Across The Shield: Quinshon Judkins Runs for Three Touchdowns, Chris Olave Catches Two Touchdowns, Jaxon Smith-Njigba Tops 100 Yards Again

By Dan Hope and Matt Gutridge on October 21, 2025 at 7:35 am
Quinshon Judkins running for his 46-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins
Scott Galvin – Imagn Images
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Multiple-touchdown games for Quinshon Judkins and Chris Olave and another standout performance by Jaxon Smith-Njigba highlighted Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season for former Ohio State players.

On the other end of the spectrum, Justin Fields’ struggles went from bad to worse as the former Ohio State quarterback was benched by the New York Jets after a rough first half against the Carolina Panthers.

We recap all of the best and most notable Week 7 performances from NFL Buckeyes in Across The Shield, Eleven Warriors’ weekly look at how former Ohio State players are performing throughout the league.

Judkins gets a hat trick

The Cleveland Browns didn’t score more than two touchdowns as a team in any of their first six games of the season. In Week 7, the Browns got three touchdowns from their standout rookie running back from Ohio State.

Having quickly established himself as the bellcow of the Browns’ backfield, Quinshon Judkins had his biggest game yet in their 31-6 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, running the ball 25 times for 84 yards and three touchdowns – highlighted by an explosive 46-yard score on which he ran past a bevy of Dolphin defenders.

He followed that up later in the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run on which he lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation and spun through a defender on his way to the end zone despite bobbling the direct snap.

Judkins iced the win for the Browns with another Wildcat touchdown run from two yards out.

Judkins’ three-touchdown game tied him with Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams for the most touchdowns scored in NFL Week 7, and earned him our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer of the week for the first time.

Pro Bucks of the Week
Week Player Stats
1 Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka 4 catches, 67 yards, 2 TD; 1 rush, 9 yards
2 Bills DE Joey Bosa 2 tackles, 1 sack, 2 FF, 7 QB pressures
3 Steelers DT Cameron Heyward 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1 PD, 4 QB pressures
4 Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka 4 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD; 1 rush, 0 yards
5 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 23/27, 244 yards, 4 TD; 1 rush, 30 yards
6 Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 8 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD
7 Browns RB Quinshon Judkins 25 carries, 84 yards, 3 TD

Judkins has now rushed for 467 yards (the most among all rookies and the 11th-most among all NFL players) and five touchdowns (tied for most among rookies and fifth-most among all NFL players) on 109 carries (seventh-most in the league) in his first six NFL games.

Alongside former Ohio State teammate Emeka Egbuka, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty and New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo, Judkins has led the most prolific start ever for a rookie class of offensive skill-position playmakers in terms of yards and touchdowns from scrimmage.

Olave hauls in two touchdowns

Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns had his first two-touchdown game in the NFL this weekend.

Chris Olave made two leaping touchdown grabs, one from 21 yards out and another from 14 yards out, to score the Saints’ only points in their 26-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Olave also had the longest catch of his NFL career for the second week in a row as he hauled in a 57-yard deep ball from Spencer Rattler to set up his first touchdown.

Olave had exactly 98 receiving yards for the second week in a row, bringing him to 440 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 44 catches for the season.

Wide Receiver U T-shirt

JSN tops 100 again

Jaxon Smith-Njigba extended his lead atop the NFL’s receiving yards standings with another standout performance in the national spotlight on Monday night.

For the fifth time already in just seven games this season, Smith-Njigba topped the 100-yard mark as he made eight catches for 123 yards in the Seattle Seahawks’ 27-19 win over the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. He also caught a touchdown pass for the third game in a row, hauling in a contested catch for an 11-yard score.

Smith-Njigba – who lamely received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his celebratory dunk over the goalpost after his touchdown catch – has now caught 50 passes for 819 yards and four touchdowns this season. He has 190 more receiving yards than Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase, who ranks second in the NFL with 629 receiving yards this season.

Fields gets benched

Justin Fields’ time as an NFL starting quarterback may have reached its end on Sunday.

After completing just nine of 17 passing attempts for 45 yards while taking nine sacks against the Denver Broncos in Week 6, Fields was benched at halftime after completing just six of 12 passing attempts for 46 yards while taking three sacks against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.

New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that he hadn’t yet decided whether Fields or Tyrod Taylor would be their starting quarterback going forward. Taylor didn’t fare much better in the second half of the Jets’ 13-6 loss, completing just 10 of 22 passing attempts for 126 yards with two interceptions. But his benching against the Panthers made it clear the Jets no longer view him as their franchise quarterback – even though Glenn dismissed a question from a reporter about the possibility of benching Fields just one week earlier.

