Across the Shield: Sam Hubbard Comes Up Big for Bengals, C.J. Stroud Wins Despite First Interception and Justin Fields Dislocates Thumb

By Dan Hope on October 17, 2023 at 10:10 am
Sam Hubbard
Joseph Maiorana – USA TODAY Sports
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With the game on the line and the Cincinnati Bengals clinging to a four-point lead, Sam Hubbard came through multiple times to preserve his team’s advantage and ultimately help them secure a victory.

After the Seattle Seahawks drove into the red zone with a chance to take the lead and less than three minutes remaining on the clock, Hubbard played a big part in preventing the opponent from scoring. He brought pressure from the opposite side on a 1st-and-goal sack by fellow Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, then forced Geno Smith to throw the ball away with a second-down sack. Two plays later, Hubbard sacked Smith on 4th-and-goal to get the Seahawks offense off the field.

The Seahawks got the ball back for one more shot at a game-winning score, but Hubbard helped the Bengals snuff that out again. With Seattle facing 4th-and-8 at the 9-yard line, Hubbard was among the Bengals defensive linemen who brought pressure to force a game-sealing incompletion from Smith.

Hubbard finished the game with seven tackles, one sack and a career-high five quarterback hits. He was credited with nine total quarterback pressures by NFL Next Gen Stats.

In recognition of his efforts in the Bengals’ 17-13 win, Hubbard earns our Pro Buck of the Week honor as the top performer among former Ohio State players in the NFL for Week 6.

Pro Bucks of the Week
Week Player Stats
Week 1 Saints CB Marshon Lattimore 1 INT, 3 PBU, 2 tackles
Week 2 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 30-47 passing, 384 yards, 2 TD
Week 3 Saints WR Chris Olave 8 catches, 104 yards
Week 4 Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 35-yard fumble return TD
Week 5 Bears QB Justin Fields 15-29 passing, 282 yards, 4 TD; 11 carries, 57 yards
Week 6 Bengals DE Sam Hubbard 7 tackles, 1 sack, 5 QB hits

On the Seahawks’ end, Dre’Mont Jones had a sack of his own – his second of the season – among three total tackles while Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught four passes for 48 yards in his most productive game so far of his rookie season.

Stroud throws first interception but still wins

C.J. Stroud’s record-setting streak of pass attempts to start an NFL career without an interception finally came to an end after 191 passes – 15 more than previous record-holder Dak Prescott – as Stroud threw his first regular-season interception to New Orleans Saints linebacker Zack Baun in Week 6.

That didn’t stop Stroud from earning his third win as an NFL starting quarterback on Sunday.

Houston got the ball right back after that interception as Baun fumbled the ball on his return, and Stroud quickly took advantage, connecting with fellow Buckeye product Noah Brown for a 34-yard completion just four plays later. Just two plays after that, Stroud threw his first touchdown pass of the day to Dalton Schultz from one yard out.

Two drives later, Stroud connected with Robert Woods from six yards out of the end zone for his second touchdown pass of the day.

Those two touchdowns would be all the Texans needed as they defeated the Saints 20-13. Stroud had his worst game of the season statistically, completing less than 50% of his passes (13-of-27) for a season-low 199 yards, but he was still good enough for Houston – which won just three games in the entire 2022 season – to improve to 3-3 to start 2023.

After the game, Stroud shared a moment with his former Ohio State teammate Chris Olave as the two Buckeyes traded jerseys following their first NFL game with one another.

Olave had a productive game in defeat for the Saints, catching seven passes for 96 yards, highlighted by an excellent 24-yard catch on which he high-pointed the ball over the head of Texans safety Jimmie Ward.

Fields sidelined by dislocated thumb

Coming off of the best two-game stretch of his NFL career in which he threw four touchdown passes in back-to-back games, Justin Fields was unable to continue that success in Week 6.

