Across The Shield: Terry McLaurin Races for 58-Yard Touchdown As Washington Commanders Upset Detroit Lions in Divisional Round

By Dan Hope on January 20, 2025 at 8:35 am
Terry McLaurin celebrating his touchdown vs. the Lions
Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Across the Shield is Eleven Warriors’ weekly recap of the best and most notable performances from former Ohio State players throughout the NFL.

A dozen Buckeyes participated in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, highlighted by a long Terry McLaurin touchdown that helped lead the Washington Commanders to a win and a valiant effort by C.J. Stroud in a tough loss for the Houston Texans.

McLaurin races to 58-yard score as Commanders upset Lions

The Washington Commanders are going to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years, and Terry McLaurin is a big reason why.

The second-team All-Pro wide receiver from Ohio State continued his excellent season in the Washington Commanders’ 45-31 upset win over the NFC No. 1 seed Detroit Lions, catching four passes for 87 yards highlighted by a 58-yard touchdown on which he used his blazing speed to take a screen pass all the way to the house.

McLaurin’s 58-yard touchdown was the longest receiving touchdown of the divisional round of the playoffs, and his overall contributions to the Commanders’ historic win earned him our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer of the week for the fourth time this 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
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
17 49ers DE Nick Bosa 8 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 4 QB hits
18 Commanders WR Terry McLaurin 8 catches, 62 yards, 1 TD
WC Texans QB C.J. Stroud 22/33 passing, 282 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 6 carries, 42 yards
DIV Commanders WR Terry McLaurin 4 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD

Stroud has valiant effort in season finale

Just like his rookie season, C.J. Stroud’s second NFL season ended with a loss in the divisional round of the playoffs as the Houston Texans suffered a 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Stroud had a strong showing in defeat, however. The former Ohio State quarterback completed 19 of his 28 passing attempts for 245 yards with plenty of highlight-reel throws over the course of the game.

Despite suffering a knee injury early in the game, Stroud was also effective running the ball, carrying the ball for exactly 42 yards on six carries for the second game in a row.

Stroud didn’t get much help from his offensive line in Kansas City, and avoiding sacks under pressure will be a point of emphasis for the former Ohio State quarterback entering his third NFL season as he took eight sacks against the Chiefs, bringing his total for the year across 19 regular season and playoff games to 63 sacks. But his performance across the Texans’ two playoff games, in which he completed 41 of 61 passing attempts for 527 yards and one touchdown with one interception, offered plenty of reason for Houston fans to remain optimistic about their future with Stroud after his somewhat disappointing second regular season in the league.

Quick Hits

  • Tommy Togiai took down Patrick Mahomes in the Texans’ loss to the Chiefs for the first playoff sack of his NFL career.
  • Marshon Lattimore had a strong showing in the Commanders’ win over the Lions, allowing zero catches in 41 coverage snaps while recording five tackles with one tackle for loss.
  • Malik Harrison set a playoff career-high with seven tackles, including one tackle for loss.

Five Buckeyes advance to divisional round

Five former Ohio State players will participate in the NFL’s conference championship weekend.

Three of those five Buckeyes play for the Commanders, who will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game at 3 p.m. Sunday. The only Buckeye in the AFC Championship Game will be Curtis Samuel, whose Buffalo Bills will face the Kansas City Chiefs at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

The conference championship schedule for next Sunday:

  • 3 p.m., CBS: No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (Parris Campbell) vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders (Terry McLaurin, Jalyn Holmes, Marshon Lattimore)
  • 6:30 p.m., FOX: No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (No Buckeyes) vs. No. 2 Buffalo Bills (Curtis Samuel)

Divisional Round Stats

Full playoff stats for every former Ohio State player who played during the NFL’s divisional round weekend can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. The table only includes players on teams who played in the divisional round.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM DIVISIONAL ROUND STATS PLAYOFF STATS
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR EAGLES Did not play Played on special teams
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 1 start at LT
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 7 tackles, 1 TFL 11 tackles, 1 TFL
JALYN HOLMES DE COMMANDERS Played at DE 1 tackle, 1 TFL
JONAH JACKSON OG RAMS Played on special teams Played on special teams
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB COMMANDERS 5 tackles, 1 TFL 12 tackles, 1 TFL
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 4 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD 11 catches, 176 yards, 2 TD
JEFF OKUDAH CB TEXANS Played on special teams Played on special teams
CURTIS SAMUEL WR BILLS 2 catches, 9 yards 5 catches, 77 yards, 1 TD
CADE STOVER TE TEXANS Injured reserve (collarbone) 4 catches, 28 yards
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 19/28, 245 yards; 6 carries, 42 yards 41/61, 527 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 6 carries, 42 yards
TOMMY TOGIAI DT TEXANS 2 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 2 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit
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