\n Lathan Ransom became the latest member of Ohio State\u2019s rookie class to have a big game, Joey Bosa became the NFL\u2019s outright leader in forced fumbles with a game-changing strip sack, Terry McLaurin and C.J. Stroud had strong showings in their returns from injuries and DaVon Hamilton showed off a new skill set in Week 13 of the NFL season. <\/p>\n
\n\tThose former Buckeyes were the biggest standouts among Ohio State\u2019s contingent of NFL players in Week 13, and we\u2019ve recapped all of their performances and more in this week\u2019s Across The Shield, Eleven Warriors\u2019 weekly look at how former Ohio State players are performing throughout the NFL.\n<\/p>\n
\tRansom shines in first start<\/p>\n
\n\tLathan Ransom made the most of his first career start on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tRansom got the call to start for the first time because the Carolina Panthers\u2019 regular starter at strong safety, Tre\u2019von Moehrig, was suspended by the NFL for a week after punching San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the groin. He took advantage of the opportunity by recording 11 tackles, including his first career sack, to help lead the Panthers to a 31-28 upset win over the Los Angeles Rams.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\t1st career start, 1st career sack<\/p>\n
: FOX pic.twitter.com\/6c9V33iw9i<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tRansom had the most tackles of any NFL rookie in Week 13, continuing what\u2019s been a standout season for Ohio State\u2019s rookie class. With his excellent performance against the Rams, Ransom becomes the fifth rookie this year to earn our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State\u2019s top NFL performer of the week, joining two-time winners Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson, as well as Quinshon Judkins and Denzel Burke.\n<\/p>\n \t\tPro Bucks of the Week<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWeek<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPlayer<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tStats<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t1<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBuccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t4 catches, 67 yards, 2 TD; 1 rush, 9 yards<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBills DE Joey Bosa<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t2 tackles, 1 sack, 2 FF, 7 QB pressures<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t3<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSteelers DT Cameron Heyward<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1 PD, 4 QB pressures<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t4<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBuccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t4 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD; 1 rush, 0 yards<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t5<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTexans QB C.J. Stroud<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t23\/27, 244 yards, 4 TD; 1 rush, 30 yards<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t6<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSeahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tBrowns RB Quinshon Judkins<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t25 carries, 84 yards, 3 TD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTexans QB C.J. Stroud<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t30\/39, 318 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 7 carries, 30 yards<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t9<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCardinals CB Denzel Burke<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t7 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t10<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPatriots RB TreVeyon Henderson<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t14 carries, 147 yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, 3 yards<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPatriots RB TreVeyon Henderson<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t19 carries, 62 yards, 2 TD; 5 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t12<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSeahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t8 catches, 167 yards, 2 TD; 1 carry, 4 yards<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t13<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPanthers S Lathan Ransom<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t11 tackles, 1 sack<\/p>\n \n\tUnfortunately for Ransom, he suffered a thumb injury in the game, Panthers coach Dave Canales said Monday. Canales said the Panthers are still evaluating treatment options for his injury and the timeline for his return. Even if Ransom is ready to play in Week 15 after the Panthers\u2019 Week 14 bye, Moehrig will likely retake his place in the starting lineup.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat said, Ransom\u2019s performance in his first start made a strong case that he should have a big role in the Panthers\u2019 defense going forward \u2013 and that they got a steal by landing him in the fourth round of the NFL draft.\n<\/p>\n \tBosa\u2019s fifth forced fumble sets up scoop-and-score<\/p>\n \n\tJoey Bosa became the NFL\u2019s outright leader in forced fumbles with a game-changing strip sack in the Buffalo Bills\u2019 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith the Steelers leading 7-3 to start the second half, Bosa rushed around the outside of Steelers right guard Mason McCormick to hit Aaron Rodgers from behind and knock the ball out of his hands. His Bills teammate Christian Benford scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a go-ahead touchdown, and the Bills never looked back from there, going on to win the game 26-7.