Four Bulldogs battling it out in NFL Divisional Playoff
Last week might have knocked several former Mississippi State players out of the NFL Playoffs, but the Bulldogs are still well-represented as they enter the Divisional Round.
Four former Bulldogs will be back on the field on Saturday and Sunday looking to advance their respective teams to Conference Championships. Victories will have them playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers – Saturday, 7 p.m. CT on FOX
Hardly anyone was projecting the No. 7 Packers to do what they did late in the year and especially not upsetting the No. 2 Dallas Cowboys in round one. Defying the odds has become common for this team and they’re now looking to do it again on Saturday evening.
Linebacker Preston Smith and offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins upset the Cowboys 48-32 and put the rest of the NFC on notice. It was the eighth win in the last 11 games for the Packers since starting the season 2-5.
Linebacker Preston Smith helped limit his former teammate Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense and finished the day with a sack. Offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins paved the way for the Packer offense to put up over 400 yards.
Green Bay will have its hands full on the road against a 49ers team that has been as dominant as anyone with a 12-5 record in the regular season led by quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffery and a well-rounded team.
Kansas City at Buffalo Bills – Sunday, 6:30 p.m. CBS
It’s a familiar face in the Divisional Round as the Chiefs are back in a spot that has grown to be custom. What hasn’t been customary for the Chiefs is going on the road in the playoffs and that will test this team’s will on Sunday night.
Defensive lineman Chris Jones and linebacker Willie Gay have helped the team to multiple Super Bowls and are trying to get to another one. An AFC Championship appearance for an unprecedented sixth-straight season hangs in the balance.
Last week, Jones, Gay and the Chiefs rolled over the Dolphins 26-7 in a brutally cold night in Kansas City that left coach Andy Reid with ice on his mustache. Gay finished the game with two tackles while Jones had a 0.5 sack. The latter is making another appearance in the Pro Bowl and was already named first-team All-Pro this season after scoring 10.0 or more sacks for the third time in his career.
The two will have a tough task on the road against Josh Allen and a Bills team that has been hot at the right time.
