Across The Shield is Eleven Warriors’ weekly recap of the best and most notable performances from former Ohio State players throughout the NFL.
Our Week 16 recap is highlighted by two former Ohio State receivers surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the season, another two former Buckeyes forcing key takeaways in victories for their teams and Mike Hall Jr. having a productive first career start.
JSN and Terry top 1,000
Eleven NFL receivers have topped 1,000 yards for the year with two weeks to go in the 2024 regular season. Two of those receivers are from Ohio State.
Terry McLaurin became the first NFL Buckeye to reach the 1,000-yard mark this season on Sunday afternoon when he caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of the Washington Commanders’ 36-33 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
FRANCHISE RECORD TIED: THAT'S 12 TDs for @TheTerry_25
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 22, 2024
FOX | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/JhFT4TLtQL
McLaurin tied the Commanders’ single-season record for touchdown receptions in the process as it was his 12th score of the season.
ANOTHER 1K#ProBowlVote @TheTerry_25 pic.twitter.com/zHchjl1lW5
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 22, 2024
McLaurin has now surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons, also a Commanders record for the longest such streak in franchise history. He is one of just two NFL receivers (along with Justin Jefferson) to reach that milestone in all of the last five seasons.
He has now caught 73 passes for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, ranking second behind only Ja’Marr Chase in touchdown catches for the year.
McLaurin’s 1,029 yards are the 10th-most among all NFL receivers, but he’s only the second-leading receiver among Ohio State products. Sixty yards ahead of him is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who reached quadruple digits for the first time in his NFL career during Sunday’s late afternoon slate of games.
Needing just six yards to reach 1,000 entering Week 16, Smith-Njigba hit the milestone on his second reception of the game, a 13-yard catch. Just one play later, Smith-Njigba made a highlight-reel grab as he hauled in a 25-yard pass over the middle of the field in between three defenders.
Elite connection from Geno to JSN
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
: #MINvsSEA on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ZGPe2ArI0R
Two plays after that, Smith-Njigba caught an 18-yard pass for his sixth touchdown of the year.
JSN is really him. #ProBowlVote + @jaxon_smith1 pic.twitter.com/8AkvMYzsUB
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 22, 2024
Smith-Njigba finished the game as the Seahawks’ leading receiver for the eighth week in a row, catching eight passes for 95 yards in their 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
JSN is special.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 23, 2024
Repost to #ProBowlVote for @jaxon_smith1. pic.twitter.com/gXSQAKBCrE
That performance earned him our Pro Buck of the Week award as the week’s top NFL player from Ohio State for the second time this season.
| Week | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins | 10 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 4 yards |
| 2 | Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. | 4 catches, 130 yards, 2 TD |
| 3 | Commanders WR Terry McLaurin | 4 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD |
| 4 | 49ers DE Nick Bosa | 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1 FR, 9 QB pressures |
| 5 | Seahawks LB Jerome Baker | 14 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF |
| 6 | 49ers DE Nick Bosa | 4 tackles, 2 QB hits, 14 QB pressures |
| 7 | Bengals DE Sam Hubbard | 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 QB hits |
| 8 | Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. | 6 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD |
| 9 | Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 7 catches, 180 yards, 2 TD |
| 10 | Saints DE Chase Young | 1 sack, 1 FF, 2 QB hits, 9 QB pressures |
| 11 | Browns CB Denzel Ward | 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 PBU |
| 12 | Ravens LB Malik Harrison | 13 tackles, 1 TFL |
| 13 | Browns CB Denzel Ward | 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU that forced an INT |
| 14 | Steelers DT Cameron Heyward | 5 tackles, 2 sacks |
| 15 | Commanders WR Terry McLaurin | 7 catches, 73 yards, 2 TD |
| 16 | Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 8 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD |
Smith-Njigba has now caught 93 passes for 1,095 yards and six touchdowns this season, ranking sixth in the NFL in receptions and fifth in receiving yards.
Bell forces a goal-line fumble
Vonn Bell played only seven defensive snaps in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 24-6 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but the former Ohio State safety made a big impact nonetheless.
With the Browns on the 1-yard line on their opening drive of the game, Bell knocked the ball out of D’Onta Foreman’s hands at the goal line and fell on the football himself, preventing the Browns from scoring a touchdown while securing a takeaway for the Bengals.
