A trio of Buckeyes led the New Orleans Saints to a 33-20 victory over the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
In a game that featured seven Ohio State players, the Saints trio of Marshon Lattimore, Malcolm Jenkins and Pete Werner – especially Lattimore – stood out.
Sean Payton and the Saints' defense were very aware of Terry McLaurin and gave the receiver the highest of compliments on Sunday. For the first time this season, New Orleans had Lattimore shadow a receiver all over the field as he matched up with McLaurin.
The strategy worked as Scary Terry was held to a season-low four receptions for 46 yards on 11 targets. Lattimore had six pass breakups, tied for the third-most by an individual player in an NFL game since 1999, according to Pro Football Reference.
Lattimore did all of that with a fractured thumb, which he said prevented him from turning those PBUs into interceptions.
How do you make a day in which your team secures a 33-22 victory and improves to 3–2 better? By signing the hat of a 10-year old kid and making him a fan for life.
Jenkins and Werner combined for 20 of the Saints' 61 tackles. Starting for only the second time, Werner was all over the field and led the team with 13 stops.
On the other side of the gridiron, Chase Young was doing Chase Young things.
The Predator finished the day with three tackles and a strip sack in the loss. The Washington Football Team dropped to 2–3 with the defeat.
Neon Zeke?
Ezekiel Elliott has a penchant for showing up big in the biggest games. The Dallas Cowboys played the New York Giants in this week's Fox national game of the week, and Zeke responded by rushing for 110 yards and scoring twice – on a 13-yard scamper and a four-yard touchdown pass – in the 44-20 thrashing.
Elliott channeled his inner Deion Sanders when he scored on a nifty play-action pass from Dak Prescott in the third quarter.
Over the past two weeks, Zeke has rushed for 253 yards and scored three total touchdowns. It’s the first time since the 2019 season that Elliott has rushed for more than 100 yards in consecutive games.
Other Buckeyes to see action in this game were Billy Price, Nate Ebner and Justin Hilliard for the Giants. Price made his fourth start of the season at center.
Noah Brown, Malik Hooker and Jake McQuaid played for the Cowboys. Brown caught his first, second and third passes of the season and finished with 36 receiving yards. Hooker helped the Cowboys remain undefeated at home by registering six tackles.
Fields' first NFL touchdown pass
The Chicago Bears’ defense held the Las Vegas Raiders to a season-low nine points and took the pressure off of rookie quarterback Justin Fields in his third start on Sunday.
The young signal-caller, who was finally named the Bears’ No. 1 quarterback last week, was only called upon to throw the ball 20 times. He connected on 12 of his attempts and was a perfect 8-for-8 on throws of nine yards or less.
Fields' most important completion was a 2-yard strike to Jesper Horsted early in the second quarter that gave the Bears a 7-3 lead – a lead Chicago would never relinquish – and was Fields’ first touchdown in an NFL regular-season game.
Later in the second quarter, Fields took a hit that knocked the wind out of him and hyper-extended his left leg. He remained on the sideline for two plays, but returned to the game to cap off a 16-play, 86-yard scoring drive for the Bears.
When asked about that drive, Fields replied, “I'm going to put myself out there to win games, and I'm going to give it my all.”
Nick Bosa piling up sacks
A bright spot in the San Francisco 49ers’ 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was Nick Bosa's fifth sack of the season.
Bosa dropped Kyler Murray for a 15-yard loss and became the first San Francisco player to record five sacks in five games since Bryant Young in 2005.
The 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year, who missed most of the 2020 season with a torn ACL, now has 14 sacks in 23 career NFL games.
Burrow plays through pain
During the second quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals’ game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, Joe Burrow had to leave the game briefly after taking a big hit.
Burrow returned to the game after that hit, but had to go to the hospital after the game due to a throat contusion. Fortunately, Burrow “checked out fine” and was released from the hospital on Sunday night, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Five minutes after getting blasted, Burrow hooked up with Ja'Marr Chase on this 70-yard bomb.
Burrow finished the game with 26 completions for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The Burrow to Chase combination connected six times for 159 yards and a touchdown against the Packers.
