The NFL Playoffs continued this weekend with the Divisional Round, featuring five former Mississippi State players. Two will meet again this weekend with a place in the Super Bowl on the line.
Here’s a look at which MSU players saw action this weekend.
Montez Sweat: Chicago Bears
Sweat, the sack leader for the Bears, added one more to his season tally with a sack-strip of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Bears did well to dial up pressure on one of the top offenses in the league, with Sweat generating four QB hurries along with his five tackles and a pass defensed, but it wasn’t enough to get the win as the offense continued to sputter throughout the contest. The Bears missed on three fourth-down attempts in the red zone.
Woody Marks and Denico Autry: Houston Texans
Marks and Autry both featured heavily for the Texans in their push for the AFC Championship Game, but it wasn’t to be on a day full of errors against the New England Patriots.
The Texans offense turned the ball over five times against the Patriots, four interceptions from quarterback C.J. Stroud and a fumble in the second half by Marks.
The running back carried the ball 14 times for just 17 yards against a stout Patriots defense, a reflection of the poor offensive line play that served as a catalyst for many of the team’s turnover problems.
The defense struggled to cope with the added possessions, but the defensive line still managed to put pressure on quarterback Drake Maye. Autry had a tackle assist, half a sack, two QB hurries and two pass deflections in the loss.
Emmanuel Forbes: Los Angeles Rams
Forbes and the Rams defense faced a cold return to action in the Windy City, taking down the No. 2-seeded Chicago Bears in a memorable overtime win.
Forbes had one solo tackle for the Rams before leaving the game with a shoulder injury.
The Rams’ secondary wasn’t covered in glory at the end of the game, which saw Bears quarterback Caleb Williams connect on a desperation heave to Cole Kmet on fourth down to level the game in the final seconds. The rest of the game saw a strong defensive gameplan, though, including a third interception in overtime to seal a date with a familiar opponent for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Charles Cross: Seattle Seahawks
Cross, a former first-round pick and anchor of the Seahawks’ offensive line, returned to good health and action in Seattle last weekend, starting in a dominant 41-6 win over the rival San Francisco 49ers.
The top seed in the NFC rolled on offense, rushing for 175 yards and three touchdowns from starting back Kenneth Walker III, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
Cross posted the second-highest Pro Football Focus pass-block grade of the playoff weekend, receiving a score of 85.2 in his return from injury, but left the game after hurting his foot.
The Seahawks will host another division rival, the L.A. Rams, on Sunday in the NFC Championship game.
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