Across The Shield: Terry McLaurin Has Another Two-Touchdown Game, Sam Hubbard Suffers Torn PCL While Catching Touchdown Pass

This week’s standouts included Terry McLaurin catching two touchdowns in the same game for the fourth time this season, Sam Hubbard and Garrett Wilson also catching touchdown passes, Jaxon Smith-Njigba catching double-digit passes for the third time this season, Zach Harrison forcing a safety and Chase Young and Marshon Lattimore both shining defensively in a matchup against each other and their former teams.

Another two-touchdown game for McLaurin

Entering this season, Terry McLaurin had only scored two touchdowns in a game twice. He’s now done it four times in 2024.

McLaurin had his fourth two-touchdown game of the season on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, scoring both of the Washington Commanders’ touchdowns in their 20-19 win.

The first touchdown was one of the best catches of the week as McLaurin came back to the ball and skied over two New Orleans Saints defenders to haul in a 16-yard pass from Jayden Daniels more than 10 seconds after the snap as Daniels eluded multiple rushers to keep the play alive before finally throwing the ball to the end zone.

THAT'S 10 TDs FOR @TheTerry_25 #ProBowlVote

#WASvsNO FOX pic.twitter.com/ehNbHChUrT

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 15, 2024

... come on#ProBowlVote @TheTerry_25 pic.twitter.com/x6n9oPMnUK

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 15, 2024

His second touchdown came on a diving 3-yard grab in the second quarter.

.@TheTerry_25 TUDDY x2 #ProBowlVote

#WASvsNO FOX pic.twitter.com/oulmrPnvdr

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 15, 2024

Playing with the best quarterback he’s had in his NFL career, McLaurin has firmly established himself as one of the league’s elite receivers in 2024. He’s now caught 68 passes for 969 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns, the second-most among all NFL pass-catchers this year.

McLaurin’s seven-catch, 73-yard effort against the Saints earned him our Pro Buck of the Week award as the top NFL performer of the week from Ohio State for the second time this season.

Hubbard suffers torn PCL on touchdown catch

Sam Hubbard scored a touchdown on his first career catch on Sunday, but it came with a cost.

The former Ohio State defensive end showed he could also be a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball when he caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from his former Buckeye teammate Joe Burrow while in the game as a tight end.

SAM HUBBARD TOUCHDOWN CATCH! pic.twitter.com/rFFAdhwEae

Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 15, 2024

The Cincinnati Kid!!@JoeyB making sure @Sam_Hubbard_ got his first TD ball >>

Performance of The Game | #GuinnessUS pic.twitter.com/d5iXHReUPB

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 16, 2024

While Hubbard did his best Rob Gronkowski impression with both his catch and his celebratory spike afterward, the celebration proved to be short-lived as he suffered a torn PCL on the play. The injury is expected to end his season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Hubbard has occasionally played situational snaps on offense this season after lobbying Bengals coach Zac Taylor for the opportunity to get in on that side of the ball, but Sunday was the first time he had a pass thrown his way. The catch was Hubbard’s first in any game since high school as he never played on offense at Ohio State. 

It was the third touchdown Hubbard has scored for the Bengals as he had a 19-yard fumble return touchdown as a rookie in 2018 as well as a 98-yard fumble return touchdown in the Bengals’ playoff win over the Baltimore Ravens in January 2023.

Wilson scores sixth touchdown of 2024

The other Buckeye to catch a touchdown pass in Week 15 was Garrett Wilson, who had one of the easier touchdown receptions he’ll have in the NFL as he was left open for a 22-yard touchdown catch over the middle of the field in the first quarter of the New York Jets’ 32-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

RODGERS TO WILSON TOUCHDOWN#NYJvsJAX on FOX pic.twitter.com/rEBpChpHl0

— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 15, 2024

That touchdown was Wilson’s sixth of the season, extending a career-high for the third-year pro. With three catches for 56 yards in Jacksonville, Wilson has now caught 84 passes for 933 yards this season, leaving him just 67 yards away from a third consecutive 1,000-yard season to begin his NFL career.

10 catches for JSN

Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his streak of leading the Seattle Seahawks in receiving for the seventh week in a row as he caught 10 passes – good for his third double-digit reception game of the year – for 83 yards in the Seahawks’ 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Smith-Njigba’s 10-catch night was highlighted by a 25-yard catch on a pass from Geno Smith late in the first quarter.

Geno Smith connects with JSN for 25 yards!

: #GBvsSEA on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wWrXUCBFnK

— NFL (@NFL) December 16, 2024

JSN finished the game with exactly half of the Seahawks’ 20 total receptions as he caught three of the five passes completed by backup quarterback Sam Howell, who replaced Smith in the third quarter after Smith was knocked out of the game with a knee injury.

Smith-Njigba is now just six yards away from his first 1,000-yard season as an NFL receiver. His 994 receiving yards rank sixth among all NFL players while his 85 receptions rank seventh.

Harrison records a safety and a sack

Sam Hubbard wasn’t the only former Ohio State defensive end to put points directly on the board for his team in Week 15. Zach Harrison scored two points for the Atlanta Falcons when he tackled Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison in the end zone for a safety on Monday Night Football.