Fields threw for only 58 yards on six completions and 10 attempts with no touchdowns and one interception, which came when Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter hit Fields’ hand as he was throwing a pass.

Fields would end up leaving the game in the third quarter with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand after it was slammed into the Soldier Field grass on a sack by Hunter.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that the timeline for Fields to return is uncertain but that he is doubtful to play in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that surgery is not imminent for Fields, but Eberflus said the Bears are waiting for “natural swelling” associated with the injury to subside before determining the next course of action.

“It's really going to come down to grip strength,” Eberflus said. “We really should know more at the end of the week.”

A productive week for Buckeye receivers

Olave wasn’t the only former Ohio State receiver to make a spectacular highlight-reel catch on Sunday. His 2022 draft classmate Garrett Wilson had one of the best catches of the weekend with a fantastic 33-yard deep-ball grab in between two Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs along the sideline.

That was one of eight catches on the day for Wilson, who finished with a season-high 90 yards as he helped lead the New York Jets to a surprise 20-14 win over the Eagles. He did that despite suffering a mid-game ankle injury, which prompted Wilson to call his home stadium’s turf “garbage” after the game even though the injury did not keep him from returning to the field.

In Washington, meanwhile, two former Ohio State receivers played a part in leading the Commanders to a 24-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Curtis Samuel scored a touchdown for the third week in a row, catching a seven-yard scoring pass in the second quarter as part of a four-reception, 42-yard day.

Terry McLaurin had his second-most productive game of the season to date as he caught six passes for 81 yards from Sam Howell. Those numbers brought McLaurin to 330 receptions and 4,623 receiving yards for his career, both marks that rank 10th in Washington’s franchise history.

Quick Hits

  • Ezekiel Elliott scored his first touchdown as a New England Patriot on a 2-yard Wildcat run in the Patriots’ loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. He would have scored his first touchdown earlier in the game on a 74-yard catch-and-run off a screen pass, but that touchdown was nullified by a holding call against Patriots tight end Hunter Henry.
  • Nick Bosa recorded his third sack of the season to force the Cleveland Browns to settle for a field goal while trailing by four points with less than five minutes to play. That sack didn’t end up being enough for the San Francisco 49ers to fend off their first loss of the year, however, as the Browns won 19-17.
  • Jonathon Cooper recorded his fourth sack of the season in the Denver Broncos’ Thursday night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He also helped his teammate Justin Simmons make an interception with another hit on Patrick Mahomes.
  • Chris Olave and C.J. Stroud weren’t the only former Ohio State teammates to swap jerseys on Sunday, as Chase Young and Jeff Okudah did the same after the Commanders’ win over the Falcons.
  • Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had to wear an Ohio State sweatshirt to his press conference last week after losing a bet to his Miami Dolphins teammates Eli Apple and Jerome Baker that his younger brother Taulia would lead Maryland to an upset win over the Buckeyes.
  • The Philadelphia Eagles signed Bradley Roby to their active roster last week, one week after signing him to their practice squad. Roby, who made his Eagles debut as an elevated member of the practice squad in Week 5, recorded one tackle in his first game as a full-fledged member of the Eagles’ roster before leaving the game early with a shoulder injury.
  • Nicholas Petit-Frere made his season debut for the Tennessee Titans in Week 6 after he was suspended for their first four games of the season. He played 32 snaps off the bench – 31 at left tackle and one as a sixth offensive lineman on which he drew an illegal formation penalty – in the Titans’ 24-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
  • DaVon Hamilton returned to practice last week after starting the season on injured reserve with a back injury, but did not play in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 6 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
  • The Atlanta Falcons waived C.J. Saunders from their practice squad and the New York Jets waived Jalyn Holmes from their practice squad.

