The NFL playoffs continue this weekend. Here are the Penn Staters to watch in the Divisional Round.
Saturday
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
TEN: K Sam Ficken (IR)
San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers
SF: K Robbie Gould, DT Kevin Givens
GB: S Adrian Amos
8:15 p.m., FOX
The 39-year-old kicker hasn’t missed a field goal in more than a month. Gould was clutch in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams, making the game-winning kick in overtime to send San Fran to the playoffs.
Last Sunday, Gould connected from 53, 52 and 40 yards to help the 49ers to a 23-17 upset win in Dallas.
Givens, an Altoona native, had four tackles last week and played 22 snaps, the most he’s had since Week 1 at Detroit.
On the other side, Adrian Amos has started all 17 games at safety for the Packers and figures to start again in the divisional round.
Sunday
Las Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LAR: S Nick Scott, CB Grant Haley
TB: OT Donovan Smith
3:00 p.m., NBC/Peacock
The most prominent Penn Stater on either of these teams, Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin, is out with a torn ACL.
The next most prominent one is probably Smith, who has made 18 starts for the Bucs this season and has started 111 of 116 games since joining the league in 2015.
On the other side, Scott played 56 snaps in the Rams’ wildcard game win over Arizona, the second-most he’s had in 2021. He also turns some heads with a hit on Cardinals receiver AJ Green. Also for the Rams, Haley only played seven defensive snaps last week, being used primarily on special teams.
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs
BUF: OT Ryan Bates
6:30 p.m., CBS/Paramount+
It was easy to overlook Bates’ performance in last week’s Bills demolition over the New England Patriots. After all, it’s pretty easy to look past the performance of an offensive lineman when a team scores on literally every single offensive possession.
Nonetheless, Bates has more than held his own in four games since being named the starter, and Bills QB Josh Allen hasn’t been sacked once since Bates moved into the lineup. By comparison, Allen took 11 sacks in the four games before Bates became a starter.
