catches, 104 yards
Week 4 Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 35-yard fumble return TD
Week 5 Bears QB Justin Fields 15-29 passing, 282 yards, 4 TD; 11 carries, 57 yards
Week 6 Bengals DE Sam Hubbard 7 tackles, 1 sack, 5 QB hits
Week 7 Dolphins LB Jerome Baker 11 tackles, 1 TFL, 22-yard interception return TD
Week 8 Broncos OLB Baron Browning 4 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 1 FF
Week 9 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 30-42 passing, 470 yards, 5 TD; 10 rushing yards
Week 10 Texans WR Noah Brown 7 catches, 172 yards
Week 11 Alouettes WR Austin Mack 6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD in Grey Cup win
Week 12 Rams S Jordan Fuller 4 PBU, 3 tackles
Week 13 Saints WR Chris Olave 5 catches, 119 yards
Week 14 Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott 22 carries, 68 yards; 7 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle
Week 15 Commanders WR Terry McLaurin 6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle

As for Samuel, he caught two touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his NFL career, pairing a 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter with his 3-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter as part of a five-reception, 41-yard day.

Together, McLaurin and Samuel combined for all three of the Commanders’ touchdowns against the Rams and 182 of their 226 receiving yards.

Sermon steps up

With Jonathan Taylor out and Zack Moss knocked out of the game with a first-half arm injury, the Indianapolis Colts turned to Trey Sermon to play his biggest role of the season, and the former Ohio State running back stepped up to help lead the Colts to a 30-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Having run the ball just 11 times for 37 yards this season entering Saturday’s game, Sermon rushed for 88 yards on 17 carries against the Steelers, highlighted by a 19-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Both totals are the second-highest of his NFL career; he ran for 89 yards on 19 carries in a game against the Seattle Seahawks during his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021. His NFL career since then has been quiet – he played in only two more games as a rookie, then carried the ball just two times for 19 yards last season with the Philadelphia Eagles – but Saturday’s game could perhaps serve as a jumping-off point for Sermon based on what he was able to show as a runner when given the opportunity.

Munford shines in Thursday night spotlight

Having primarily played right tackle since beginning his NFL career, Thayer Munford switched sides to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting left tackle – the position he played for most of his Ohio State career – in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings when regular starter Kolton Miller was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

Munford made his second start at left tackle on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he drew considerable praise for his dominant play on Aidan O’Connell’s blind side in the Raiders’ 63-21 blowout win.

A seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Munford has now made eight starts and 13 total game appearances for the Raiders in his second pro season.

Drops dampen Fields’ day

Statistically, Justin Fields didn’t have a great day in the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, completing only 19 of 40 passing attempts for 166 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. But that stat line paints a misleading picture of how Fields actually performed.

He lost what would have been a completion of at least 45 yards early in the game when he threw a picturesque deep ball with three Browns defenders in his face but had it dropped by Bears tight end Robert Tonyan.

Fields’ two interceptions, meanwhile, came on Hail Mary attempts at the end of each half. And the second one should have been caught for a game-winning touchdown by Darnell Mooney, which would have resulted in the first three-game winning streak of Fields’ career as an NFL starting quarterback.

Those drops turned what could have been a day to remember for Fields in Cleveland into a disappointing loss for the Bears, though the day still came with its share of highlights for the former Ohio State quarterback. In particular, Fields executed one of the best touchdowns of the entire week when he spun out of a Myles Garrett sack in the pocket before scrambling to the left sideline to throw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet.

Hickman shines in second start

On the other end of Sunday’s game in Cleveland, Ronnie Hickman made his second straight start for the Browns at safety due to injuries at the position. The undrafted rookie didn’t look one bit out of place in the Browns’ 20-17 win.

Hickman recorded five tackles and made a rangy third-down pass breakup on the second-to-last play of the first half, which helped keep the score tied as it would force the Bears to unsuccessfully attempt a Hail Mary on the final play before halftime.

For the game as a whole, Hickman received a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.6, the third-best grade of any safety in the NFL in Week 15. His overall grade of 83.9 across 184 defensive snaps this season ranks as the sixth-best of any safety in the league, though he saw only occasional defensive playing time prior to the last two weeks.

Hickman was one of two undrafted rookie safeties from Ohio State to see action for the Browns this week. The Browns elevated Tanner McCalister from the practice squad for the second time this season and he played 18 snaps on special teams in his second game appearance of the year.

Big day for Brown

C.J. Stroud missed a game for the first time in his NFL career in Week 15 after suffering a concussion in the Houston Texans’ loss to the New York Jets in Week 14. That didn’t stop Noah Brown from having a big day to help lead the Texans to a win.

With Case Keenum throwing him the ball, Brown caught a career-high eight passes for 82 yards in the Texans’ 19-16 overtime win over the Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans. Brown caught six passes for 68 yards in the first half alone, then made a game-tying 3-yard touchdown catch with just over three minutes to play to send the game to overtime.

Brown, who had just two career 80-yard receiving games before this season, has now had three in 2023.

Former Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston also did his job well in the Texans’ victory, averaging 46.7 yards per punt and downing three of his six punts inside the 20-yard line while securing the hold on all four of Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field goals, including his game-winning 54-yarder in overtime.

Harrison gets his first sack

Former Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison recorded the first sack of his NFL career on Sunday. After initially dropping into coverage, Harrison showed his explosive speed as he chased down fellow rookie Bryce Young for a third-down sack, forcing the Carolina Panthers to settle for a field goal before halftime.

Harrison, who had not recorded any tackles for loss in his first 13 NFL games, recorded four total tackles with two tackles for loss in his most productive game of his career to date. He helped the Falcons defense hold the Panthers without a touchdown, though the Falcons lost, 9-7.