Vonn Bell : 2 tackles, forced fumble & a fumble recovery pic.twitter.com/Y9ulgzBYUp
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) December 22, 2024
That play, one of two tackles by Bell in the game, prevented the Browns from taking an early lead and helped lead Cincinnati to its first sweep of its in-state rival since 2017, keeping the Bengals’ slim playoff hopes alive.
Harrison’s tip sets up pick-six
Like Bell, Zach Harrison also came off the bench to make a game-changing play for his team in the Atlanta Falcons’ 34-7 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
On the second play of the second half, Harrison helped the Falcons turn a 17-7 lead into a 24-7 lead as he beat Giants right guard Greg Van Roten to get to the backfield and trip a pass by Giants quarterback Drew Lock up into the air. The deflected pass was caught by his Falcons teammate Matthew Judon and returned 27 yards for a pick-six.
.@man_dammn pick six?!@man_dammn PICK SIX!!!
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 22, 2024
FOX | NFL+ #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/YqLty0uAQX
The pass breakup was Harrison’s second in a three-week span and came along with two tackles in the victory over the Giants.
Hall shines in first career start
Mike Hall Jr. made the first start of his NFL career on Sunday and had the most productive game so far of his rookie season, recording five total tackles including his first career sack.
All five of Hall’s tackles occurred no more than three yards beyond the line of scrimmage as he received a grade of 80.6 from Pro Football Focus for his play across 35 snaps.
The highest-graded Browns in Week 16 vs the Bengals:
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) December 23, 2024
Myles Garrett - 87.2
Wyatt Teller - 81.0
Michael Hall Jr. - 80.6
Ethan Pocic - 80.4
Sam Kamara - 76.6
(min. 25 snaps) pic.twitter.com/rLgqJJeOZH
Hall was one of four former Ohio State defenders to record sacks in Week 16. Jalyn Holmes and Baron Browning each recorded their second sacks of the season – Browning’s being his second in as many weeks – while Joey Bosa notched his fifth sack of the year.
we see you, joey
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 20, 2024
| @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/c2ZdWl9FAk
Zeke scores on lone SNF carry
Ezekiel Elliott made the most of his only carry in the Dallas Cowboys’ Sunday Night Football win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Inserted into the lineup for a goal-line play late in the first half, Elliott found the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Cowboys a 20-7 lead in their eventual 26-24 victory.
zeke punches it in
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 23, 2024
: #TBvsDAL on NBC
: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/55p4AdCE6W
The touchdown was the third of the season for Elliott, who’s played more sparingly than he ever has in any previous NFL season in his return to the Cowboys.
Stroud mourns teammate’s injury on touchdown pass
C.J. Stroud threw two touchdown passes in the Houston Texans’ Saturday afternoon matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the second touchdown pass came at an unfortunate cost for his Texans teammate Tank Dell.
While Stroud threw a beautiful ball that Dell caught in the back of the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown, two other players collided with Dell’s leg in the process. As a result, Dell suffered both a torn ACL and a dislocated kneecap on the play, ending his 2024 season.
CJ Stroud connects with Tank Dell for a 30-yard touchdown
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2024
: #HOUvsKC on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/yqn1VFbpVU
The injury was severe enough that Dell had his leg placed in an air cast before he was transported to a local hospital, and Stroud’s concern for his teammate was clear as he was shown crying after seeing what happened to Dell, who he considers his best friend on the team.
Man, a gutwrenching injury for Tank Dell. CJ Stroud was emotional on the field. pic.twitter.com/CcvEnfQfRP
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) December 21, 2024
“It's not easy seeing your brother go down like that,” Stroud said after the game.
Stroud finished the game with 23 completions on 39 passing attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in the Texans’ 27-19 loss.
Active day for Lattimore ends with hamstring injury
While Marshon Lattimore wasn’t targeted once in his debut with the Commanders in Week 15, the former Ohio State cornerback saw far more action in Week 16.
Spending most of the day matched up with Eagles star A.J. Brown, Lattimore was targeted 10 times and gave up five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. He also was penalized for defensive pass interference three times in one quarter, becoming just the second NFL player in the last 25 seasons to draw three pass interference penalties in a quarter, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Even so, Lattimore drew praise for his play in the Commanders’ win as he recorded a season-high three pass breakups, surpassing his previous total of two for his first eight games of the season, along with four tackles.