This game ended in overtime after the teams missed five consecutive field goals. With 1:55 remaining in overtime, Mason Crosby finally split the uprights to give the Packers a 25-22 victory. Green Bay (4–1) is on top of the NFC North and Cincinnati (3–2) is tied with the Cleveland Browns for second in the AFC North.
Baker taking hits
Although the Miami Dolphins lost 45-17 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you'd think Jerome Baker's eight tackles, 10-yard sack and two quarterback hurries would be a solid enough performance for fans of the Dolphins. You'd think wrong.
Baker signed a lucrative three-year, $37.5 million dollar contract extension this offseason. For that kind of money, Miami fans are expecting huge numbers for their return. A 1–4 record and subpar effort from the entire team overshadows Baker's 35 tackles.
Tom Brady and the Bucs picked apart Miami's defense and sought out match-ups against Baker. Brady finished the day with an NFL leading 411 passing yards and five touchdowns in Week 5.
The camera doesn't lie. On this play, it does appear to show Baker shying away from the contact and failing to make the play against the ball carrier.
A sluggish start to the season and a blowout loss can sometimes do that to a player and a team.
Highlight show
Need more Buckeye action from Week 5? The clips below share some of the highs and lows.
PLAYER | POS | TEAM | WEEK 5 STATS | SEASON STATS |
---|---|---|---|---|
ELI APPLE | CB | BENGALS | 1 tackle | 20 tackles, 3 PBU, 1 TFL |
DAMON ARNETTE | CB | RAIDERS | IR (groin) | 4 tackles, 1 PBU |
JEROME BAKER | LB | DOLPHINS | 8 tackles, 1 sack (10 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QBH | 35 tackles, 1 sack (10 yards), 1 TFL, 3 QBH, 1 PBU, 1 FF |
VONN BELL | S | BENGALS | 9 tackles, 3 TFL | 31 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 FF |
TUF BORLAND | LB | VIKINGS | Practice squad | |
JOEY BOSA | DE | CHARGERS | 4 tackles | 15 tackles, 1.5 sack (16 yards), 4 QBH |
NICK BOSA | DE | 49ERS | 5 tackles, 1 sack (15 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QBH | 15 tackles, 4 sacks (44 yards), 7 TFL, 9 QBH, 1 FF |
NOAH BROWN | WR | COWBOYS | 3 catches, 36 yards | 3 catches, 36 yards |
BARON BROWNING | LB | BRONCOS | 1 tackle | 1 tackle |
PARRIS CAMPBELL | WR | COLTS | 4 catches, 56 yards | 9 catches, 111 yards |
DRUE CHRISMAN | P | BENGALS | Practice squad | |
JONATHON COOPER | LB | BRONCOS | 2 tackles | 4 tackles |
WYATT DAVIS | OG | VIKINGS | Inactive | 3 games played |
TAYLOR DECKER | OT | LIONS | IR (finger) | |
J.K. DOBBINS | RB | RAVENS | IR (knee) | |
NATE EBNER | DB | GIANTS | Played at DB | 1 tackle |
PAT ELFLEIN | OG | PANTHERS | IR (hamstring) | 2 starts |
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | RB | COWBOYS | 21 rushes, 110 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 2 yards, 1 TD | 85 rushes, 452 yards, 5 TD; 9 catches, 55 yards |
LUKE FARRELL | TE | JAGUARS | 1 catch, 13 yards | 4 catches, 25 yards |
JUSTIN FIELDS | QB | BEARS | 12/20 passing, 111 yards, 1 TD; 3 rushes, 4 yards | 37/72 passing, 458 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 21 rushes, 59 yards |
JORDAN FULLER | S | RAMS | 6 tackles | 34 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PBU |
DaVON HAMILTON | DT | JAGUARS | 7 tackles, 1 PBU | 17 tackles, 1 PBU |