When the Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in March, reuniting him with his former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson, it gave Fields a real opportunity to reestablish himself as an NFL starter after he spent most of the 2024 season backing up Russell Wilson with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it was also viewed as Fields’ last chance to become a franchise quarterback after falling short of expectations in three years with the Chicago Bears, and the Jets’ 0-7 start with Fields at the helm this year makes it unlikely he’ll get another shot to start elsewhere if he can’t regain the starting job in New York.

Even so, Fields handled the benching with grace, saying in his postgame press conference that he “can’t be mad at the decision” and that he would lean on his faith following the benching.

“I've been through a lot in my career, especially in my NFL career and college career, and God's been with me through the ups and downs,” Fields said. “I'm probably at a low right now, and I think the old me would feel some certain type of way, but now my faith is so rooted in Christ to where it’s like I told (Jets reporters) earlier this week, nothing can break me. That's just what it is. 

“And as far as my job goes here, I'm going to be the same. I'm going to come to work the same. I'm going to lead the same. And, again, just try to continue to spread that message of how good God is. And no matter what I go through in life, I know I'm strong enough to handle it.”

Quick Hits

  • Ronnie Hickman recorded the second interception of his NFL career in the Browns’ win over the Dolphins, calling his shot before picking off Tua Tagovailoa for the Dolphins quarterback’s third interception of the game.
  • Quinn Ewers, who spent one year at Ohio State before transferring to Texas, made his NFL debut as the Dolphins benched Tagovailoa following Hickman’s interception. He completed five of eight passes for 53 yards after taking over at quarterback for Miami.
  • Jerome Baker sacked Ewers for his first sack of the season and as a Cleveland Brown. He also forced a fumble on the play.
  • Luke Wypler made the second start of his NFL career as the Browns opened the game against the Dolphins with six offensive linemen on the field, with Wypler entering the lineup as a third tackle.
  • Tommy Togiai recorded three solo tackles with a career-high two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hit for the Texans in their loss to the Seahawks.
  • Jonathon Cooper had his second straight multi-sack game, recording 1.5 sacks in the Denver Broncos’ 33-32 win over the New York Giants – a game in which the Broncos scored all 33 of their points in the fourth quarter to come back from a 19-0 deficit.
  • Zach Harrison recorded four tackles with two tackles for loss in the Atlanta Falcons’ Sunday Night Football loss against the San Francisco 49ers, including a sack of 49ers quarterback Mac Jones on San Francisco’s first offensive play of the game.
  • Dre’Mont Jones recorded a sack for the second straight week.
  • Emeka Egbuka played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football despite suffering a hamstring injury in Week 6. Despite missing most of the week of practice, Egbuka caught four passes for 58 yards in the Buccaneers’ loss to the Detroit Lions.
  • Tyleik Williams had a humorous response after failing to recover a fumble that bounced to him in the fourth quarter of the Lions’ win over the Buccaneers.
  • DaVon Hamilton and Ty Hamilton went head-to-head against each other for the first time as NFL players in the Los Angeles Rams’ 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. DaVon Hamilton made four solo tackles with one tackle for loss for the Jaguars, while his younger brother Ty recorded the first quarterback hit of his NFL career.

Week 7 Stats

Week 7 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.

