Across The Shield: Emeka Egbuka’s Spectacular Start Continues, Quinshon Judkins Scores His First NFL Touchdown and Denzel Ward Helps Make A Game-Winning Field Goal Block

Emeka Egbuka continued his excellent start to his NFL career by making a spectacular catch – arguably two spectacular catches – while Quinshon Judkins and Denzel Ward came up big in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Browns to an upset win over the Green Bay Packers. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his scintillating start to the season, Cameron Heyward forced two turnovers, Tyquan Lewis had one of the best games of his NFL career and J.K. Dobbins made the highlight reel against his former team.

On a negative note, two NFL Buckeyes suffered season-ending injuries as Nick Bosa and Dawand Jones each went down with knee injuries that will sideline them for the rest of the year.

We recap all of the best and most notable Week 3 performances from former Ohio State players around the league in Across The Shield, Eleven Warriors’ weekly roundup of how former Ohio State players performed throughout the NFL.

Egbuka’s spectacular start continues

Despite being listed as questionable to play with hip and groin injuries, Emeka Egbuka continued his rapid emergence as a star in his third NFL game.

After scoring three touchdowns in the Buccaneers’ first two games of the season, Egbuka didn’t find the end zone in Week 3 but made one of the best catches of the NFL season to date. Early in the second quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ win over the New York Jets, Egbuka made a phenomenal one-handed over-the-shoulder catch for a 30-yard gain against Sauce Gardner, one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks.

What a catch by Emeka Egbuka! pic.twitter.com/zI2C3MLslX

Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2025

This angle of @EgbukaEmeka's one-handed catch

: #NYJvsTB on FOX https://t.co/wTdp2bOwd7 pic.twitter.com/zHsGRkVC2K

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 21, 2025

Egbuka made what should have been another spectacular catch when he hauled in a leaping grab through a tip by Jets rookie cornerback Azareye’h Thomas and appeared to get two feet down in bounds late in the fourth quarter, but he wasn’t given credit for the reception as it was ruled to be incomplete.

Looks closely this is a catch. Wow. #Bucs #Jets pic.twitter.com/s5Z69YM6Mt

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) September 21, 2025

Even without that catch, Egbuka led the Buccaneers with six receptions for 85 yards on their way to a 29-27 win over the Jets. Three games into his NFL career, Egbuka has already caught 14 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns and has made himself an early favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Ward, Judkins come up big for Browns

Egbuka wasn’t the only rookie from Ohio State to have a big game in Week 3. After missing the Cleveland Browns’ season opener and running for 61 yards on 10 carries in his NFL debut in Week 2, Quinshon Judkins made his first career start on Sunday and ran for 94 yards on 18 carries, including a game-tying 1-yard run in the fourth quarter for his first career touchdown.

First NFL touchdown for Q!#GBvsCLE on FOX & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/imtHezgzek

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 21, 2025

Judkins also had a 38-yard run earlier in the fourth quarter to set up a field goal for the Browns.

Q!!!!!!!!!#GBvsCLE on FOX & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/4FqF2Xyol0

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 21, 2025

With his strong showing in his second game, Judkins now leads all rookies with 155 rushing yards despite not playing in Week 1. He also showed his blocking ability with a hard-hitting chip block on Packers star Micah Parsons:

Judkins making Parsons fear god pic.twitter.com/lxfWtpsfk3

— BMCJ (@Branmancanjam) September 21, 2025

Another former Ohio State player came up even bigger for the Browns later in the fourth quarter. Denzel Ward rushed in off the edge and dove in front of Green Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus’ 43-yard field goal attempt, tipping the ball to set up a block by his Browns teammate Shelby Harris, which kept the game tied with 27 seconds remaining.

definition of clutch!!#GBvsCLE on FOX & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/wrzKLJRijq

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 21, 2025

You think @denzelward wanted to win this game? My god #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/9ypHcHzPkE

— CLEology (@_CLEology) September 22, 2025

That block set up a game-winning 55-yard field goal as time expired for Browns kicker Andre Szmyt, securing a 13-10 victory for Cleveland – its first of the season – for the NFL’s biggest upset of the week.

