Across The Shield: Ronnie Hickman Makes Pick-Six in Playoff-Clinching Win, Taylor Decker Robbed of Game-Winning Catch and Justin Fields Makes His Case in Chicago

By Dan Hope on January 1, 2024 at 10:10 am
Ronnie Hickman
Ken Blaze – USA TODAY Sports
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Ronnie Hickman made the most of his first NFL interception on Thursday night.

After stepping in front of a pass intended for his former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson, Hickman returned the interception 30 yards to the end zone for a pick-six, turning the first interception of his NFL career into his first NFL touchdown.

Hickman’s pick-six helped the Cleveland Browns clinch their first playoff berth since 2020 as they rolled to a 37-20 victory over the New York Jets, and it earns Hickman his first Pro Buck of the Week honor as Ohio State’s top NFL performer for Week 17.

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
Week 7 Dolphins LB Jerome Baker 11 tackles, 1 TFL, 22-yard interception return TD
Week 8 Broncos OLB Baron Browning 4 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 1 FF
Week 9 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 30-42 passing, 470 yards, 5 TD; 10 rushing yards
Week 10 Texans WR Noah Brown 7 catches, 172 yards
Week 11 Alouettes WR Austin Mack 6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD in Grey Cup win
Week 12 Rams S Jordan Fuller 4 PBU, 3 tackles
Week 13 Saints WR Chris Olave 5 catches, 119 yards
Week 14 Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott 22 carries, 68 yards; 7 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle
Week 15 Commanders WR Terry McLaurin 6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle
Week 16 Falcons DE Zach Harrison 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 PD
Week 17 Browns S Ronnie Hickman 4 tackles, 30-yard interception return TD

With the pick-six and four tackles on Thursday night, Hickman continues to look like a steal of an undrafted free agent signing for the Browns. The rookie safety has now four consecutive games for the Browns and is one of the highest-graded safeties in the entire NFL with a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.2 for the season.

Taylor Decker robbed of game-winning catch

Taylor Decker made a game-winning catch – yes, you heard that correctly – in the Detroit Lions’ Saturday night showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. Until it was taken away due to an officiating error.

After scoring what could have been a game-tying touchdown with 23 seconds left to play, the Lions opted to go for two points and the win. The play they drew up was a pass to Decker, and the former Ohio State offensive tackle caught the ball in the back of the end zone to give Detroit a 21-20 lead.

The two-point conversion was nullified by a controversial call, however, when Decker was penalized for not reporting as an eligible receiver – even though video showed that Decker approached referee Brad Allen before the play to report as an eligible receiver.

Allen claimed in the postgame pool report that fellow Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper reported as eligible and that Decker did not, but both Decker and Lions head coach Dan Campbell were adamant in postgame interviews that Decker reported as eligible and Skipper did not.

Detroit attempted another two-point play after the Decker penalty that was unsuccessful, but the Lions got a third try thanks to an offsides penalty against Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. The Lions’ third attempt was also unsuccessful and there was no flag thrown on that attempt, allowing Dallas to steal a 20-19 win.

Fields makes his case in home finale

While the Chicago Bears clinched the No. 1 overall pick on Sunday, Justin Fields strengthened his case for the Bears to stick with him at quarterback with his performance in the Bears’ 37-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Fields led the Bears to their fourth win in five weeks as he completed 20 of 32 passing attempts for 268 yards and a touchdown while adding 45 rushing yards and another touchdown, marking the third time in four weeks that Fields has had both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game.

He put his passing skills on display early as he completed a deep ball to DJ Moore for 32 yards and connected with Moore on a perfectly placed 7-yard touchdown pass on the Bears’ opening drive.

Fields’ rushing touchdown came early in the second quarter as he scampered to the end zone for a 9-yard score.

Fields’ greatest highlight of the game came in the third quarter when he spun out of the grasp from multiple defenders in the pocket, somehow eluding a sack before taking off to run for a first down on 3rd-and-8.

