Across The Shield: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Dominates NFC Championship Game, Mike Vrabel Leads Patriots to Super Bowl in First Season
Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominated the NFC Championship Game and Mike Vrabel is going to the Super Bowl in his first season as the New England Patriots’ coach.
Ohio State will be represented by four former players in Super Bowl LX as Smith-Njigba and the Seattle Seahawks will go head-to-head with Vrabel, TreVeyon Henderson, Thayer Munford Jr. and the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 (6:30 p.m., NBC).
We recap their conference championship game performances and look ahead to Super Bowl LX in Across The Shield, Eleven Warriors’ weekly recap of how former Ohio State players performed throughout the NFL.
JSN takes over the NFC Championship Game
After a relatively quiet performance by his standards in the Seahawks’ playoff opener, Jaxon Smith-Njigba showed everyone why he’s the NFL Offensive Player of the Year with a spectacular performance in the NFC Championship Game.
The former Ohio State wide receiver, who caught three passes for 19 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks’ divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers, caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks’ 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Smith-Njigba made the highlight reel early, hauling in a 9-yard pass near the sideline with his fingertips for a spectacular one-handed catch near the end of the first quarter.
What a catch by JSN! pic.twitter.com/UisZdiM2K1
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 26, 2026
average JSN catch
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/O8gu7USHHy
— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026
On the Seahawks’ final drive before halftime, Smith-Njigba hauled in a 42-yard deep ball despite a big hit, then made a 14-yard touchdown catch three plays later.
YA LOVE TO SEE IT @jaxon_smith1 for 42 yards.
: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/IpDJYeGfau
— xz* – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 26, 2026
End zone had his name on it all drive long. @jaxon_smith1
: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/eMyG4bHgei
— xz* – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 26, 2026
Smith-Njigba finished the first half with seven catches for 115 yards, the most receiving yards ever in a half for a Seahawks player in a playoff game.
JSN’s 115 receiving yards are the most in ANY half of a Seahawks playoff game EVER https://t.co/5mCyqFnlcd pic.twitter.com/8wTTHEfxdv
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 26, 2026
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Smith-Njigba came up big again, catching a 14-yard pass for a first down to move the chains with just three minutes to play and the Rams needing a stop.
Game on the line: Call JSN.
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9dbK9vBSNs
— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026
In recognition of his spectacular performance, Smith-Njigba earns our Pro Buck of the Week award for the third time this season as Ohio State’s top NFL performer of the week. He’s the third Buckeye to win the award three times this year, joining Henderson and Houston Texans defensive tackle Tommy Togiai.
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
DIV
Texans DT Tommy Togiai
8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF
CC
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
10 catches, 153 yards, 1 TD
Entering the Super Bowl, Smith-Njigba has now caught 132 passes for 1,965 yards and 12 touchdowns in 19 total games this season between the regular season and playoffs.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba passes Justin Jefferson for the most receiving yards EVER by a player in their age 23-or-younger season, including playoffs @Seahawks | #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/mswTLMzBtJ
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) January 26, 2026
Vrabel leads Patriots to Super Bowl in first season
Mike Vrabel is going to the Super Bowl for the fifth time.
After making four Super Bowls – winning three of them – as a player for the New England Patriots, the former Ohio State defensive end is going back to the Super Bowl in his first year as the head coach.
Vrabel, who’s tied for the most Super Bowl wins and appearances as a player among former Buckeyes, becomes the first-ever former Ohio State player to make five Super Bowls as either a player or head coach.
Buckeyes Who Have Made a Super Bowl Roster
Player
Years (Teams)
JIM TYRER
1967, 1970 (Kansas City Chiefs)
MATT SNELL
1969 (New York Jets)
BOB VOGEL
1969, 1971 (Baltimore Colts)
TOM MATTE
1969 (Baltimore Colts)
JIM MARSHALL
1970, 1974, 1975, 1977 (Minnesota Vikings)
PAUL WARFIELD
1972, 1973, 1974 (Miami Dolphins)
MORRIS BRADSHAW
1977, 1981 (Oakland Raiders)
NEAL COLZIE
1977 (Oakland Raiders)
JACK TATUM
1977 (Oakland Raiders)
LEONARD WILLIS
1977 (Minnesota Vikings)
RANDY GRADISHAR
1978 (Denver Broncos)
BOB BRUDZINSKI
1980 (Los Angeles Rams), 1983, 1985 (Miami Dolphins)
DOUG FRANCE
1980 (Los Angeles Rams)
ARCHIE GRIFFIN
1982 (Cincinnati Bengals)
RAY GRIFFIN
1982 (Cincinnati Bengals)
PETE JOHNSON
1982 (Cincinnati Bengals), 1985 (Miami Dolphins)
TOM OROSZ
1983 (Miami Dolphins)
JOHN FRANK
1985, 1989 (San Francisco 49ers)
SHAUN GAYLE
1986 (Chicago Bears)
MIKE TOMCZAK
1986 (Chicago Bears), 1996 (Pittsburgh Steelers)
PEPPER JOHNSON
1987, 1991 (New York Giants)
WILLIAM ROBERTS
1987, 1991 (New York Giants), 1997 (New England Patriots)