Ward also recorded a season-high five tackles and a pass breakup, while he allowed just one catch for 16 yards on 35 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

Heyward forces two turnovers

Cameron Heyward saved the Pittsburgh Steelers 14 points in a 7-point win over the New England Patriots.

Heyward forced two Patriots turnovers inside the Steelers’ 2-yard line to turn touchdown opportunities into takeaways. First, the Steelers’ star defensive lineman tipped a Drake Maye pass to set up an interception for Pittsburgh cornerback Brandin Echols.

Heyward tip on the Echols INT #Steelers pic.twitter.com/qAhOMMz11l

— Steelers Depot 7 (@Steelersdepot) September 21, 2025

On the Patriots’ next drive, Heyward forced a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble at the 2-yard line that Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson recovered.

DEFENSE WITH ANOTHER HUGE PLAY

: #PITvsNE on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/UcSV1Oax6D

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 21, 2025

Heyward also recorded six tackles and a sack in the Steelers’ 21-14 victory. With four total quarterback pressures, he received the highest Pro Football Focus grade (92.2) of any NFL defensive lineman in Week 3.

The Steeler captain also earns our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer for Week 3.

Two-sack Tyquan

Tyquan Lewis had one of the best games of his NFL career in the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans.

The former Ohio State defensive end, who’s now in his eighth year with the Colts, tied his career-high with two sacks and set a new career-high with three tackles for loss as his longtime team improved to 3-0 on the year with a 41-20 win.

Tyquan Lewis gets the sack.#Colts#ForTheShoe#Titans#INDvsTEN pic.twitter.com/pqu2WCxZ2R

— Chris Shepherd (@NFLscheme) September 21, 2025

Another big day for JSN

Jaxon Smith-Njigba came up four yards short of starting the season with three straight 100-yard receiving games, but that was only because the Seattle Seahawks didn’t need to throw him the ball in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks took most of their starters out of the game in the fourth quarter because they already had a 44-13 lead over the New Orleans Saints, which would hold for the final score of their blowout Week 3 win. In the first three quarters, Smith-Njigba caught five passes for 96 yards, including a 29-yard catch and a 12-yard touchdown on Seattle’s opening drive.

JSN. TOUCHDOWN.

: CBS pic.twitter.com/8FHXFOq7uA

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 21, 2025

Smith-Njigba also beat multiple defenders for a 45-yard deep-ball catch in the second quarter.

Just B-E-A-Utiful to JSN! #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/FmwRtOr0SI

— Scuba Steve (@ScubaSteve_33) September 21, 2025

Like Egbuka, Smith-Njigba was listed as questionable to play in Week 3, in his case due to flu-like symptoms. But that didn’t stop JSN from continuing his dominant start to the year as he makes an early push for an All-Pro season. Three weeks into the season, Smith-Njigba has already caught 22 passes for 323 yards, second-most among all NFL receivers.

Dobbins scores vs. former team

J.K. Dobbins said last Thursday that he hoped to run for 100 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday after Jim Harbaugh’s team opted not to re-sign him this offseason. He didn’t quite reach that number, though that had as much to do with the number of touches he received as anything else.

Dobbins carried the ball only 11 times in the Denver Broncos’ 23-20 loss, but gained 83 yards on those 11 runs, including a 19-yard touchdown on which he caught a backward pass with one hand, then stiff-armed a defender on his way to the end zone.

That's how you start the second half!

: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/3suSkfmUQm

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 21, 2025

Dobbins has scored a touchdown in each of Denver’s first three games this season. He and Buffalo Bills running back James Cook are the only two NFL players who ran for touchdowns in all of the season’s first three weeks.

