Pro Buckeyes standout performances: NFL Week 17
The 2020 NFL regular season has wrapped up and No. 3 Ohio State is national championship bound.
All 32 teams played on Sunday with each game played with draft or playoff implications.
The Kansas City Chiefs earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the Green Bay Packers secured the top-seed in the NFC. Both teams will be the lone ones to receive a bye in the playoffs next week, which is a new change to the layout.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will have the No. 1 draft pick in the 2021 draft, followed by the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins (via the Houston Texans), Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott finished with the 11th-most rushing yards, and Baltimore Ravens rookie J.K. Dobbins wasn't far behind at 18th.
Second-year Washington Football Team wide receiver and captain Terry McLaurin caught the 13th-most receiving yards.
Here are several Buckeyes who stood out in the final week of the regular season.
J.K. Dobbins 'dashes' Baltimore to fifth seed in the AFC
A monumental finish to a memorable rookie season for the Buckeyes single-season rushing leader.
J.K. Dobbins and the Baltimore Ravens ended their regular season in Cincinnati, and the rookie running back set a new career-high for rushing yards.
Dobbins took off for 160 yards, third-most in the NFL this week. He also scored two touchdowns against the Bengals, helping the Ravens cruise to a 38-3 victory.
According to @NFLResearch on Twitter, it was Dobbins' sixth-consecutive game with at least 50 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, tying Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Franco Harris for the longest streak by a rookie since the 1970 merger.
The Ravens will travel to Tennessee to contest the fourth-seeded Titans in a playoff rematch at 1:05 on Sunday.
Ohio State note: Dobbins ended his final season in scarlet and gray with a nine-game streak of at least 89 rushing yards and at least one rushing touchdown.
Malcolm Jenkins and Marshon Lattimore ‘pick’ New Orleans’ way to No. 2 seed in NFC
The New Orleans secondary has shades of scarlet and gray within it.
Veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins and Pro Bowl defensive back Marshon Lattimore each had an interception in the Saints game at the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the former finished the regular season with three picks and the latter two.
Jenkins' interception came with 10:49 in the second quarter as Carolina threatened to breakup a 7-7 tie as the pick came in the end zone. He added four tackles.
The Panthers were picked off on both of their first two possessions of the second half, and Lattimore caught his interception on the latter.
The Saints scored touchdowns following both Buckeyes interceptions as they rolled the Panthers in a 33-7 win to lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The Saints will host the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears at 4:40 p.m. on Saturday.
Ohio State note: Jenkins caught at least three interceptions in each of his last three seasons as a Buckeye, including one against No. 2 LSU in the 2008 BCS title game. Lattimore caught four interceptions, all in his final season as a Buckeye.
Chase Young ‘scoops’ Washington Football Team toward NFC East division title
The Washington Football Team became the third team in NFL history to win their division with a sub-.500 record, finishing 7-9 this season following a 20-14 win in the final regular season game of the 2020 NFL season.
Making a case for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young scooped up a critical fumble at the Eagles 35-yard line when Washington held just a 3-point lead over Philadelphia at the start of the fourth quarter.
Young also recorded two tackles and a sack in the season finale, bringing his season totals to 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Terry McLaurin, another captain and former Buckeye, caught 40 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's victory.
Washington will host Tom Brady and the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 8:15 on Saturday.
Ohio State note: Mike Vrabel, the only player with more sacks in their Buckeyes career, recorded 1.5 sacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his rookie season in 1997.
Denzel Ward and the Cleveland Browns are headed to the playoffs, with an interesting Ohio State correlation
Although the third-year Browns defensive back was out for Sunday's pivotal home game against the Steelers, Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh 24-22 on Sunday to clinch its first playoff berth since 2002.
The 19-year drought was the longest-active streak in the NFL. The New York Jets now hold that distinction, dating back to 2010.
Ward was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. The 10th day from his placement on the list will be this Sunday, which is when the Browns and Steelers will meet in the Wild Card round at 8:15 p.m. in Pittsburgh. Ward's status is unclear.
Ohio State note: The last playoff game in which the Cleveland Browns played came on Jan. 5, 2003, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Interestingly, the No. 2 Buckeyes played in the BCS national championship game against No. 1 Miami just two days prior on Jan. 3, 2003.
Notable others in Sunday's season finale
While some Buckeyes will continue in the playoffs, others saw their seasons conclude. Here are additional Buckeyes who ended their seasons on a high note.
Ezekiel Elliott
Elliott and the Cowboys nearly finished their season as division winners in the NFC East, but a 23-19 loss at the New York Giants dispelled such a crowning.
The former Buckeyes running back finished his fifth season in the NFL with 979 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground after adding 42 yards and one score on Sunday.
Cameron Johnston
The lone punter to crack this list appeared early in the first week. Johnston and the Philadelphia Eagles played in the NFL's final regular-season game Sunday night, and the third-year punter made five such plays for 226 yards.
Johnston finished fourth in the NFL in net yards with 2,924 and landed 26 punts inside the 20, tied for sixth-most.
Dre'Mont Jones
An under-the-radar Buckeyes defensive end for the Denver Broncos wrapped up his second full season with the third-most sacks on his team.
Jones added 1.5 sacks against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, and six more tackles in addition to two quarterback hits.
Curtis Samuel
The Carolina Panthers learned a lot about themselves under first-year head coach Matt Rhule, and a critical playmaker going forward will be the former Ohio State H-back in Samuel.
Samuel finished with the team's third-most receiving yards and fourth-most rushing yards. He caught a season-high 118 yards against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.