Seven Former Pitt Players Make NFL Playoffs

The Pitt Panthers will have their paw prints all over the NFL Playoffs.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will be well-represented as the NFL Playoffs get underway this weekend across the league. Seven players who wore the blue and gold have extended their seasons and will look to take advantage of a wide-open race for the Super Bowl. 

The highest concentration of playoff-bound Panthers will gather in northern New York, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills do battle at Highmark Stadium. 

On one side, cornerback Dane Jackson has become an integral part of the Bills defense and he's joined by safety Damar Hamlin, who has spent most of the season on the roster but inactive. Jackson made three tackles and defended a crucial third-down pass late in the fourth quarter of Buffalo's 21-14 win in the defacto AFC East Championship Game against Miami this past weekend. 

On the other side, quarterback Kenny Pickett - freshly recovered from an ankle injury - will serve as the backup to Steelers starter Mason Rudolph, who led the team to a 3-0 finish to the regular season and narrow playoff berth as the seventh seed. 

The Bills and Steelers will face off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, with CBS slated to carry the broadcast. 

Later that night, all-word defensive tackle Aaron Donald will lead his Rams against the explosive Detroit Lions offense at Ford Field. After notching a historic 10th straight Pro Bowl selection, Donald will try to contain the dynamic Lions running back duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and pressure quarterback Jared Goff. 

NBC will carry this primetime game, which is scheduled to kickoff at 8:00 p.m. 

Monday night's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles will also feature a trio of former Pitt defenders. 2023 first-round pick Calijah Kancey has been a star for the Buccaneers during his rookie season and Dennis, a fifth-round pick last spring, has been a weapon off the bench. 

Slot corner Avonte Maddox, limited to just four games this year because of injury, is back and will try to help an undermanned and reeling Eagles defense contain Tampa Bay's talented veteran receiving corps, led by Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. 

ESPN is set to air that game, beginning at 8:15 p.m. on Monday night.  

Safety Brandon Hill, center Jimmy Morrissey and wide receiver Jared Wayne are on the Houston Texans' roster, but will remain on the practice squad when they meet the Browns in the first game of the weekend on Saturday. 

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