Nick Bosa out for season

One of Ohio State’s top NFL stars had his season cut short in Week 3 as five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Nick Bosa tore his ACL during the San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Arizona Cardinals.

It’s the third time Bosa has suffered a torn ACL in his football career. He previously tore the ACL in his right knee during his senior year of high school, then tore the ACL in his left knee during his second NFL season in 2020. Bosa’s Ohio State career was also cut short by a season-ending core muscle injury in 2018.

Bosa looked to be well on his way to another standout season before Sunday’s injury. In the 49ers’ first two games of the year, Bosa recorded 15 total tackles – including a career-high nine total tackles in the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Saints – with four tackles for loss, two sacks and nine quarterback pressures. Now, however, Bosa finds himself sidelined by a season-ending injury for the fourth time in his football career.

Dawand Jones out for season

While two Buckeyes had great days for the Browns in Week 3, another Buckeye saw his season come to an early end as Dawand Jones suffered a knee injury that will require season-ending surgery.

The injury occurred in the first quarter when Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard – who Ohio State fans might remember as the former Georgia player whose hit on Marvin Harrison Jr. knocked Harrison out of the 2022 Peach Bowl – hit Jones’ knee with his helmet as Jones was blocking Bullard on a screen pass.

The play on which Browns OT Dawand Jones (79) suffered a season-ending knee injury. pic.twitter.com/SmljcKiHNZ

— Josh Edwards (@EdwardsCBS) September 22, 2025

Absolutely heart breaking as it was just announced #Browns LT Dawand Jones will need knee surgery that will affectively end his season@NFL do you actually care about player safety? Absolutely dirty move by Safety Javon Bullard
pic.twitter.com/wW1eRfgO7l

— Mac (@tha_buffalo) September 22, 2025

It’s the third time in three NFL seasons that Jones, who started the Browns’ first two games of the season at left tackle before starting Sunday’s game at right tackle, has suffered a season-ending injury. His rookie season in 2023 ended after 11 games due to an MCL injury, while his 2024 season ended after 10 games due to a leg fracture.

Quick Hits

• Chris Olave set a new career-high with 10 catches, on which he gained 57 yards, in the Saints’ loss to the Seahawks.
• Pete Werner tied his career-high with 13 tackles in the Saints’ loss to the Seahawks. He also recovered a fumble.
• Garrett Wilson had the second double-digit reception game of his NFL career, catching 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ loss to the Buccaneers.

pitch and catch

: #NYJvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/JsDX4h0kOH

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 21, 2025

• Terry McLaurin caught three passes for 74 yards, including a season-long 56-yard catch that was ruled just short of being his first touchdown of the year, in the Washington Commanders’ 41-24 win vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. McLaurin now ranks fifth all-time in Commanders history with 6,528 career receiving yards.

Mariota goes deep to McLaurin!

LVvsWAS on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/x5TPtYyRHV

— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025

• Jeff Okudah made the first fumble recovery of his NFL career in the Minnesota Vikings’ 48-10 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Isaiah Rodgers forces another turnover. His 3rd of the game!

CINvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/w5Cwf6s5ZA

— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025

• Lathan Ransom forced the first fumble of his NFL career to seal the Carolina Panthers’ 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Lathan Ransom forced fumble to seal the deal!#Panthers Shut out Atlanta in their home opener!#KeepPounding #NFL #ATLvsCAR pic.twitter.com/T4VJKK0JAH

— Blego (@BlegoBro) September 21, 2025

• Donovan Jackson underwent wrist surgery on Monday. He will miss the Vikings’ next two games, but the team expects him to be able to return to action in Week 7 following their bye week.
• McLaurin (quad) and Marshon Lattimore (concussion protocol) both exited the Commanders’ win over the Raiders early with injuries. Lattimore cleared concussion protocol, Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Monday.

Week 3 Stats

Week 3 and season stats for every Buckeye around the NFL can be found in the table below compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. The table only includes players who have been on an active roster for at least one game this season and who finished their college careers at Ohio State.