Clemson Tigers in the NFL: Sunday Preview

Tee Higgins, Shaq Lawson and Jayron Kearse highlight the former Clemson players who could play roles in helping their teams advance to the NFL conference championships today.

© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and the Jacksonville Jaguars lost 27-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. Dexter Lawrence and the New York Giants fell 38-7 to K'Von Wallace and the Philadelphia Eagles in the nightcap. 

Trips to the AFC and NFC championship games are on the line today and former Clemson Tigers will play integral roles in helping their pro teams advance.

Here's a look at the remaining two games for each conference:

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills (3 p.m. at CBS)

WR Tee Higgins and the Bengals' passing game will need to be at their best if they want to get past a dominant defense playing in its home environment. Higgins had four catches for 37 yards against a tough Ravens secondary last week. In his playoff career, Higgins has caught 22 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns in five games. Defensive tackle D.J. Reader had two tackles and a pass defended last week against the Ravens. 

On the other side, Shaq Lawson helped the Bills beat the Dolphins 34-31 in the wild-card round last week. He had two total tackles, one tackle for a loss and one QB hit as a starter who played nearly half of the defensive snaps. 

These two teams will play an emotional game. When they met on Jan. 2, the game was stopped and eventually canceled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field after a tackle of Higgins. He has improved greatly since then, but Hamlin will strongly be on everyone's mind on the field today. 

The Bengals are a 5.5-point underdog at Buffalo, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers (6:30 p.m. FOX)

The Cowboys pulled off an impressive double-digit win at Tampa Bay last Monday, thanks in part to Jayron Kearse picking off Tom Brady in the end zone. He also had three tackles and three passes defended. DT Carlos Watkins had a tackle as well and knocked down a Brady pass. 

Dallas' defense will have its hands full against the 49ers' talented playmakers. Former Clemson receiver Ray-Ray McCloud is a dangerous return man for San Francisco. He also had a rushing touchdown last month. 

The 49ers are a 3.5-point favorite over the Cowboys. 

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