After trading last year’s No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a package that included Moore, last year’s No. 9 overall pick, two second-round picks and the Panthers’ first-round pick this year, the Bears secured the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft when the Panthers suffered their 14th loss of the season to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Now, the question is whether the Bears will use that pick to draft a new quarterback or keep Fields, which could potentially mean drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. to catch passes from Fields.

Many of the Bears fans at Soldier Field on Sunday made their stance clear on what they think the home team should do by starting a “We Want Fields” chant during the game, which left the former Ohio State quarterback feeling grateful.

Stroud succeeds in return

After missing two games with a concussion, C.J. Stroud returned to action as the Houston Texans’ starting quarterback on Sunday.

The soon-to-be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year picked up where he left off before the injury as he completed 24 of 32 passing attempts for 213 yards and a touchdown to lead the Texans to a 26-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Brevin Jordan took a short toss from Stroud to the end zone for a 12-yard score for Stroud’s 21st touchdown pass of the season.

Stroud now has a chance to lead the Texans to their first playoff berth since 2019. The Texans, now 9-7 on the season, can clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 18 regular-season finale, which will be nationally televised at 8:15 p.m. Saturday on ABC and ESPN.

Quick Hits

  • Nick Bosa recorded three tackles with two tackles for loss and tipped a pass to force an interception (as seen in the video below) to help lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 27-10 win over the Washington Commanders. The 49ers clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with the victory.
  • Terry McLaurin caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season on a 3-yard pass in the Commanders’ loss. Earlier on the same drive, McLaurin hauled in a deep ball for his 42-yard catch, his second-longest reception of the season. He finished the game with four catches for 61 yards.
  • Jaxon Smith-Njigba made an impressive 12-yard catch in the back of the end zone for his fourth touchdown of the season. That would be his only catch of the game, however, as the Seahawks suffered a 30-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • Jordan Fuller recorded an interception for the second straight week, along with eight total tackles, to help propel the Los Angeles Rams to a 26-25 win over the New York Giants that clinched them a playoff berth.
  • Sam Hubbard made his second fumble recovery of the season on a sack by fellow Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. He also recorded five total tackles, but the Bengals were eliminated from the playoffs as they suffered a 25-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Ezekiel Elliott scored his fifth touchdown of the year on a 6-yard run in the New England Patriots’ loss to the Buffalo Bills.
  • Despite leaving the game briefly with a knee injury, Zach Harrison recorded a tackle for loss for the third week in a row as he made four total tackles in the Falcons’ loss to the Bears.
  • Dre’Mont Jones recorded a season-high five tackles in the Seahawks’ loss to the Steelers.
  • The Tennessee Titans signed Kendall Sheffield to their practice squad Tuesday, then elevated him to their roster for Week 17. He saw playing time but did not record any statistics in his first game with the team.