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tTHAT’S HOW YOU START THE SECOND HALF<\/p>\n Christian Benford x #ProBowlVote<\/a> \t\u2014 Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThe forced fumble was Bosa\u2019s fifth of the season, breaking a tie with Aidan Hutchinson, Nate Landman and Josh Sweat for the most in the NFL this year.\n<\/p>\n \n\tLike Ransom, Bosa unfortunately suffered an injury of his own on Sunday, leaving the game late in the fourth quarter with a hamstring issue. It\u2019s uncertain if and how long Bosa \u2013 who played in all of the Bills\u2019 first 12 games after missing time with injuries in all of the last three seasons \u2013 will be sidelined by the injury.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019ll see where that goes,\u201d Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday.\n<\/p>\n \tDaVon Hamilton, long snapper<\/p>\n \n\tFormer Ohio State defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton showed off a new skill set in Week 13.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhen Jacksonville Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik was knocked out of the game with a back injury, the Jaguars turned to Hamilton to take over long-snapping duties for the rest of the first half. Hamilton got the ball back to punter\/holder Logan Cooke for an extra point, three punts and a field goal \u2013 before Matiscik returned to the game for the second half \u2013 to help the Jaguars earn a 25-3 win over the Tennessee Titans.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tthe film cut up youve all been waiting for<\/p>\n every rep of DaVon Hamilton at long snapper: pic.twitter.com\/Ib96qjpko6<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Gus Logue (@gus_logue) December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHamilton hadn\u2019t long-snapped in a game since his days at Pickerington Central High School, but said after the game that it was something he had long wanted another opportunity to do, so he was prepared when his number was called.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDefinitely a dream that came true,\u201d Hamilton said after the game, per the Jaguars\u2019 official website<\/a>. \u201cIt was very cool. It’s something I’ve been working on for about six years in the league, so it has been interesting. Haven’t got my opportunity until today and it was very exciting. Definitely not something I want to do on a day-to-day basis, obviously, but it was fun.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tDaVon Hamilton says he has been fighting for his chance to long snap for six years! (Plus a cameo from Cam Little ) @BrentASJax<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4V7PsOAsoN<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 BrentDanStuartMarcelAlivia (@ActionSportsJax) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tWhile Hamilton\u2019s snaps weren\u2019t perfect, Jaguars coach Liam Coen and the team\u2019s full-time specialists were impressed by how well he got the job done playing a completely different role than he had ever played before in the NFL.\n<\/p>\n \n\t“That’s so hard,\u201d Cooke said. \u201cYou look at a guy who has gloves on and taped wrists (during games). It’s a hard job regardless, so then you put all that in there. For him just to get the ball in there in the vicinity of where you want it is all you can ask for.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tHamilton made a tackle on one of his punts and also played 15 snaps in the game at defensive tackle.\n<\/p>\n \tMcLaurin has best game of season in return<\/p>\n \n\tAfter playing in just one of the Washington Commanders\u2019 previous eight games due to a quad injury, Terry McLaurin returned to action on Sunday Night Football and had his best game of the season against the Denver Broncos.\n<\/p>\n \n\tMcLaurin caught seven passes for 96 yards \u2013 both season-highs \u2013 including a touchdown with the game on the line on 4th-and-goal in overtime. Lined up against reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II, McLaurin beat Surtain on a slant route.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tTERRY. THE COMMANDERS SCORE IN OT.<\/p>\n DENvsWAS on NBC \t\u2014 NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tMcLaurin became the first player to score a touchdown against Surtain since Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tTerry McLaurin caught 3 of 8 targets for 30 yards when covered by Pat Surtain II, but his final reception was an overtime touchdown.<\/p>\n Surtain had not allowed a touchdown on his last 507 coverage snaps dating back to Week 13 of 2024.<\/p>\n Powered by @awscloud<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gPZRsHOhfD<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThe touchdown gave the Commanders a chance to win the game in overtime, but their game-winning 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Broncos edge rusher Nick Bonitto knocked down a pass by Marcus Mariota. Nevertheless, the night showed a clear return to form for McLaurin, who had just 13 catches for 203 yards and one touchdown in his first four games of the season.