Across The Shield: J.K. Dobbins Shows Vintage Form in First Game with Chargers, C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields Make Ohio State History with Week 1 Wins

By Dan Hope on September 10, 2024 at 10:10 am
J.K. Dobbins
Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images
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After battling injuries for most of the last three seasons, J.K. Dobbins finally appears to be back to his old self.

In his first game in 364 days after tearing his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season, Dobbins showed vintage form in his first game as a Los Angeles Charger, running for 135 yards on 10 carries in the Chargers’ 22-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He delivered the game’s two longest plays with runs of 46 and 61 yards and scored a touchdown in between those plays on a 12-yard run.

His 135 rushing yards were the most he’s had in a game since his rookie season in 2020, when he ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the Baltimore Ravens’ regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, then played in only eight games in 2022 as he continued to battle knee issues.

Now, however, Dobbins feels as though he’s finally back to 100 percent.

“Everyone thought I was finished, but that's not how I’m wired,” Dobbins told USA TODAY Sports. “I grew up with hard workers. I grew up not with a rich family and stuff like that. So only thing I know to do is just keep working (and) keep fighting. Keep a smile on my face too while doing it. … We're gonna be a good team and you know, I'm back. I’m back and ready to go.”

In recognition of his spectacular start to the season, Dobbins earns Across The Shield’s first Pro Buck of the Week Award for the 2024 season.

Pro Bucks of the Week
Week Player Stats
1 Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins 10 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 4 yards

Dobbins also received a game ball from new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. 

Despite that recognition, Dobbins isn’t eager to give his new coach any credit for his three wins over Ohio State as Michigan’s head coach.

Stroud, Fields earn Week 1 wins

C.J. Stroud picked up where he left off as a rookie in the first game of his sophomore NFL season, completing 24 of 32 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Houston Texans to a 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The reigning NFL Rookie of the Year completed two touchdown passes to new Texans receiver Stefon Diggs and had several other highlight-reel throws in Week 1 including a fourth-down conversion from his knees, a 55-yard deep bomb to Nico Collins and a pinpoint 12-yard sideline pass to Collins into a razor-thin window on 3rd-and-11 that all but sealed the Texans’ win with two minutes to play.

Stroud wasn’t the only former Ohio State quarterback to lead a team to victory in Week 1. With Russell Wilson sidelined by a calf injury, Justin Fields started his first game as a Pittsburgh Steeler and guided the Steelers to an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

While the Steelers didn’t score any touchdowns, he completed 17 of 23 passing attempts for 156 yards and ran for another 57 yards on 14 carries.

The highlight of Fields’ Steelers debut came in the final seconds of the first half as he connected with George Pickens on a 33-yard downfield strike to set up a field goal before halftime. Fields also connected with Pickens on another deep ball for a 40-yard gain later in the game.

It’s the first time two quarterbacks from Ohio State have both led teams to Week 1 wins as starting quarterbacks in the same NFL season.

Coop dominates in season opener

No NFL pass-rusher was more consistently effective on a per-snap basis in Week 1 than Jonathon Cooper. 

The former Ohio State defensive end recorded two sacks, two additional quarterback hits and three additional quarterback hurries in the Denver Broncos’ 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He recorded those seven pressures on just 17 total pass-rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus, good for a Pass Rushing Productivity rate of 26.5 – the highest among all NFL edge defenders in Week 1.

Cooper was one of three former Ohio State players to record sacks in Week 1 along with Joey Bosa for the Chargers and Tyquan Lewis for the Colts, who each recorded one quarterback takedown. Cooper and Lewis each recorded six total tackles while Bosa had a dominant season opener of his own, recording seven total tackles and forcing a fumble in his first game of the season.

Zeke scores in Cowboys return

Dobbins wasn’t the only former Ohio State running back to find the end zone in Week 1. In his first game back with the Dallas Cowboys after spending last season with the New England Patriots, Ezekiel Elliott ran for a 3-yard touchdown as part of a 10-carry, 40-yard day in the Cowboys’ 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Elliott also got the best of one of his former Ohio State teammates on his very first carry of the game when he hurdled Denzel Ward en route to a 5-yard gain.

Missed opportunity for Marv

Marvin Harrison Jr. had a forgettable NFL debut, catching just one pass for four yards.

It could have been a much more memorable debut, however, if Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had seen Harrison running wide open for what could have been a go-ahead 55-yard touchdown with less than two minutes to play in the game.

Murray still completed a 12-yard pass for a first down on the play, but the Cardinals’ drive would ultimately end without points as they suffered a 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The only other rookie from Ohio State who saw playing time in Week 1 was Cade Stover, who played 15 snaps at tight end for the Texans but recorded no statistics. Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. started the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt list amid an investigation into domestic violence accusations against him, while Tommy Eichenberg was inactive for the Las Vegas Raiders’ season opener.

Johnston out for season

Cameron Johnston’s first season with the Steelers is already over. The former Ohio State punter suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday when Falcons receiver Kha’Darel Hodge ran into his right leg while being blocked after Johnston uncorked a 51-yard punt in the fourth quarter.