JIM LACHEY
1992 (Washington Redskins)
JOE STAYSNIAK
1992 (Buffalo Bills)
KEITH BYARS
1997 (New England Patriots)
TERRY GLENN
1997 (New England Patriots)
TOM TUPA
1997 (New England Patriots), 2003 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
TITO PAUL
1999 (Denver Broncos)
WILLIAM WHITE
1999 (Atlanta Falcons)
JOE GERMAINE
2000 (St. Louis Rams)
ORLANDO PACE
2000 (St. Louis Rams), 2002 (St. Louis Rams)
LORENZO STYLES
2000 (St. Louis Rams)
EDDIE GEORGE
2000 (Tennessee Titan)
CHRIS SANDERS
2000 (Tennessee Titans)
JOE MONTGOMERY
2001 (New York Giants)
MIKE VRABEL
2002, 2004, 2005, 2008 (New England Patriots)
RYAN PICKETT
2002 (St. Louis Rams), 2011 (Green Bay Packers)
RICKEY DUDLEY
2003 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
RODNEY BAILEY
2006 (Seattle Seahawks)
TYLER EVERETT
2007 (Chicago Bears)
SANTONIO HOLMES
2009 (Pittsburgh Steelers)
MALCOLM JENKINS
2010 (New Orleans Saints), 2018 (Philadelphia Eagles)
WILL SMITH
2010 (New Orleans Saints)
A.J. HAWK
2011 (Green Bay Packers)
MATT WILHELM
2011 (Green Bay Packers)
WILL ALLEN
2011 (Pittsburgh Steelers)
JAKE BALLARD
2012 (New York Giants)
JIM CORDLE
2012 (New York Giants)
ALEX BOONE
2013 (San Francisco 49ers)
TED GINN
2013 (San Francisco 49ers), 2016 (Carolina Panthers)
LARRY GRANT
2013 (San Francisco 49ers)
DONTE WHITNER
2013 (San Francisco 49ers)
NATE EBNER
2015, 2017, 2019 (New England Patriots)
BRADLEY ROBY
2016 (Denver Broncos)
COREY “PHILLY” BROWN
2016 (Carolina Panthers)
KURT COLEMAN
2016 (Carolina Panthers)
ANDREW NORWELL
2016 (Carolina Panthers)
JOHN SIMON
2019 (New England Patriots)
JAKE MCQUAIDE
2019 (Los Angeles Rams)
DARRON LEE
2020 (Kansas City Chiefs)
NICK BOSA
2020, 2024 (San Francisco 49ers)
ELI APPLE
2022 (Cincinnati Bengals)
VONN BELL
2022 (Cincinnati Bengals)
SAM HUBBARD
2022 (Cincinnati Bengals)
ISAIAH PRINCE
2022 (Cincinnati Bengals)
TREY SERMON
2023 (Philadelphia Eagles)
CHASE YOUNG
2024 (San Francisco 49ers)
PARRIS CAMPBELL
2025 (Philadelphia Eagles)
TREVEYON HENDERSON
2026 (New England Patriots)
THAYER MUNFORD
2026 (New England Patriots)
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA
2026 (Seattle Seahawks)
Winning players/years in bold
Vrabel is just the second former Ohio State player to lead a team to the Super Bowl as a head coach, joining Don McCafferty (an offensive lineman on Ohio State’s 1942 national championship team), who coached the Baltimore Colts to victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V in his first season as a head coach. Should Vrabel win the Super Bowl, he’d become just the fifth coach to win the Super Bowl in his first year with a team, joining McCafferty, George Seifert (49ers), Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Gary Kubiak (Denver Broncos).
Vrabel led the Patriots to a 10-7 victory over the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. As has been the case throughout the playoffs, the Patriots’ defense led the way, holding the Broncos to 181 yards – with the assistance of heavy snow in the second half – and setting up their only touchdown of the game with an Elijah Ponder fumble recovery that would have been a touchdown if it hadn’t been whistled dead by the officials.
The Patriots’ victory also means that former Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson will play in the Super Bowl in his first NFL season. Henderson, who has a chance to become the first Buckeye ever to win the national championship and the Super Bowl in back-to-back years, had a quiet game against the Broncos – rushing for only five yards on three carries – but is a finalist for this year’s AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after running for 911 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season.
Fellow former Ohio State captain Thayer Munford Jr., who’s seen action as a sixth offensive lineman throughout the Patriots’ playoff run, will also play in the Super Bowl for the first time. Munford, who’s in his fourth NFL season, has been on the Patriots’ active roster since November, when they signed him off of the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad.
The Patriots beat the Broncos despite a touchdown-saving sack by former Ohio State defensive end Jonathon Cooper, who forced the Patriots to settle for a field goal by taking down Drake Maye on 3rd-and-goal in the third quarter. Three points would end up being all the Patriots needed, however, as neither team scored again for the remainder of the game.
Jonathon Snow
NEvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Vzrc224HM3
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026
Conference Championship Stats
Full playoff stats for every Buckeye who played in the NFL’s conference championship round can be found in the table below, compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge. The table only includes players 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
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP STATS
PLAYOFF STATS
JONATHON COOPER
LB
BRONCOS
2 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards)
4 tackles, 1 sack (2 yards), 1 TFL, 2 QB hits
J.K. DOBBINS
RB
BRONCOS
Injured reserve (foot)
Injured reserve (foot)
TY HAMILTON
DT
RAMS
Played at DT
3 tackles
TREVEYON HENDERSON
RB
PATRIOTS
3 carries, 5 yards
24 carries, 57 yards; 2 catches, 7 yards
JAKE McQUAIDE
LS
RAMS
Played at LS
3 games played at LS, 1 tackle
THAYER MUNFORD
OT
PATRIOTS
Started at OT
1 start and 3 games played at OT
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA
WR
SEAHAWKS
10 catches, 153 yards, 1 TD
13 catches, 172 yards, 2 TD
NICK VANNETT
TE
RAMS
Inactive
Played at TE
