Ohio State Buckeyes in the NFL: Keeping Up, Week 10

Tight games and big victories for struggling teams seemed to be the theme of Week 10 in The League. This week featured a plethora of former members of the scarlet and gray Brigade, and we here at the Holy Land find it not only necessary, but proper to inform you on their performances. First off, lets take a look at the biggest surprise victory of the week.

The St. Louis Rams throttled the Indianapolis Colts 38-6 Sunday afternoon, and were led by James Laurinaitis who was tied for the team lead in tackles with eight, four on his own. Longsnapper and former Buckeye Jake McQuaide got his fair share of work with 11 appearances in the game (5 punts, 5 extra points, 1 field goal).

On the other side of the ball, Daniel "Boom" Herron had one carry for no yards, but contributed in the receiving game with one catch for 57 yards. With the acquisition of Trent Richardson and the fact that the Colts are a pass-heavy team, it'll be a while until the Buckeye faithful see Herron getting any valuable touches.

In the Battle of the Backups, Green Bay Linebacker A.J. Hawk kept pressure on Nick Foles all day, tying for the team lead in tackles with seven, all of them solo (two for a loss). On the offensive end, Jake Stoneburner failed to reel in a catch, which is to be expected when your offense is playing its third-string quarterback. Seneca Wallace started the game 5-for-5 before handing the reigns off to former B1G QB Scott Tolzien due to an injury.

It was a tough game for Terrelle Pryor and the Oakland Raiders, who lost a close one to the struggling New York Giants. Pryor told reporters after the game that he played with an MCL sprain in his right knee. The third year quarterback completed 11-of-26 attempts for 122 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. On the ground, Pryor ran for 19 yards, coughing up one fumble and scoring the Raiders only offensive touchdown on five carries. On the other side of the field, recent Buckeye graduate Johnathan Hankins had one tackle in the contest.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had three former Buckeyes in action on Sunday, each of which positively contributed to the 23-10 victory over Buffalo. Defensive End Cameron Heyward had 6 tackles (5 solo) and one sack in the contest, while Safety Will Allen added a tackle as well. Offensive Lineman Mike Adams cleared a big hole and pushed the pile to set up a Le'Veon Bell touchdown.

The overtime thriller between Cincinnati and Baltimore featured three former Buckeyes, two of which didn't record a single statistic. Ravens LB John Simon still finds himself on the bench, while Cincinnati WR Dane Sanzenbacher didn't even get targeted in the contest. Cincinnati Kicker Mike Nugent had 5 points in the game, hitting both of his extra point opportunities and connecting on a 32-yard attempt (missed from 42 yards).

The 10-9 snooze-fest that was Carolina and San Francisco showcased Tedd Ginn Jr., who caught two passes on four targets for 19 yards for the Panthers. The 49ers secondary was led by Donte Whitner, who racked up 6 tackles, just one short of the team lead for the game.

DeVier Posey caught three pases for 34 yards on 6 targets in the Texans game against Arizona, and has proven himself to be a worthy slot receiver for Houston's 11th ranked passing offense. Meanwhile, Malcolm Jenkins and former Buckeye and teammate Will Smith both went blank again in the stat book in the Sunday Night Football game of the week. The Saints absolutely shellacked the Cowboys, setting an NFL record for first downs with 40 and a franchise record for total yards with 625.

Tonight's Monday Night Football game between Miami and Tampa Bay features WR Brian Hartline and LB Austin Spitler for the Dolphins. The New York Jets had a much needed bye week, keeping WR Santonio Holmes and C Nick Mangold off the field until next week.