Across The Shield: C.J. Stroud Leads Texans to Playoffs, Chris Olave Caps Season with Circus Catch and Terry McLaurin Hits 1,000 Yards

By Dan Hope on January 8, 2024 at 10:10 am
C.J. Stroud vs. Indianapolis Colts
Robert Scheer – USA TODAY Sports
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C.J. Stroud had to wait until the final week of the regular season to play his first nationally televised NFL game. The rookie quarterback didn’t disappoint in his primetime debut.

With a playoff berth on the line for both teams, Stroud completed 20 of 26 passing attempts for 264 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Houston Texans to a 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The 10th win of the season for the Texans clinched their first playoff berth in four years.

If there were any nerves for Stroud playing on the big stage, he certainly didn’t show them. On his very first pass of the game, Stroud connected with Nico Collins on a perfectly thrown deep ball for a 75-yard touchdown.

As has often been the case throughout his rookie season, Stroud was at his best with the game on the line. With the game tied in the fourth quarter, Stroud completed his final seven consecutive passes of the night to lead the Texans on a 12-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that would ultimately prove to be the game-winning drive.

That drive was highlighted by two more highlight-reel throws to Collins. The pair converted a 2nd-and-14 when Stroud backpedaled away from multiple defenders and heaved the ball to an open spot just past the sticks, allowing Collins to make a diving catch for a first down. Later in the drive, Stroud stood tall through a hit and lasered a strike over the middle to Collins to convert 2nd-and-13 with a 23-yard gain, setting up a Texans touchdown run on the next play.

The Texans won the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, which means Stroud will play against a team from Ohio in his playoff debut. As the No. 4 seed in the AFC, the Texans will host the fifth-seeded Cleveland Browns in next week’s Wild Card round.

Stroud locked up NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with his performance in Indianapolis, capping off a regular season in which he threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions – becoming the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to lead the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio. 

Had Stroud not missed two games with a concussion, he very likely would have broken the NFL rookie record for single-season passing yards, as he finished just 266 yards behind the record total of 4,374 yards set by Andrew Luck in 2012.

In recognition of his efficient play to lead the Texans to victory with their playoff hopes on the line, Stroud earns Pro Buck of the Week honors for the third time this season as the top NFL performer among former Ohio State players for Week 18.

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
Week 18 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 20-26 passing, 264 yards, 2 TD; 3 carries, 20 yards

Former Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston also excelled in the Texans’ playoff-clinching win. He averaged 49.7 yards per punt on six punts, with four punts downed inside the 14-yard line, highlighted by a 62-yard punt as well as a punt that was downed at the 1-yard line.

Olave caps season with circus-catch touchdown

Chris Olave’s second NFL season was highlighted by spectacular catches from start to finish.

He made one of the early catches of the year when he tipped a deep ball to himself on Monday Night Football in Week 2. A one-handed fingertip catch helped Olave earn Pro Buck of the Week honors in Week 3. His toe-tapping touchdown catch against the Minnesota Vikings was all over countdowns of the NFL’s top plays in Week 10. He made another highlight-reel touchdown reception in Week 18.

Covered tightly by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Clark Phillips III – a former Ohio State commit, though he ended up playing his college football at Utah – Olave tipped the ball to himself not once but twice before hauling in a circus catch in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.

That touchdown helped the New Orleans Saints blow out the Falcons, 48-17. That wasn’t enough for the Saints to earn a playoff berth, however, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South title with a 9-0 win over the Carolina Panthers.

With three catches for 56 yards in the season finale, Olave finishes his second NFL season with 87 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns, surpassing his rookie-year numbers of 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns.

McLaurin hits 1,000 for fourth straight year

With just one minute left to play in their season and the Dallas Cowboys leading 38-10, there was only one thing left for the Washington Commanders to play for.

A loss may have been better than a win in the long run for the Commanders, who clinched the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft with their Week 18 defeat, but their star receiver Terry McLaurin entered the game’s final drive still needing 13 more yards to reach 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season. Sam Howell gave McLaurin the opportunity to get there by throwing him a screen pass, and McLaurin turned the toss into a 15-yard gain to reach the quadruple-digit milestone.

McLaurin, who finished the season with 79 catches for 1,002 yards and four touchdowns, is the first player in Washington’s franchise history to top 1,000 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons.

He is one of three former Ohio State receivers to top 1,000 yards in the NFL this season along with Olave and Garrett Wilson, who both hit quadruple digits for a second straight year to start their NFL careers.

Wilson finished his second NFL season with 95 catches for 1,042 yards; 12 more catches than he had as a rookie, but 61 fewer yards. He caught two passes for 34 yards, highlighted by a 29-yard catch along the left sideline, in the New York Jets’ 17-3 win over the New England Patriots in their season finale.