Defense, party of TWO

ESPN | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/v9dQmoYFyo

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 17, 2024

The safety was the first Harrison has forced in his NFL career.

It came on his first of two tackles for loss on Monday night as he also recorded a sack – his first of the season – to record two tackles for loss in a game for just the second time in his career. Harrison finished with four total tackles – none more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage – in the Falcons’ 15-9 win over the Raiders.

Young notches two sacks vs. former team

While his Saints ended up on the losing end of the game, Chase Young had a productive game against his former team as he recorded two sacks against the Commanders, the team that selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

CHASE YOUNG SACK!

His 2nd of the day#Saints | :FOX pic.twitter.com/k7UeLpbuP7

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 15, 2024

It’s only the second time Young has recorded two full sacks in an NFL game, with his first coming last year against the New York Giants in his second-to-last game as a Commander. With his two sacks on Sunday, Young has now recorded 5.5 sacks this season, his highest total since he had 7.5 sacks as a rookie in Washington.

Lattimore untargeted by former team

On the other side of the equation, Marshon Lattimore was also playing against his former team as he made his debut for the Commanders against the Saints. He also excelled in what could be classified as a “revenge game.”

Playing for a team other than the Saints for the first time in his NFL career, Lattimore wasn’t targeted once on 39 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus, earning a grade of 71.2 in coverage.

23 pic.twitter.com/b5uAq6qpuY

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 15, 2024

The Commanders acquired Lattimore from the Saints in November, trading third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to New Orleans in exchange for Lattimore and a fifth-round pick, but the former Ohio State cornerback was sidelined by a hamstring injury for his first four games in Washington.

Stover undergoes appendectomy

Cade Stover was unable to play for the Houston Texans in Week 15 after undergoing emergency surgery to have his appendix removed over the weekend.

The team reported Sunday that Stover is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery.

Update from the #Texans:

TE Cade Stover underwent emergency appendectomy surgery last night. He is doing well today and expected to make a full recovery.

Stover has been downgraded to out for Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins.

— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) December 15, 2024

The Texans earned their ninth victory of the season in his absence, defeating the Miami Dolphins 20-12 as C.J. Stroud completed 18 of 26 passing attempts for 131 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

C.J. THREADED THAT #ProBowlVote + @CJ7STROUD #ProBowlVote + @lbg_nico7

: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/gWscB40h6e

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2024

ANOTHA ONE #ProBowlVote + @CJ7STROUD #ProBowlVote + @lbg_nico7

: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/gEtLsMntxk

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2024

Stroud also made the highlight reel when he completed a pass to Tank Dell for an 11-yard gain on 3rd-and-3 in the process of being taken down to the ground by Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson.

Omg

: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/hhvQJjslML

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 15, 2024

Noah Brown likely out for season

The Commanders’ top two wide receivers this season have both been from Ohio State, but they’ll likely be down to just McLaurin for the rest of the year.

Noah Brown was placed on injured reserve this week after suffering an injury to his kidney in the Commanders’ win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 13. Being placed on injured reserve will sideline him for at least the remainder of the regular season. Brown would be eligible to return for the playoffs, but Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that he’s likely to miss the remainder of the year.

“That one hurts,” Quinn said. “He's been absolutely one of our glue guys. During the game, between him and the medical staff, they did a really good job to address what was a serious injury. Fortunately, he's going to be OK, but it's gonna knock him out for a bit.”

Brown, who was signed by the Commanders when he was released by the Texans before the season, caught 35 passes for 453 yards prior to his injury, highlighted by his game-winning Hail Mary touchdown catch against the Chicago Bears in Week 8.

Fields suffers abdominal injury

Like Hubbard, Justin Fields was injured while playing his only offensive snap in Week 15.

Fields came in off the bench to run the ball for an 8-yard gain for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but took a hard hit from Eagles safety Reed Blankenship as he slid at the end of the run. While Fields walked off the field under his power, he would not return to the game as he was ruled out with an abdominal injury.

How is this a penalty on the Eagles? A late slide by Fields as he runs into Blankenship. pic.twitter.com/LxmYXTKEBi

— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) December 15, 2024

Quick Hits

• Baron Browning recorded his first sack for the Arizona Cardinals, who acquired him from the Denver Broncos in November, as one of two tackles for loss in their 30-17 win over the New England Patriots. 

Dont get your tinsel in a twist pic.twitter.com/islzcg7hph

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 15, 2024

• In his first game back from injured reserve, Michael Hall Jr. recorded his first NFL tackle for loss and had two quarterback hits in the Cleveland Browns’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Denzel Ward had a season-high six tackles in the Browns’ loss to the Chiefs.
• The Jets added Kendall Sheffield to their 53-man roster after previously elevating him from their practice squad three times, the maximum number of standard elevations allowed. He recorded five tackles in his first game as a full-fledged member of their roster.
• The Dolphins added Jake McQuaide to their practice squad on Monday. McQuaide was released by the Minnesota Vikings earlier this month after snapping in four games for the Vikings.

Week 15 Stats

The following table, compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge, includes statistics for this week and the entire 2024 season for every Buckeye who has played in at least one game this season. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)