NFL Divisional Round Over - Few Bulldogs Remain in Super Bowl Hunt

The playing field has narrowed as the Super Bowl matchup becomes a bit clearer. Let's review how the former Georgia Bulldogs competed this weekend.

The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs is over, bringing fans another exciting weekend of NFL Playoffs football. From a shirtless Jason Kelce in Buffalo to nailbitters in San Francisco, the Georgia Bulldogs alumni have just a few players left in the Super Bowl hunt. That being said, each player played a significant role this past weekend, helping their teams try to reach the Conference Championship round. 

The weekend started at the home of the AFC’s No. 1 seed, with the Baltimore Ravens hosting the 4-seeded Houston Texans. A Georgia lead defense of the Ravens shut down the ever-impressive Houston Texans' offense. The NFL’s highest-paid linebacker, Roquan Smith, led their defense this game, finishing with seven tackles, with two of them going for a loss. He, Ben Cleveland, and an injured Nick Moore won the game 34-10, moving on to the AFC Championship game and clinching one more playoff game at home. 

The later game from Saturday evening was a “flip-flop” type of game that saw six total lead changes. The NFC’s No. 7 seed Green Bat Packers took a long trip to rainy San Francisco to take on the one-seated 49ers. Quay Walker had an excellent game for the Packers' defense, finishing with nine tackles, including one for a loss, while even exiting the game in the fourth quarter with cramp issues and coming back from the locker room to finish what he and his team had started. Devonte Wyatt picked up a tackle alongside his college teammate, but the Bulldogs on the Niners put them away. Chris Conley had one of the biggest catches of the evening, but it was his only catch of the night. He hauled in a 17-yard pass to help lead the 49ers down the field for their game-clinching touchdown, moving himself, Charlie Woerner, and Robert Beal on to the NFC Championship game, clinching another game at home. 

Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Chris Conley (84) is tackled by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick (left) and safety John Johnson III (bottom) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. (Darren Yamashita / USA TODAY Sports) / Darren Yamashita

Sunday evening brought more excitement when Jake Camarda and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the trek up to Detroit to take on the Lions. Camarda saw four punts this game for 207 yards, a 51.8 average, and a long of 66 yards. He had one touchback and two pinned inside the 20, but it wasn’t enough for his defense. The Lions won the game 31-23, clinching their spot in the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1991. 

The night game was another thriller for the growing rivalry of the No. 3 seed Kansas City Chiefs, supported by a super fan, shirtless Jason Kelce, and the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills. Another back-and-forth game from this Divisional Round that saw seven lead changes and what could have been two ties to send it to overtime if it wasn’t for a late missed field goal by Tyler Bass from the Bills. James Cook did everything he could offensively, running the ball 18 times for 61 yards and hauling in four catches for 21 yards. On defense, Leonard Floyd finished with no stats. The winning Chiefs were propelled by a Travis Kelce show, but Mecole Hardman did his part with one catch for two yards and two fumbles as well. Malik Herring also played his role defensively, picking up two tackles on the Chiefs' way to a 27-24 victory and a trip to Baltimore. 

If anything could be taken away from this weekend, there are two major points that should be noted. The first is that Georgia has landed another player in the Super Bowl for a 23rd straight year. The second takeaway should be that special teams proved why it is one of the most important parts of a football game and that there aren’t just two sides to this game, but three. Nevertheless, fans are due for another nail-biting weekend during the Conference Championship rounds. 

Other Georgia News:

• Georgia Would Be Favored Against the Two National Championship Contenders
• Georgia Bulldogs Could Surpass 2023 Totals in This Year's NFL Draft
• BREAKING: OL Tate Ratledge Returning to Georgia For 2024 Season

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