And then there were four. There are four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs and four former Nittany Lions to watch. All four players will be involved in the NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
SF: K Robbie Gould, DT Kevin Givens
LAR: S Nick Scott, CB Grant Haley
6:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Robbie Gould and Kevin Givens
The 39-year-old continued to be Golden– or “Goulden”– in San Fran’s upset win over top-seeded Green Bay at Lambeau Field last Saturday.
Kicking in a snowstorm, Gould drilled a 42-yarder in the final seconds to beat the Packers, 13-10. It was one of two fields goals Gould made on the evening, and he’s now 5-5 this postseason.
Now, Gould is two wins away from earning the first Super Bowl ring of his 17-year career, a ring that he told reporters is his only motivation for continuing to play.
“I want to win a Super Bowl,” he said. “If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be playing football. I could care less to play football, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. My kids are at an age — they’re 8, 6 and 3. I’ve spent the last six years away from my kids, and they mean the world to me. You know, at some point, Dad’s going to come home and be Dad for them.”
ROBBIE GOULD GAME-WINNING FIELD GOAL 😱
NINERS WIN.
(via @NFLBrasil)pic.twitter.com/TwQeUPQLcu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 23, 2022
Givens, a defensive tackle, played 18 snaps and didn’t register any tackles in the win over Green Bay.
On the Rams’ side, former Nittany Lion Nick Scott had a big interception of Tom Brady that set up a score in LA’s 30-27 upset in Tampa Bay this past Sunday. This continued what’s been a solid postseason for Scott, who has made two of his three starts in 2021 in the playoff and has played a combined 128 snaps in the wins over Arizona and Tampa Bay.
Former @PennStateFball player Nick Scott just intercepted Tom Brady in the playoffs pic.twitter.com/2kDs3pm8Go
— The Daily Collegian (@DailyCollegian) January 23, 2022
Grant Haley hasn’t gotten as much playing time as his old Penn State teammate. Haley’s been playing almost exclusively on special teams since getting called up from the practice squad Week 14.