Statistics for every former Ohio State player from Week 6 and for the 2023 NFL season as a whole can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 6 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB DOLPHINS 6 tackles, 1 PD 24 tackles, 1 QB hit, 4 PD
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 5 tackles 33 tackles, 1.5 sacks (0 yards), 4 QB hits
VONN BELL S PANTHERS Inactive 33 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
JOEY BOSA OLB CHARGERS 2 tackles 8 tackles, 3 sacks (28 yards), 3 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 3 tackles, 1 sack (11 yards), 2 QB hits, 1 PD 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks (22 yards), 4 TFL, 16 QB hits, 1 PD
NOAH BROWN WR TEXANS 2 catches, 37 yards 5 catches, 57 yards
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Physically unable to perform (knee) Has not played
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR GIANTS 1 KR, 21 yards 16 catches, 85 yards; 1 KR, 21 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 3 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 2 QB hits, 1 PD 30 tackles, 4 sacks (28 yards), 1 FF, 3 TFL, 5 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FR, 1 TD
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 4 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (Achilles) 8 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB PATRIOTS 7 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 15 yards 49 carries, 193 yards, 1 TD; 13 catches, 59 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Started at TE 4 catches, 30 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 6/10 passing, 58 yards, 1 INT; 8 carries, 46 yards 100/152 passing, 1,201 yards, 11 TD, 6 INT; 47 carries, 237 yards, 1 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS 5 tackles 39 tackles, 1 PD, 2 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS Injured reserve (back) Has not played
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS 1 tackle 12 tackles, 2 PD
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 3 tackles 11 tackles, 1 QB hit
ZACH HARRISON DE FALCONS 2 tackles 13 tackles
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS Injured reserve (groin) 1 QB hit
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS Inactive 1 game played at S
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 1 tackle 21 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 7 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards), 5 QB hits 32 tackles, 3 sacks (18 yards), 3 TFL, 10 QB hits, 1 FR
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Inactive 5 starts at LG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at RT 6 starts at RT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 5 punts, 47.4 average, 3 inside 20 11 punts, 42.8 average, 5 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Started at RT 4 starts at RT, 5 games played
DRE’MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS 3 tackles, 1 sack (8 yards) 12 tackles, 2 sacks (10 yards), 3 TFL, 2 QB hits
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS 6 tackles, 1 TFL 30 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 6 PD
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS 2 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards) 6 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards) 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 PD
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Non-football illness (heart) 3 starts at C
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 1 tackle, 6 games played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 81 yards 31 receptions, 342 yards, 1 TD, 1 FR TD
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Started at RT 2 stars, 6 games played at OT
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Bye 5 games started at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB FALCONS 1 tackle, 2 PD 10 tackles, 2 PD
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 7 catches, 96 yards 32 catches, 414 yards, 1 TD
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Played at OT 1 game played
ISAIAH PRINCE OT FALCONS Released 2 games played
BRADLEY ROBY CB EAGLES 1 tackle 2 tackles
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS 1 catch, 8 yards 4 catches, 36 yards
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 4 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 0 yards 27 catches, 285 yards, 2 TD; 4 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
TREY SERMON RB COLTS Played at RB 8 carries, 24 yards
KENDALL SHEFFIELD CB 49ERS Practice squad 3 tackles, 1 TFL
TYREKE SMITH LB SEAHAWKS Practice squad 1 tackle
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS 4 catches, 48 yards 16 catches, 110 yards
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 13/27 passing, 199 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 2 yards 127/213 passing, 1,660 yards, 9 TD; 18 carries, 55 yards
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS 5 catches, 45 yards 31 catches, 329 yards
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS 1 tackle 12 tackles, 1 PD
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 1 tackle 14 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PD, 1 FF
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 6 tackles 43 tackles, 0.5 sack (4 yards), 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 1 PD
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 8 catches, 90 yards 32 catches, 369 yards, 2 TD
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Did not play Has not played
CHASE YOUNG DE COMMANDERS 1 tackle 12 tackles, 3.0 sacks (13 yards), 3 TFL, 7 QB hits, 1 PD
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