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 7 STATS SEASON STATS
DAMON ARNETTE CB TEXANS Practice squad 2 tackles
JEROME BAKER LB BROWNS 4 tackles, 1 sack (10 yards), 1 FF 15 tackles, 1 sack (10 yards), 1 TFL, 1 FF
JOEY BOSA DE BILLS Bye 14 tackles, 2 sacks (15 yards), 2 TFL, 5 QB hits, 4 FF
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS Injured reserve (knee) 17 tackles, 2 sacks (9 yards), 4 TFL, 2 QB hits, 2 FF, 1 FR
NOAH BROWN WR COMMANDERS Injured reserve (groin) 3 catches, 36 yards
BARON BROWNING LB CARDINALS 1 tackle 11 tackles, 2 sacks (13 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 FR
DENZEL BURKE CB CARDINALS Played on special teams 7 tackles, 3 PD
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR COWBOYS Practice squad 1 tackle
JONATHON COOPER LB BRONCOS 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks (5 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QB hits 21 tackles, 6 sacks (40 yards), 4 TFL, 8 QB hits, 2 PD
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 5 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB BRONCOS 14 carries, 81 yards; 1 catch, -1 yard 105 carries, 523 yards, 4 TD; 7 catches, 22 yards
EMEKA EGBUKA WR BUCCANEERS 4 catches, 58 yards 31 catches, 527 yards, 5 TD; 2 carries, 9 yards
TOMMY EICHENBERG LB RAIDERS Played on special teams 8 tackles
LUKE FARRELL TE 49ERS 1 catch, 11 yards 7 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD
JUSTIN FIELDS QB JETS 6/12, 46 yards; 4 carries, 22 yards 86/135, 845 yards, 4 TD; 42 carries, 251 yards, 3 TD
JOSH FRYAR OL CARDINALS Inactive 4 games played
JORDAN FULLER S FALCONS Injured reserve (knee) 1 start at safety
MIKE HALL JR. DT BROWNS Inactive Inactive
DAVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 4 tackles, 1 TFL 17 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits
TY HAMILTON DT RAMS 1 QB hit 5 tackles, 1 QB hit
JORDAN HANCOCK S BILLS Bye 2 tackles
MALIK HARRISON LB STEELERS Injured reserve (knee) 1 game played
ZACH HARRISON DL FALCONS 4 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 2 TFL 17 tackles, 3.5 sacks (15.5 yards), 4 TFL, 4 QB hits, 1 FF, 1 PD
MARVIN HARRISON JR. WR CARDINALS 2 catches, 58 yards 24 catches, 395 yards, 2 TD
TREVEYON HENDERSON RB PATRIOTS 2 carries, 5 yards 43 carries, 153 yards, 1 TD; 16 catches, 99 yards; 7 KR, 154 yards
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 3 tackles, 0.5 sack (4 yards), 1 TFL 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks (4 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 3 PD, 1 FF
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS 2 tackles, 1 INT 41 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS Injured reserve (toe) 20 tackles
DONOVAN JACKSON OL VIKINGS Started at LG 4 starts at LG
JONAH JACKSON OG BEARS Started at RG 6 starts at RG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at LT 6 starts at LT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P BILLS Bye 7 punts, 44.0 average, 2 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Injured reserve (knee) 2 starts at LT, 1 start at RT
DRE'MONT JONES DE TITANS 3 tackles, 1 sack (7 yards) 20 tackles, 2 sacks (15 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 FR
MICHAEL JORDAN LG BUCCANEERS Started at RG 3 starts at LG
QUINSHON JUDKINS RB BROWNS 25 carries, 84 yards, 3 TD 109 carries, 467 yards, 5 TD; 9 catches, 62 yards
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB COMMANDERS 4 tackles, 1 PD 23 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 PD, 1 FR
TYQUAN LEWIS DT COLTS 1 tackle 7 tackles, 3 sacks (18 yards), 4 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Played at LS 5 games played at LS
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS Inactive 10 catches, 149 yards
JOSH MYERS C JETS Started at C 7 starts at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB VIKINGS 3 tackles 12 tackles, 1 FR
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS 5 catches, 98 yards, 2 TD 44 catches, 440 yards, 3 TD, 0/1 passing, 1 INT
LATHAN RANSOM S PANTHERS 1 tackle 20 tackles, 1 FF
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Played at TE 8 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD
CURTIS SAMUEL WR BILLS Bye 3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD; 6 KR, 166 yards
JACK SAWYER LB STEELERS 1 QB hit 13 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 1 PD
KENDALL SHEFFIELD CB DOLPHINS Played at CB 1 game played
JOSH SIMMONS OT CHIEFS Inactive 5 starts at LT
CODY SIMON LB CARDINALS 1 tackle 6 tackles
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS 8 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD 50 catches, 819 yards, 4 TD; 3 carries, 11 yards
CADE STOVER TE TEXANS Injured reserve (foot) 4 catches, 22 yards
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 23/49, 229 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 2 carries, 25 yards 125/193, 1,305 yards, 9 TD, 4 INT; 20 carries, 147 yards
TOMMY TOGIAI DT TEXANS 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 PD 11 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 PD
JT TUIMOLOAU DE COLTS 2 QB hits 2 tackles, 2 QB hits
NICK VANNETT TE VIKINGS Practice squad 3 games played
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 3 tackles 20 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 5 PD
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS 2 tackles 48 tackles, 2 sacks (1 yard), 2 TFL, 3 QB hits, 2 PD, 1 FR
TYLEIK WILLIAMS DL LIONS 1 QB hit 4 tackles, 1 QB hit, 3 PD
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS Inactive 36 catches, 395 yards, 4 TD
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Started at T 1 start at T, 7 games played
CHASE YOUNG DE SAINTS 3 tackles, 0.5 sack (4 yards), 3 QB hits, 2 PD 4 tackles, 0.5 sack (4 yards), 3 QB hits, 2 PD
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