Johnston signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Steelers this offseason after previously playing for the Houston Texans (2021-23) and Philadelphia Eagles (2017-20).

Jalen McMillan, honorary Buckeye?

Jalen McMillan played his college football at Washington and has no obvious ties to Ohio State, but that didn’t stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver from celebrating his first NFL touchdown with an O-H.

While McMillan hasn’t yet explained the impetus behind that celebration publicly, it may have had something to do with one of the defensive backs who he beat on the play: Former Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil, who was playing in his first game with the Washington Commanders after helping lead the Wolverines to a national championship game win over Washington in January.

Two pick-sixes in one game

Even in an NFL Week 1 full of notable performances by former Ohio State players, the most eye-popping stat line from a former Buckeye in professional football over the weekend came north of the border.

Former Ohio State safety Damon Webb had not one but two pick-sixes in the Ottawa Redblacks’ 41-27 win over the Toronto Argonauts, returning one interception for a 29-yard touchdown and another for a 96-yard score.

“Probably No. 1,” Webb said after Saturday’s game when asked it ranked among the most memorable moments of his career. “That’s my first time ever getting two pick-sixes.”

Six Buckeyes named team captains

Six former Ohio State players were named captains by their respective teams in the days leading up to the start of the season.

The Texans named Stroud a captain for the second year in a row. The Steelers named Cameron Heyward a captain for the 10th year in a row. Sam Hubbard and Vonn Bell are both captains for the Cincinnati Bengals for the fourth time. The San Francisco 49ers named Nick Bosa a captain for the second time while the Browns named Ward a captain for the first time.

Terry McLaurin would likely be a seventh NFL captain from Ohio State this season if the Commanders had named season-long captains. New Commanders coach Dan Quinn, however, opted to forgo the practice of naming permanent captains in favor of naming weekly captains.

Quick Hits

  • Ward tied for the league lead in Week 1 with three pass breakups.
  • Garrett Wilson caught six passes for 60 yards in the New York Jets’ Monday night loss to the 49ers, highlighted by a leaping 16-yard reception over San Francisco cornerback Deommodre Lenoir.
  • Former Ohio State guard Michael Jordan made his first start since 2021 for the New England Patriots, who elevated him from the practice squad for their Week 1 game against the Bengals, the team who drafted him. The Patriots won, 16-10.
  • Jerome Baker recorded five tackles with a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble in the Seahawks’ win over the Broncos.
  • Jameson Williams, who played at Ohio State for two years before transferring to Alabama, had the best game of his NFL career to date to kick off his third season with the Detroit Lions as he caught five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown and added a 13-yard run.

Week 1 Stats

The following table, compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge, includes statistics from every former Ohio State player who was on a roster for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 1 STATS
JEROME BAKER LB SEAHAWKS 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR
VONN BELL S BENGALS 6 tackles
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS 7 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QB hits
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 2 tackles
NOAH BROWN WR COMMANDERS Inactive
BARON BROWNING LB BRONCOS 5 tackles, 1 TFL
JONATHON COOPER LB BRONCOS 6 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB CHARGERS 10 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 4 yards
TOMMY EICHENBERG LB RAIDERS Inactive
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 10 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Started at TE
JUSTIN FIELDS CB STEELERS 17/23, 156 yards; 14 carries, 57 yards
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OL TITANS Started at RT
JORDAN FULLER S PANTHERS 7 tackles
MIKE HALL JR. DT BROWNS Commissioner’s exempt list
DAVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 1 tackle, 1 TFL
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT SEAHAWKS 2 tackles, 1 TFL
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 2 tackles
ZACH HARRISON DL FALCONS 2 tackles
MARVIN HARRISON JR. WR CARDINALS 1 catch, 4 yards
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 4 tackles
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS Played at S
JALYN HOLMES DE JETS 3 tackles, 1 TFL
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 4 tackles
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 4 tackles, 1 QB hit
JONAH JACKSON OG RAMS Started at C
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at LT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P STEELERS 2 punts, 51.5 average, 1 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Started at RT
DRE'MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS 1 tackle
MICHAEL JORDAN OG PATRIOTS 1 start at OG
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS 2 tackles
TYQUAN LEWIS DT COLTS 6 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 2 catches, 17 yards
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS Played on special teams
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Started at RT
JOSH MYERS C/G PACKERS Started at C
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS 2 catches, 19 yards
JEFF OKUDAH CB TEXANS Played on special teams
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 2 catches, 11 yards
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Played at TE
CURTIS SAMUEL WR BILLS 2 catches, 15 yards
TREY SERMON RB COLTS Played at RB
CADE STOVER TE TEXANS Played at TE
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 24/32, 234 yards, 2 TD; 4 carries, 13 yards
NICK VANNETT TE TITANS 2 catches, 11 yards
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 3 PD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 2 tackles
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 6 catches, 60 yards
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Injured reserve
CHASE YOUNG DE SAINTS 2 QB hits
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