Sunday, Marshon Lattimore showed why the @Commanders traded for him. It allowed DC Joe Whitt to be as AGGRESSIVE as hes been ALL SEASON with pressure looks
— Lynnell Willingham (@Nell_BTP) December 23, 2024
Lattimores health will be HUGE down the stretch, wasnt perfect but hes a BEAST @DCNewsNow @_brandyflores pic.twitter.com/4DprYBhISF
His day ended in an all-too-familiar fashion, however, as he left the game with a hamstring injury. While it is unclear whether this injury will force Lattimore to miss time, as Commanders coach Dan Quinn provided no update on his injury during his Monday press conference, Lattimore missed his first four games with the Commanders due to a hamstring injury he had suffered in New Orleans before the Saints dealt him to Washington in November.
Week 16 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.)
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM | WEEK 16 STATS | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELI APPLE | CB | CHARGERS | Injured reserve (hamstring) | 2 tackles, 1 PD |
| JEROME BAKER | LB | TITANS | Inactive | 54 tackles, 1 sack (0 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QB hits, 2 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR |
| VONN BELL | S | BENGALS | 1 tackle, 1 FF, 1 FR | 51 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR |
| JOEY BOSA | DE | CHARGERS | 3 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards) | 21 tackles, 5 sacks (24 yards), 5 TFL, 11 QB hits, 2 FF |
| NICK BOSA | DE | 49ERS | 4 tackles, 1 TFL | 44 tackles, 7.0 sacks (40 yards), 11 TFL, 18 QB hits, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR |
| NOAH BROWN | WR | COMMANDERS | Injured reserve (kidney) | 35 catches, 453 yards, 1 TD |
| BARON BROWNING | LB | CARDINALS | 2 tackles, 1 sack (0 yards) | 18 tackles, 2 sacks (7 yards), 5 TFL, 2 QB hits |
| PARRIS CAMPBELL | WR | EAGLES | Practice squad | 6 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD |
| JONATHON COOPER | LB | BRONCOS | 1 QB hit, 1 PD | 52 tackles, 8 sacks (40 yards), 9 TFL, 17 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FF |
| TAYLOR DECKER | OT | LIONS | Started at LT | 12 starts at LT |
| J.K. DOBBINS | RB | CHARGERS | Injured reserve (knee) | 158 carries, 766 yards, 8 TD; 23 catches, 123 yards |
| TOMMY EICHENBERG | LB | RAIDERS | Played on special teams | 12 tackles |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | RB | COWBOYS | 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD | 71 carries, 224 yards, 3 TD; 8 catches, 44 yards |
| LUKE FARRELL | TE | JAGUARS | 2 catches, 8 yards | 11 catches, 63 yards; 1 tackle |
| JUSTIN FIELDS | QB | STEELERS | Inactive | 106/161, 1,106 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT; 62 carries, 289 yards, 5 TD |
| JORDAN FULLER | S | PANTHERS | Inactive | 46 tackles, 1 PD, 1 FF |
| MIKE HALL JR. | DT | BROWNS | 5 tackles, 1 sack (5 yards) | 11 tackles, 1 sack (5 yards), 3 TFL, 5 QB hit |
| DAVON HAMILTON | DT | JAGUARS | 5 tackles | 53 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 QB hits |
| JOHNATHAN HANKINS | DT | SEAHAWKS | 1 tackle | 28 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 4 TFL, 2 QB hits, 1 INT, 1 PD |
| MALIK HARRISON | LB | RAVENS | 3 tackles | 47 tackles, 2 sacks (8 yards), 3 TFL, 2 QB hits |
| ZACH HARRISON | DL | FALCONS | 2 tackles, 1 PD | 22 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 3 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 PD |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | CARDINALS | 4 catches, 39 yards | 51 catches, 726 yards, 7 TD |
| CAMERON HEYWARD | DT | STEELERS | 6 tackles, 1 TFL | 66 tackles, 8 sacks (62 yards), 11 TFL, 19 QB hits, 8 PD |
| RONNIE HICKMAN | S | BROWNS | 3 tackles | 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 PD, 1 FR |
| JALYN HOLMES | DE | COMMANDERS | 2 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards) | 14 tackles, 2 sacks (11 yards), 4 TFL, 3 QB hits |