Statistics for every former Ohio State player from Week 17 and the entire 2023 NFL season 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 17 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB DOLPHINS 2 tackles, 1 PD 37 tackles, 1 QB hit, 8 PD
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS Injured reserve (knee) 68 tackles, 1.5 sacks (0 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 INT, 3 PD, 1 TD
VONN BELL S PANTHERS 4 tackles 66 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 2 PD
JOEY BOSA OLB CHARGERS Injured reserve (foot) 20 tackles, 6.5 sacks (59 yards), 6 TFL, 8 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 QB hits, 1 PD 51 tackles, 10 sacks (58.5 yards), 15 TFL, 35 QB hits, 4 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR
NOAH BROWN WR TEXANS 1 catch, 8 yards 33 catches, 567 yards, 2 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS Inactive 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks (22.5 yards), 4 TFL, 8 QB hits, 2 PD, 2 FF
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR GIANTS Inactive 20 catches, 104 yards; 8 KR, 191 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 1 tackle, 1 sack (5 yards) 70 tackles, 8.5 sacks (65.5 yards), 1 FF, 7 TFL, 13 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 2 FR, 1 TD
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 14 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (Achilles) 8 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB PATRIOTS 14 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 6 yards 171 carries, 588 yards, 3 TD; 46 catches, 286 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS 1 catch, 7 yards 13 catches, 155 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 20/32 passing, 268 yards, 1 TD; 11 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD 216/334 passing, 2,244 yards, 16 TD, 9 INT; 116 carries, 624 yards, 4 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS 8 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD 93 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 INT, 8 PD, 3 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS Played at DT 8 tackles, 1 TFL
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS Inactive 26 tackles, 3 sacks, (18 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 2 PD
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 1 tackle 20 tackles, 1 QB hit
ZACH HARRISON DE FALCONS 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 32 tackles, 3 sacks (10 yards), 4 TFL, 5 QB hits, 1 PD
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 1 tackle, 1 PD 31 tackles, 2 sacks (14 yards), 6 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD 22 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 TD
JALYN HOLMES DE JETS 1 tackle 4 tackles
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS Started at S 50 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 5 tackles, 1 FR 58 tackles, 5 sacks (31 yards), 6 TFL, 16 QB hits, 2 FR
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 11 starts at LG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at RT 16 starts at RT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 3 punts, 51.7 average, 1 inside 20 60 punts, 47.5 average, 26 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Injured reserve (knee) 9 starts at RT, 11 games played
DRE'MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS 5 tackles 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks (23 yards), 5 TFL, 12 QB hits
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB SAINTS Injured reserve (ankle) 48 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 8 PD
TYQUAN LEWIS DE COLTS 2 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards) 25 tackles, 4 sacks (28.5 yards) 9 TFL, 12 QB hits, 3 PD
COREY LINSLEY C CHARGERS Non-football illness (heart) 3 starts at C
TANNER McCALISTER FS BROWNS Practice squad 2 tackles
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 1 tackle, 14 games played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 4 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD 73 receptions, 946 yards, 4 TD, 1 FR TD
JAKE McQUAIDE LS LIONS Played at LS 1 tackle, 8 games played at LS
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Started at LT 10 starts, 14 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 16 games started at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB FALCONS Did not play 44 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 PD
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 3 catches, 26 yards 84 catches, 1,067 yards, 4 TD
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Injured reserve (shoulder) 2 starts at OT, 3 games played
ISAIAH PRINCE OT FALCONS Practice squad 2 games played
BRADLEY ROBY CB EAGLES Inactive 21 tackles, 1 QB hit, 2 TFL, 1 FF
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Inactive 16 catches, 151 yards
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 3 catches, 33 yards 60 catches, 598 yards, 4 TD; 6 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD
TREY SERMON RB COLTS 5 carries, 32 yards; 2 catches, 9 yards 35 carries, 160 yards; 2 catches, 9 yards
KENDALL SHEFFIELD CB TITANS Played on special teams 4 tackles, 1 TFL
TYREKE SMITH LB CARDINALS Played at LB 1 tackle
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS 1 catch, 12 yards, 1 TD 60 catches, 614 yards, 3 TD
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 24/32 passing, 213 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 4 yards 299/473 passing, 3,844 yards, 21 TD, 5 INT; 36 carries, 147 yards, 3 TD
MICHAEL THOMAS WR SAINTS Injured reserve (knee) 39 catches, 448 yards, 1 TD
TOMMY TOGIAI DT FALCONS Inactive Has not played
NICK VANNETT TE CHARGERS Played at TE 3 starts at TE, 6 games played
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS 1 tackle 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 4 tackles 34 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 11 PD, 1 FF
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 9 tackles, 1 TFL 90 tackles, 0.5 sacks (4 yards), 4 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 1 PD, 2 FR
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 5 catches, 50 yards; 1 carry, -1 yard 93 catches, 1,008 yards, 3 TD; 3 carries, -3 yards; 0/1 passing
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Inactive 4 games played
CHASE YOUNG DE 49ERS 1 tackle, 1 QB hit 24 tackles, 7.5 sacks (49 yards), 8 TFL, 14 QB hits, 2 PD
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