Apple makes two big plays to prevent scores

Eli Apple made big plays that prevented the Buffalo Bills from scoring on multiple trips to the red zone on Sunday Night Football.

On the Bills’ opening drive of their Sunday night showdown against the Miami Dolphins, Apple made a diving grab in the end zone on an errant throw by Bills quarterback Josh Allen to end a drive that should have at least resulted in a field goal with a takeaway.

The interception was the first for Apple, who made his fourth start of the year for the Dolphins in Week 18, since he recorded picks in back-to-back weeks with the Cincinnati Bengals in November 2021.

On the final play of the first half, Apple teamed up with fellow Ohio State product Jerome Baker to make a touchdown-saving tackle as they collectively stopped Bills running back Ty Johnson at the 1-yard line in the middle of the field. That prevented the Bills from running another play, allowing the Dolphins to take a 14-7 lead into the second half.

Despite those efforts from Apple and Baker, the Bills would ultimately go on to win the game, 21-14, after scoring the only 14 points of the second half. 

20 Buckeyes on playoff rosters

The active rosters of the 14 teams that made this season’s NFL playoffs include a total of 20 players from Ohio State.

The only teams that made the playoffs that don’t have any Buckeyes on their rosters are the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Three playoff teams are tied for the most former Ohio State players on their roster: The Cleveland Browns (Denzel Ward, Ronnie Hickman and Luke Wypler), Detroit Lions (Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson and Jake McQuaide) and the Houston Texans (C.J. Stroud, Noah Brown and Cameron Johnston).

The full list of players who finished their college careers at Ohio State that are on the 53-man rosters of this year’s playoff teams:

AFC

Baltimore Ravens: Malik Harrison
Buffalo Bills: None
Kansas City Chiefs: None
Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud, Noah Brown, Cameron Johnston
Cleveland Browns: Denzel Ward, Ronnie Hickman, Luke Wypler
Miami Dolphins: Jerome Baker, Eli Apple
Pittsburgh Steelers: Cameron Heyward

NFC

San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, Chase Young
Dallas Cowboys: Johnathan Hankins, Malik Hooker
Detroit Lions: Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Jake McQuaide
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: None
Philadelphia Eagles: Bradley Roby
Los Angeles Rams: Jordan Fuller
Green Bay Packers: Josh Myers

(Update: Jerome Baker will be unable to play in the postseason after undergoing season-ending wrist surgery on Monday.)

Seventeen of those Buckeyes will be in action next weekend as every playoff team except the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, who earned the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, will play in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. The full schedule for Wild Card weekend:

Saturday

  • 4:30 p.m., NBC: No. 4 Houston Texans vs. No. 5 Cleveland Browns
  • 8 p.m., Peacock: No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 6 Miami Dolphins

Sunday

  • 1 p.m., CBS: No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers
  • 4:30 p.m., FOX: No. 2 Dallas Cowboys vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers
  • 8 p.m., NBC: No. 3 Detroit Lions vs. No. 6 Los Angeles Rams

Monday

  • 8 p.m., ESPN: No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles

Quick Hits

  • Luke Wypler made his first career start as he started at right guard in the Browns’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
  • Jalyn Holmes recorded the second sack of his NFL career – the first since his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 – in the Jets’ win over the Patriots.
  • Nick Vannett made his only catch of the season as he caught a 3-yard pass in the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • The Titans elevated Kendall Sheffield from their practice squad for a second game in a row to end the season. He saw action in the Titans’ win over the Jaguars but did not record any statistics.
  • Austin Mack, who helped lead the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes to a Grey Cup win this season, signed a futures contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.

Season Leaders

With the NFL’s regular season now complete, we take a look at which Buckeyes led the way among former Ohio State players in the NFL in a variety of statistical categories this season:

  • Passing Yards: C.J. Stroud (4,108)
  • Passing Touchdowns: C.J. Stroud (23)
  • Rushing Yards: Justin Fields (657)
  • Rushing Touchdowns: Justin Fields (4)
  • Receptions: Garrett Wilson (95)
  • Receiving Yards: Chris Olave (1,123)
  • Receiving Touchdowns: Chris Olave (5)
  • Total Tackles: Jordan Fuller (94)
  • Sacks: Nick Bosa (10.5)
  • Tackles for Loss: Nick Bosa (16)
  • Interceptions: Jordan Fuller (3)
  • Passes Defended: Denzel Ward (11)
  • Forced Fumbles: Jordan Fuller (3)
  • Fumble Recoveries: Jonathon Cooper, Sam Hubbard and Pete Werner (2)