| MALIK HOOKER | S | COWBOYS | 3 tackles | 67 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 1 QB hit, 3 PD |
| SAM HUBBARD | DE | BENGALS | Inactive | 40 tackles, 2 sacks (6 yards), 3 TFL, 9 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FF; 1 catch, 2 yards, TD |
| JONAH JACKSON | OG | RAMS | Did not play | 2 starts at C, 1 start at LG |
| PARIS JOHNSON JR. | OL | CARDINALS | Inactive | 14 starts at LT |
| CAMERON JOHNSTON | P | STEELERS | Injured reserve (knee) | 2 punts, 51.5 average, 1 inside 20 |
| DAWAND JONES | OT | BROWNS | Injured reserve (ankle) | 5 starts at RT, 3 starts at LT, 9 games played |
| DRE'MONT JONES | DE | SEAHAWKS | Played at DE | 26 tackles, 4 sacks (35 yards), 7 TFL, 11 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FF |
| JAMARCO JONES | OT | LIONS | Practice squad | 2 games played |
| MICHAEL JORDAN | OG | PACKERS | Practice squad | 11 starts at LG, 1 FR, 12 games played |
| MARSHON LATTIMORE | CB | COMMANDERS | 4 tackles, 3 PD | 34 tackles, 5 PD |
| TYQUAN LEWIS | DT | COLTS | Played at DT | 20 tackles, 1.5 sack (9.5 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF |
| TANNER McCALISTER | S | BRONCOS | Practice squad | 1 tackle |
| LIAM McCULLOUGH | LS | FALCONS | Played at LS | 15 games played |
| TERRY McLAURIN | WR | COMMANDERS | 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD | 73 catches, 1,039 yards, 12 TD; 2 carries, 2 yards; 1 FR |
| RAEKWON McMILLAN | LB | PATRIOTS | Waived | 45 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit |
| JAKE McQUAIDE | LS | DOLPHINS | Played at LS | 5 games played |
| THAYER MUNFORD | OT | RAIDERS | Played at OT | 4 starts at RT, 12 games played |
| JOSH MYERS | C | PACKERS | Started at C | 14 starts at C |
| JEFF OKUDAH | CB | TEXANS | 3 tackles | 8 tackles |
| CHRIS OLAVE | WR | SAINTS | Injured reserve (head) | 32 catches, 400 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 7 yards; 2 tackles |
| NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE | OT | TITANS | Started at RT | 10 starts at RT, 12 games played |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | OT | TITANS | Practice squad | 1 game played |
| JEREMY RUCKERT | TE | JETS | 2 catches, 12 yards | 17 catches, 100 yards; 1 tackle |
| CURTIS SAMUEL | WR | BILLS | Inactive | 24 catches, 201 yards, 1 TD; 5 carries, 14 yards |
| TREY SERMON | RB | COLTS | 8 carries, 25 yards | 56 carries, 159 yards, 2 TD; 14 catches, 80 yards |
| KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | JETS | Played on special teams | 8 tackles |
| JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA | WR | SEAHAWKS | 8 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 5 yards | 93 catches, 1,089 yards, 6 TD; 4 carries, 22 yards; 1/1 passing, 35 yards; 1 tackle, 1 FR |
| CADE STOVER | TE | TEXANS | Inactive | 13 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD |
| C.J. STROUD | QB | TEXANS | 23/39, 244 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 2 carries, 23 yards | 294/462, 3,260 yards, 18 TD, 9 INT; 50 carries, 221 yards |
| TOMMY TOGIAI | DT | TEXANS | 2 tackles, 1 TFL | 15 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 2 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 PD |
| NICK VANNETT | TE | TITANS | Started at TE | 14 catches, 101 yards, 2 TD |
| SHAUN WADE | CB | CHARGERS | Practice squad | Has not played |
| DENZEL WARD | CB | BROWNS | 5 tackles | 44 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 INT, 18 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR |
| PETE WERNER | LB | SAINTS | 9 tackles | 79 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PD |
| GARRETT WILSON | WR | JETS | 6 catches, 54 yards | 90 catches, 987 yards, 6 TD |
| LUKE WYPLER | C | BROWNS | Injured reserve (ankle) | Has not played |
| CHASE YOUNG | DE | SAINTS | 2 tackles | 26 tackles, 5.5 sacks (29.5 yards), 8 TFL, 21 QB hits, 2 PD, 1 FF |
