Seven Former Cards Reach Divisional Round of 2024 NFL Playoffs

All four games during the Divisional Round feature at least one former Louisville player on either team's roster.
Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) passes the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) defends in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) passes the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) defends in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Wild Card Weekend for the 2024 NFL Playoffs is now in the books, and with it, we now move onto the Divisional Round, where teams are just two wins away from reaching Super Bowl LIX. This round of playoff games will take place on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19.

As you can imagine, a few former Louisville football players remain in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. Out of the 11 former Cardinals on rosters for the 14 teams that clinched playoff berths, seven of them remain out of the eight teams in the Divisional Round. In fact, all four games this weekend feature at least one former Louisville player on either team's roster:

  • WR Tutu Atwell - Los Angeles Rams
  • OL Mekhi Becton - Philadelphia Eagles
  • QB Teddy Bridgewater - Detroit Lions
  • QB Malik Cunningham - Baltimore Ravens
  • QB Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens
  • RB Jawhar Jordan - Houston Texans
  • S Russ Yeast - Houston Texans

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander, Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick and Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard were the quartet of former Cards to get eliminated during Wild Card Weekend.

Out of the seven remaining former Louisville players in the playoffs, one will be seeing his first playoff action of this postseason this weekend. Teddy Bridgewater had Wild Card Weekend off, as his Detroit Lions clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC as well as a first round bye.

Bridgewater will get his postseason run started against the No. 6 Washington Commanders, who upset the third seeded Buccaneers, 23-20, in Tampa Bay. The two teams will fight for the right to go to the NFC Championship in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8:00 p.m. EST on FOX.

However, the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs will get started earlier in the day when Jordan and Yeast's fourth-seeded Texans take on the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who earned the top seed in the AFC. The first berth for Championship Weekend will be decided in Kansas City on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The Texans opened up their playoff run with a dominating 32-12 win over fifth-seeded Los Angeles Chargers, but unfortunately don't expect to see Jordan or Yeast this weekend. Like for most of the regular season, both players spent Wild Card Weekend on Houston's practice squad.

Sunday's playoff action gets underway when Atwell's fourth-seeded Rams head to Philadelphia to take on Becton's second-seeded Eagles. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. EST on NBC.

The Rams ran roughshod over the fifth-seeded Minnesota Vikings for a 27-9 victory, but despite that, Atwell didn't see a single target in the game despite eight different Rams players catching a pass. As the Eagles, Becton started and played all 60 snaps at right guard in his playoff debut, with Philly drubbing the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers, 22-10.

Capping off the Divisional Round is the marquee matchup of the weekend, with Jackson's third-seeded Ravens heading to Buffalo to face Josh Allen and the second-seeded Bills. The second and final spot in the AFC Championship will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

Just like in the regular season, Jackson went off against the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in Wild Card Weekend, going 16-of-21 for 175 and two touchdowns while also rushing for 81 more yards. Add in a 186-yard and two-touchdown performance from running back Derrick Henry, and Baltimore claimed 28-14 victory that was much more of a beatdown than the final score indicates.

(Photo of Lamar Jackson: Geoff Burke - Imagn Images)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic