Across The Shield: Mike Vrabel’s Patriots Eliminate Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, C.J. Stroud Earns Third Playoff Win Despite Jack Sawyer Strip Sack

By Dan Hope and Matt Gutridge on January 13, 2026 at 7:35 am
Mike Vrabel
Eric Canha – Imagn Images
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An Ohio State great outcoached a Michigan Man, C.J. Stroud accomplished something that only three NFL quarterbacks had before and every team that won in the first round of the NFL playoffs has at least one Buckeye on their roster.

The wild card weekend edition of Across The Shield, Eleven Warriors’ weekly look at how former Ohio State players are performing in the NFL, highlights Mike Vrabel’s victory over Jim Harbaugh, Stroud winning his third playoff game in as many years despite a strip sack from his former Ohio State teammate Jack Sawyer, and why Ohio State is guaranteed to have at least one former player win a Super Bowl ring this season.

Vrabel eliminates Harbaugh

A Buckeye legend and one of Michigan’s most hated villains went head-to-head as opposing head coaches as Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots hosted Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Under the leadership of Vrabel and de facto defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr – a former Ohio State intern – the Patriots’ defense stifled the Chargers’ offense, leading New England to a 16-3 win.

Vrabel got bloodied up after taking a helmet to the lip in a sideline celebration with Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, but that didn’t dampen his spirits one bit.

In a celebratory postgame speech to his team, Vrabel told the Patriots players that advancing in the playoffs “sure beats going on vacation.”

The wild card win continued what’s been a spectacular first season in New England for Vrabel. The Patriots went 14-3 during the regular season, earning the No. 2 playoff seed in the AFC. Vrabel is the favorite to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award for the second time. The former Ohio State defensive end previously won the award as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2021.

Harbaugh, who left Michigan for the Chargers after winning the 2023 national championship amid multiple NCAA investigations, was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by a Buckeye great for the second year in a row. In Harbaugh’s first year as the Chargers’ coach last season, former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a 32-12 win over the Chargers in the wild card round.

In recognition of coaching the Patriots to a win that had everyone in Columbus celebrating, Vrabel earns our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer of wild card weekend.

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
8 Texans QB C.J. Stroud 30/39, 318 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 7 carries, 30 yards
9 Cardinals CB Denzel Burke 7 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD
10 Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson 14 carries, 147 yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, 3 yards
11 Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson 19 carries, 62 yards, 2 TD; 5 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD
12 Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 8 catches, 167 yards, 2 TD; 1 carry, 4 yards
13 Panthers S Lathan Ransom 11 tackles, 1 sack
14 Texans DT Tommy Togiai 10 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits
15 Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson 14 carries, 148 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 13 yards
16 Saints WR Chris Olave 10 catches, 148 yards, 2 TD
17 Saints DE Chase Young 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD, 2 QB hits
18 Texans DT Tommy Togiai 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD, 1 FR, 1 TD
WC Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Knocked Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers out of the playoffs

Former Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson also contributed to the Patriots’ win. While he had a quiet night statistically, rushing for just 27 yards on nine carries with one catch for nine yards, he iced the victory for the Patriots with a 15-yard run up the middle with less than two minutes remaining, allowing New England to kneel out the rest of the clock.

Henderson also made a crucial blitz pickup on the game’s only touchdown, knocking Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley off-balance with his pass block, enabling Drake Maye to throw a deep ball to Hunter Henry for a 28-yard score.

Stroud earns third playoff win despite Sawyer strip sack

C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a first-round playoff win for the third straight year to start his NFL career.

Stroud completed 21 of 32 passing attempts for 250 yards and one touchdown with one interception to help the Texans defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-6, in their wild card game on Monday night.

It wasn’t a clean game for Stroud. The former Ohio State quarterback fumbled the ball five times. He recovered three of those fumbles himself, but two of them were recovered by the Steelers, including one forced by his former Ohio State teammate Jack Sawyer, who fittingly had a strip sack against a team from Texas in his first NFL playoff game.