JOHNATHAN HANKINS | DT | RAIDERS | 1 tackle | 12 tackles, 1 QBH |
MALIK HARRISON | LB | RAVENS | 2.5 tackles | 14.5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QBH |
DWAYNE HASKINS | QB | STEELERS | Inactive | |
JAKE HAUSMANN | TE | GIANTS | Practice squad | |
CAMERON HEYWARD | DT | STEELERS | 3 tackles, 2 PBU | 27 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 1 TFL, 4 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR |
K.J. HILL | WR | CHARGERS | 1 PR, 12 yards | 3 catches, 30 yards; 6 PR, 41 yards |
JUSTIN HILLIARD | LB | GIANTS | Played at LB | 2 games played |
JALYN HOLMES | DE | SAINTS | Inactive | 1 tackle |
MALIK HOOKER | S | COWBOYS | 6 tackles | 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD |
SAM HUBBARD | DE | BENGALS | 1 tackle | 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks (12.5 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QBH |
CARLOS HYDE | RB | JAGUARS | 5 rushes, 13 yards | 24 rushes, 108 yards; 2 catches, 14 yards |
JONAH JACKSON | OG | LIONS | Started at LG | 5 starts |
MALCOLM JENKINS | S | SAINTS | 7 tackles | 35 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBU, 1 TD |
CAMERON JOHNSTON | P | TEXANS | 3 punts, 33.0 avg, 1 inside 20 | 24 punts, 45.5 avg, 9 inside 20 |
DRE'MONT JONES | DT | BRONCOS | 3 tackles, 1 QBH | 8 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 QBH |
JAMARCO JONES | OT | SEAHAWKS | Played at OT | 1 start, 4 games played |
MICHAEL JORDAN | OG | PANTHERS | Practice squad | |
MARSHON LATTIMORE | CB | SAINTS | 1 tackle, 6 PBU | 16 tackles, 1 INT, 9 PBU |
TYQUAN LEWIS | DT | COLTS | 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks (2.5 yards), 2 QBH | 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks (2.5 yards), 1 TFL, 3 QBH, 1 PBU |
COREY LINSLEY | C | CHARGERS | Started at C | 5 starts |
TERRY McLAURIN | WR | WFT | 4 catches, 46 yards | 29 catches, 400 yards, 3 TD |
RAEKWON McMILLAN | LB | PATRIOTS | IR (knee) | |
JAKE McQUAIDE | LS | COWBOYS | Played at LS | 1 tackle |
JOSH MYERS | C | PACKERS | Inactive | 4 starts |
ANDREW NORWELL | OL | JAGUARS | Started at LG | 5 starts |
JEFF OKUDAH | CB | LIONS | IR (leg) | 4 tackles, 1 PBU |
BILLY PRICE | C | GIANTS | Started at C | 4 starts |
MALCOLM PRIDGEON | OG | STEELERS | Practice squad | |
ISAIAH PRINCE | OT | BENGALS | Played at OT | 4 games played |
BRADLEY ROBY | CB | SAINTS | Played at CB | 3 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QBH |
CURTIS SAMUEL | WR | WFT | Played at WR | 4 catches, 19 yards |
C.J. SAUNDERS | WR | PANTHERS | Practice squad | |
TREY SERMON | RB | 49ERS | 1 rush, 7 yards | 21 rushes, 104 yards |
KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | FALCONS | Played at DB | 1 game played |
JOHN SIMON | LB | TITANS | Practice squad | |
DEVIN SMITH | WR | JAGUARS | Practice squad | 1 target |
MICHAEL THOMAS | WR | SAINTS | PUP (ankle) | |
TOMMY TOGIA | DT | BROWNS | Inactive | |
NICK VANNETT | TE | SAINTS | IR (knee) | |
BINJIMEN VICTOR | WR | RAVENS | Practice squad | |
SHAUN WADE | CB | PATRIOTS | Inactive | |
DENZEL WARD | CB | BROWNS | 1 tackle | 18 tackles, 0.5 sack (2 yards), 2 QBH, 3 PBU |
PETE WERNER | LB | SAINTS | 13 tackles | 25 tackles, 1 TFL |
CHASE YOUNG | DE | WFT | 3 tackles, 1 sack (0 yards), 1 QBH, 1 FF | 16 tackles, 1 sack (0 yards), 3 TFL, 3 QBH, 1 FF |