Ohio State Buckeyes in the NFL: Donte Whitner's impact, James Laurinaitis plays hero

Several former Buckeyes had stellar performances around the NFL in Week 9. How did your favorite former Buckeyes fare on Sunday?

Mike Nugent had a perfect day against the Jacksonville Jaguars, with one 31-yard field goal and four PATs for the Bengals. The Bengals beat the Jaguars 33-23 in Cincinnati.

Donte Whitner's defensive performance helped to propel the Browns to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whitner had five tackles, three assists, and Whitner intercepted a Mike Glennon pass and returned it 54 yards to the Tampa Bay 21-yard line, and although the Browns were unable to turn that opportunity into a touchdown, they did come away with a field goal. Whitner also recovered a Glennon fumble, but the play was negated by a penalty. The Browns ended up winning 17-22.

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Cowboys in Dallas, and former Buckeye Ted Ginn, Jr. contributed 42 receiving yards on two catches. Ginn also had one punt return for 18 yards. The Cardinals won 28-17.

The Eagles pulled off a win over the Texans despite losing quarterback Nick Foles to injury early in the game. Former Buckeye Malcolm Jenkins had two tackles for the Eagles. John Simon had one tackle, one assist, and contributed to a shared sack for the Texans. The final score was 31-21.

The Chiefs beat the Jets 24-10 in Kansas City. Safety Kurt Coleman had one tackle on the very last play of the game for the Chiefs.

The Dolphins turned in a dominant performance against the Chargers at home on Sunday, winning 37-0. Former Buckeye and current Dolphin receiver Brian Hartline contributed 50 receiving yards on five receptions.

The Rams pulled off a big divisional win over the Niners on the road. It came right down to the final seconds, and former Buckeye James Laurinaitis recovered Colin Kaepernick's goal line fumble to save the game for the Rams. Laurinaitis had five tackles, one assist, one sack for a loss of eight yards, and one quarterback hit in the 13-10 Rams victory. For the Niners, rookie running back Carlos Hyde contributed 17 yards on two carries and one reception for five yards.

The Patriots won their fifth game in a row today, defeating the Broncos 43-21 in New England. Pats quarterback Tom Brady, formerly of That Team Up North, threw just one interception on the day, and former Buckeye Bradley Roby was on the receiving end. It was Roby's first career pick. Roby also had two pass deflections and two tackles on the day.

On Sunday Night Football, the Steelers took on the Ravens for a division battle in Pittsburgh. Former Buckeye Cameron Heyward had two tackles for the Steelers, one of which was for a loss, and he added one hit on Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. His teammate Will Allen added two tackles, two assists, and one hit on Flacco to the Steelers' successful defensive effort. Rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier also had two assists for the Steelers, but was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury. The Steelers won 23-43.

The Colts and the Giants will face off on Monday Night Football, so keep an eye out for Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Big Hank is having a solid season and could make life difficult for Andrew Luck. For the Colts, former Buckeye running back Dan "Boom" Herron was on the field for a season-high 19 snaps in week eight against the Steelers.