Nevertheless, Stroud became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in all of his first three seasons in the league, joining Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Otto Graham.

Tommy Togiai continued his strong season in the Texans’ win by recording five total tackles with one tackle for loss, while former Ohio State tight end Cade Stover had one carry for four yards and two catches for 13 yards.

Houston has now won 10 straight games dating back to early November, but the Texans will have to beat Vrabel’s Patriots in New England on Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN/ABC) to keep that winning streak going. Stroud will be looking for his first divisional round win, as each of his first two NFL seasons ended with losses in the second round of the playoffs.

At least one Buckeye will win Super Bowl LX

All eight teams advancing to the divisional round of this year’s NFL playoffs have at least one former Ohio State player on their rosters.

The only three teams without Buckeyes that made this year’s playoffs – the Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles – all lost in the wild card round. As a result, Ohio State is guaranteed to have at least one former player win a Super Bowl ring this season.

Fourteen former Ohio State players are currently on the 53-man roster of one of the eight teams that are still alive in the NFL postseason. That total could potentially grow to 15 by this weekend, as Curtis Samuel – who’s been on injured reserve since November for the Buffalo Bills – will return to practice this week. J.K. Dobbins could also potentially return from injured reserve from the Denver Broncos if they advance in the playoffs, as Broncos coach Sean Payton said last week that Dobbins is “getting close” to a return from the foot injury that’s sidelined him since November, though Dobbins will not play against the Bills on Saturday.

The full schedule of games for next weekend’s divisional round with the former Ohio State players who are currently on the active rosters of each team can be found below.

Saturday

  • 4:30 p.m., CBS: No. 6 Buffalo Bills (Joey Bosa, Jordan Hancock) at No. 1 Denver Broncos (Jonathon Cooper)
  • 8 p.m., FOX: No. 6 San Francisco 49ers (Luke Farrell) at No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (Jaxon Smith-Njigba)

Sunday

  • 3 p.m., ESPN/ABC: No. 5 Houston Texans (Cade Stover, C.J. Stroud, Tommy Togiai) at No. 2 New England Patriots (TreVeyon Henderson, Thayer Munford)
  • 6:30 p.m., NBC: No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (Ty Hamilton, Jake McQuaide, Nick Vannett) at No. 2 Chicago Bears (Jonah Jackson)

Wild Card Round Stats

Full stats for every Buckeye who played in the NFL's wild card round can be found in the table below, compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. The table only includes players on teams that made the NFL playoffs, 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 WILD CARD STATS
ELI APPLE CB 49ERS Practice squad
JOEY BOSA DE BILLS 1 QB hit
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS Injured reserve (knee)
JONATHON COOPER LB BRONCOS Bye
J.K. DOBBINS RB BRONCOS Bye; injured reserve (foot)
LUKE FARRELL TE 49ERS Played at TE
DAVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS 3 tackles
TY HAMILTON DT RAMS 2 tackles
JORDAN HANCOCK S BILLS 6 tackles
MALIK HARRISON LB STEELERS 2 tackles
TREVEYON HENDERSON RB PATRIOTS 9 carries, 27 yards; 1 catch, 9 yards
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 3 tackles
WILL HOWARD QB STEELERS Inactive
JONAH JACKSON OG BEARS Started at RG
JAKE McQUAIDE LS RAMS Played at LS
THAYER MUNFORD OT PATRIOTS Played at OT
LATHAN RANSOM S PANTHERS 1 tackle
CURTIS SAMUEL WR BILLS Injured reserve (elbow, knee)
JACK SAWYER LB STEELERS 1 tackle, 1 sack (4 yards), 1 FF
TREY SERMON RB STEELERS Practice squad
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS Bye
CADE STOVER TE TEXANS 2 catches, 13 yards; 1 carry, 4 yards
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 21/32, 250 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 1 carry, 0 yards
TOMMY TOGIAI DT TEXANS 5 tackles, 1 TFL
NICK VANNETT TE RAMS Played at TE
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