\n<\/p>\n \tStroud leads Texans to win in return<\/p>\n \n\tC.J. Stroud also made his return from injury in Week 13 and led the Houston Texans to a 20-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAfter missing the Texans\u2019 previous three games with a concussion, Stroud completed 22 of 35 passing attempts for 276 yards, his second-highest total of the season. He didn\u2019t throw any touchdown passes and threw one interception, but led four scoring drives for the Texans and had seven pass completions that went for 15 yards or more.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tC.J. Stroud in his return from concussion protocol:<\/p>\n 22-35 QB1 is BACK. pic.twitter.com\/WqIzHVcjmY<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Jacob (@TexansJacob) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \tJSN has quietest game of season<\/p>\n \n\tAfter breaking an NFL record with 11 straight games with more than 75 receiving yards to start the season, Jaxon Smith-Njigba finally had a quiet game in Week 13.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOne week after Smith-Njigba had eight catches for a season-high 167 yards<\/a> and two touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans, the Minnesota Vikings limited JSN to just two catches for 23 yards on Sunday.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSlowing down Smith-Njigba was about the only thing the Vikings did well on Sunday, as the Seattle Seahawks shut them out 26-0 to improve to 9-3 on the season.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tJaxon Smith-Njigba hadnt finished any of the Seahawks first 11 games with fewer than 79 receiving yards. The Vikings held the NFLs leading receiver to 23 yards on two catches (four targets).<\/p>\n Here was JSN on how they did it: pic.twitter.com\/fx31LjlQt8<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHe still leads the NFL with 1,336 receiving yards, 196 more yards than any other receiver in the NFL this season. The 23-yard game against the Vikings did knock Smith-Njigba off the pace needed to break Calvin Johnson\u2019s NFL single-season receiving yards record, though it\u2019s still not out of reach; to break the record, Smith-Njigba will need 628 receiving yards in the Seahawks\u2019 final five games.\n<\/p>\n \tCade Stover, tush push specialist<\/p>\n \n\tLike Hamilton, Cade Stover also found himself taking on a new role in Week 13.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe former Ohio State tight end had the first four rushing attempts of his NFL career as the Texans had him take a direct snap at quarterback to run the \u201ctush push\u201d for four plays against the Colts. He converted 3rd-and-1 on each of his first two attempts, but was stuffed for no gain on each of his final two attempts, resulting in a net total of three yards.\n<\/p>\n \n\tStover also caught two passes for 16 yards from Stroud in the Texans\u2019 win.\n<\/p>\n \tQuick Hits<\/p>\n \t\tChris Olave scored his fifth touchdown of the season \u2013 tying his career-high for a season \u2013 on a 17-yard catch in the New Orleans Saints\u2019 loss to the Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n \n\t\tTD OLAVE<\/p>\n What a route by 12<\/p>\n : FOX pic.twitter.com\/BabNUyv5lu<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \t\tChase Young recorded his fifth sack in just seven games this season as one of two tackles for loss in the Saints\u2019 loss to the Dolphins.<\/p>\n \n\t\tChase Young with the huge sack, his 5th of the season<\/p>\n : FOX: | @OhioStateFB<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/l7Jngli4Fq<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \t\tQuinshon Judkins had 23 carries for 91 yards, three catches for 18 yards and ran for a 2-point conversion after the Cleveland Browns\u2019 only touchdown in their 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n \t\tJonathon Cooper recorded a season-high six tackles, including one tackle for loss \u2013 and drew a holding penalty against Commanders right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. that wiped out what would have been a 30-yard touchdown pass to McLaurin \u2013 in the Broncos\u2019 win over the Commanders.<\/p>\n \t\tCameron Heyward and Malik Harrison each recorded a season-high eight tackles, with Heyward also recording two tackles for loss, in the Steelers\u2019 loss to the Bills.<\/p>\n \t\tEmeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr., both members of Ohio State\u2019s 2021 recruiting class who became star receivers for the Buckeyes and are now the top wide receivers for their respective NFL teams, exchanged jerseys after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u2019 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Egubka had four catches for 42 yards for the Buccaneers while Harrison had six catches for 69 yards for the Cardinals.<\/p>\n \n\t\tOhio State Rising NFL stars pic.twitter.com\/cOPKy0QZvP<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \t\tTreVeyon Henderson led the New England Patriots with 67 rushing yards, highlighted by a 26-yard gain, in their Monday Night Football win over the New York Giants.<\/p>\n \n\t\t.@TreVeyonH4<\/a> was moving for the first<\/p>\n ESPN | #ProBowlVote<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/uadiTyjQ7e<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \t\tThayer Munford made his season debut as he played six snaps as a sixth offensive lineman for the Patriots in their win over the Giants.<\/p>\n
Joey Bosa x #ProBowlVote<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Gpy7sIVEvw<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n
Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> + Peacock pic.twitter.com\/gIFLt2nGCx<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n
276 Yards
7.9 YPA
0.24 EPA\/Play (RBSDM)
9.8 Total EPA (RBSDM)
14.3% P2S (PFF)
+3.6 CPOE<\/p>\n