Quick Hits

  • The Arizona Cardinals signed Tyreke Smith off of the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad on Friday. He was inactive for his first game with the team.
  • Nick Bosa beat Paris Johnson Jr. to force a Kyler Murray fumble in the 49ers’ win over the Cardinals, though the fumble was recovered by Johnson. The strip sack brought Bosa’s sack total for the season to 10.5, marking the third year in a row that Bosa has recorded double-digit sacks.
  • Luke Farrell made the second-longest catch of his NFL career with a 28-yard reception in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Statistics for every former Ohio State player from Week 15 and for the entire 2023 NFL season can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 15 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB DOLPHINS 4 tackles, 1 PD 35 tackles, 1 QB hit, 7 PD
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS Injured reserve (knee) 68 tackles, 1.5 sacks (0 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 INT, 3 PD, 1 TD
VONN BELL S PANTHERS 2 tackles 55 tackles, 1 QB hit 1 INT, 2 PD
JOEY BOSA OLB CHARGERS Injured reserve (foot) 20 tackles, 6.5 sacks (59 yards), 6 TFL, 8 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 1 tackle, 1 sack (1 yard), 1 FF 45 tackles, 10 sacks (58.5 yards), 10 TFL, 33 QB hits, 3 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR
NOAH BROWN WR TEXANS 8 catches, 82 yards, 1 TD 29 catches, 521 yards, 2 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS 2 tackles, 1 QB hit 21 tackles, 3.5 sacks (22.5 yards), 4 TFL, 7 QB hits, 2 PD, 2 FF
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR GIANTS Inactive 20 catches, 104 yards; 8 KR, 191 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 5 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards) 65 tackles, 6.5 sacks (50.5 yards), 1 FF, 6 TFL, 11 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 2 FR, 1 TD
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 12 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (Achilles) 8 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB PATRIOTS 11 carries, 25 yards; 5 catches, 21 yards 145 carries, 522 yards, 2 TD; 36 catches, 247 yards; 1 tackle
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS 1 catch, 28 yards 12 catches, 148 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 19/40 passing, 166 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 7 carries, 30 yards 181/275 passing, 1,976 yards, 14 TD, 8 INT; 96 carries, 482 yards, 2 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS 5 tackles 83 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 6 PD, 3 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 3 tackles 5 tackles
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS Inactive 26 tackles, 3 sacks, (18 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 2 PD
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 1 tackle 19 tackles, 1 QB hit
ZACH HARRISON DE FALCONS 4 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 2 TFL, 1 QB hit 25 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 2 TFL,2 QB hits
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 5 tackles, 1 TFL 30 tackles, 2 sacks (14 yards), 6 TFL, 3 QB hits
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS 5 tackles, 1 PD 12 tackles, 2 PD
JALYN HOLMES DE JETS Played at DE 1 tackle
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS Inactive 46 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 3 tackles, 2 QB hits 51 tackles, 5 sacks (31 yards), 6 TFL, 16 QB hits, 1 FR
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 9 starts at LG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at RT 14 starts at RT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 6 punts, 46.7 average, 3 inside 20 51 punts, 47.6 average, 21 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Injured reserve (knee) 9 starts at RT, 11 games played
DRE'MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS 2 tackles 35 tackles, 3.5 sacks (13 yards), 4 TFL, 10 QB hits
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS Injured reserve (ankle) 48 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 8 PD
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 22 tackles, 3 sacks (19.5 yards) 7 TFL, 11 QB hits, 3 PD
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Non-football illness (heart) 3 starts at C
TANNER McCALISTER FS BROWNS Played on special teams 2 games played
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 1 tackle, 12 games played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD 66 receptions, 835 yards, 3 TD, 1 FR TD
JAKE McQUAIDE LS LIONS Played at LS 1 tackle, 6 games played at LS
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Started at LT 8 starts, 13 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 14 games started at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB FALCONS 2 tackles 43 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 PD
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS Inactive 75 catches, 918 yards, 4 TD
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Injured reserve (shoulder) 2 starts at OT, 3 games played
ISAIAH PRINCE OT FALCONS Released 2 games played
BRADLEY ROBY CB EAGLES 2 tackles, 1 TFL 21 tackles, 1 QB hit, 2 TFL, 1 FF
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS 2 catches, 16 yards 16 catches, 151 yards
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 5 catches, 41 yards, 2 TD 56 catches, 549 yards, 4 TD; 4 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
TREY SERMON RB COLTS 17 carries, 88 yards 28 carries, 125 yards
KENDALL SHEFFIELD CB 49ERS Released 4 tackles, 1 TFL
TYREKE SMITH LB CARDINALS Inactive 1 tackle
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS 4 catches, 48 yards, 1 TD 53 catches, 541 yards, 2 TD
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS Inactive 275/441 passing, 3,631 yards, 20 TD, 5 INT; 35 carries, 143 yards, 3 TD
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS Injured reserve (knee) 39 catches, 448 yards, 1 TD
NICK VANNETT TE CHARGERS Started at TE 3 starts at TE, 5 games played
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS Inactive 16 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS Played at CB 29 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 10 PD, 1 FF
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 6 tackles 76 tackles, 0.5 sacks (4 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 1 PD, 2 FR
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 3 catches, 29 yards 79 catches, 882 yards, 3 TD; 1 carry, 6 yards; 0/1 passing
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Played on OL 4 games played
CHASE YOUNG DE 49ERS 2 tackles, 0.5 sacks (0.5 yards) 21 tackles, 7 sacks (46 yards), 7 TFL, 13 QB hits, 2 PD
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