Full stats from Week 18 and the 2023 season for every Buckeye who played in at least one game during the regular season can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 18 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB DOLPHINS 8 tackles, 1 INT 45 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 9 PD
JEROME BAKER LB DOLPHINS 9 tackles 77 tackles, 1.5 sacks (0 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 2 INT, 3 PD, 1 TD
VONN BELL S PANTHERS 2 tackles 68 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 1 tackle 52 tackles, 10.5 sacks (58.5 yards), 16 TFL, 35 QB hits, 4 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR
NOAH BROWN WR TEXANS Inactive 33 catches, 567 yards, 2 TD
BARON BROWNING OLB BRONCOS 2 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards) 25 tackles, 4.5 sacks (28.5 yards), 3 TFL, 9 QB hits, 2 PD, 2 FF
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR GIANTS Inactive 20 catches, 104 yards; 8 KR, 191 yards
JONATHON COOPER OLB BRONCOS 2 tackles 72 tackles, 8.5 sacks (65.5 yards), 1 FF, 8 TFL, 13 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 2 FR, 1 TD
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 15 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB RAVENS Injured reserve (Achilles) 8 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB PATRIOTS 13 carries, 54 yards; 5 receptions, 27 yards 184 carries, 642 yards, 3 TD; 51 catches, 313 yards, 1 TD; 1 tackle
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Played at TE 13 catches, 155 yards
JUSTIN FIELDS QB BEARS 11/16 passing, 148 yards; 8 carries, 27 yards 227/350 passing, 2,564 yards, 16 TD, 9 INT; 124 carries, 657 yards, 4 TD
JORDAN FULLER S RAMS 1 tackle 94 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 INT, 8 PD, 3 FF
DaVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 4 tackles 12 tackles, 1 TFL
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT COWBOYS 1 tackle 27 tackles, 3 sacks (18 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 2 PD
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS Inactive 20 tackles, 1 QB hit
ZACH HARRISON DE FALCONS Inactive 32 tackles, 3 sacks (10 yards), 4 TFL, 5 QB hits, 1 PD
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 2 tackles 33 tackles, 2 sacks (14 yards), 6 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS 3 tackles 25 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 TD
JALYN HOLMES DE JETS 1 tackle, 1 sack (5 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 5 tackles, 1 sack (5 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS Played at S 50 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS 1 tackle, 1 sack (7 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit 59 tackles, 6 sacks (38 yards), 7 TFL, 17 QB hits, 2 FR
JONAH JACKSON OG LIONS Started at LG 12 starts at LG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at RT 17 starts at RT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P TEXANS 6 punts, 49.7 average, 4 inside 20; 1 carry, -23 yards 66 punts, 47.7 average, 40 inside 30; 1 carry, -23 yards
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Injured reserve (knee) 9 starts at RT, 11 games played
DRE'MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS 5 catches 48 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 1 QB hit 25 tackles, 4 sacks (28.5 yards) 9 TFL, 13 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 1 tackle, played at LS 2 tackles, 17 games played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 56 yards 79 catches, 1,002 yards, 4 TD, 1 FR TD
JAKE McQUAIDE LS LIONS Played at LS 1 tackle, 9 games played at LS
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Inactive 10 starts, 14 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 17 games started at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB FALCONS Played at CB 44 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 PD
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 3 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD 87 catches, 1,123 yards, 5 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 1 tackle 22 tackles, 1 QB hit, 2 TFL, 1 FF
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Injured reserve (concussion) 16 catches, 151 yards
CURTIS SAMUEL WR COMMANDERS 2 catches, 15 yards; 1 carry, 15 yards 62 catches, 613 yards, 4 TD; 7 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
TREY SERMON RB COLTS Inactive 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 3 catches, 14 yards 63 catches, 628 yards, 3 TD
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 20/26 passing, 264 yards, 2 TD; 3 carries, 20 yards 319/499 passing, 4,108 yards, 23 TD, 5 INT; 39 carries, 167 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 1 catch, 3 yards 1 catch, 3 yards
SHAUN WADE CB PATRIOTS 2 tackles, 1 TFL 22 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PD
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS Did not play 34 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 11 PD, 1 FF
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 4 tackles 93 tackles, 0.5 sacks (4 yards), 4 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 1 PD, 2 FR
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS 2 catches, 34 yards 95 catches, 1,042 yards, 3 TD; 3 carries, -3 yards; 0/1 passing
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Started at RG 1 start at RG, 5 games played
CHASE YOUNG DE 49ERS 2 tackles 26 tackles, 7.5 sacks (49 yards), 8 TFL, 14 QB hits, 2 PD
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