#ProTops: NFL Playoff Recap
Throughout January, 14 NFL teams battled for a shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Excitingly, a few of our Hilltopper Football alumni made some appearances in games over the past three weeks of playoff action. Player by player, we are going to recap how their teams did on the quest of Super Bowl LV.
Jack Doyle
Capt. Jack Doyle and the Indianapolis Colts traveled to Buffalo on January 9th. They started the Super Wild Card Weekend off by playing the AFC East champs, the Bills. Doyle had managed to get seven receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came late in the 4th quarter courtesy of Philip Rivers.
The Colts were eliminated as the Bills had won the game 27–24, The Colts had finished with an 11–6 record, placing second in the AFC South. Doyle was also voted one of the highest graded players in Super Wild Card Weekend.
Tyler Higbee
Later in the afternoon of January 9th, Higs & The Los Angeles Rams battled division rivals Seattle Seahawks. Not much was done for Higbee as he was only able to gain four yards off of 3 receptions. In what seemed to be a game where quarterback Jared Goff was activated from injury protocol, things did go the Rams way. They later went on to defeat Seattle 30–20, advancing to the NFC divisional championship round.
On January 16th, the Rams went back on the road to Green Bay as they battled Aaron Rodgers & the number one seeded Packers. Along with other tight ends, Higbee did not see a lot of production. He only caught two passes for 2 yards. The Rams ended up being eliminated as the Packers defeated them 32–18. They finished 11–7, placing second in the NFC West.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe
On January 10th, The Chicago Bears traveled to New Orleans for a matchup with the NFC North dark horse favorites, the Saints. Iggy played 23 total snaps during the Bears' 21–9 loss. They have finished 8–9 on the season.
Taywan Taylor was on the injured reserve during the Cleveland Browns playoff run. After clinching a playoff appearance since 2002, the Browns throttled division rivals Pittsburgh Steelers 48–37. In the next weekend on January 17th, they have fallen to the AFC’s top-ranked Kansas City Chiefs 22–17. The Browns have finished their best season in 18 years with a 12–6 record.
Despite being on injured reserve for the Chiefs' victories over the Browns & Bills, Deon Yelder was activated. He is set to make his second Super Bowl appearance in his young career.
We wish Deon and the Chiefs the best of luck as they’re slated to take on Tom Brady & Tampa Bay Buccaneers' live from Tampa, Florida on Sunday, February 7. The kickoff is scheduled for a 5:25 CST start.
