NFL playoffs: Former Boise State stars Khalil Shakir, Jeremy McNichols, John Bates in action this weekend

Shakir is Josh Allen’s favorite target; McNichols and Bates play alongside rookie sensation Jayden Daniels 
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Boise State will be well-represented in Sunday’s conference championship round of the NFL playoffs.

Former Broncos tight end John Bates and running back Jeremy McNichols play for the Washington Commanders, who will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. The FOX telecast is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Mountain time.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, a Boise State Hall of Fame member, is a finalist for the head coaching positions with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. 

In the nightcap on CBS, Khalil Shakir and the Buffalo Bills head to Arrowhead Stadium to battle the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC Championship Game is slated for a 4:30 p.m. start. 

Here is a rundown of what each player has accomplished during the NFL playoffs. 

John Bates, tight end, Washington Commanders

Bates had a critical 20-yard third-down reception late in the fourth quarter that helped ice Washington’s 45-31 divisional-round victory over the top-seeded Detroit Lions. 

The 6-foot-6, 259-pound Bates is primarily used as a blocking tight end in a Commanders offense that features star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

A three-star prospect coming out of Oregon’s Lebanon High School in 2016, Bates originally committed to Oregon State before flipping to Boise State. He was a two-time all-Mountain West honorable mention selection for the Broncos and was taken by Washington in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Jeremy McNichols, running back, Washington Commanders

Washington’s No. 3 running back behind Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler, McNichols sealed the Lions win with a one-yard touchdown run that made it a 45-28 game with 7:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.

McNichols, a seventh-year NFL veteran who was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, finished the upset win with four carries for eight yards and the TD. 

McNichols signed with Boise State as a three-star wide receiver prospect in 2014 out of Southern California’s Santa Margarita High School. He was a two-time second-team all-MWC selection. 

Khalil Shakir, wide receiver, Buffalo Bills

The No. 1 receiving option for star quarterback Josh Allen, Shakir had six receptions for 61 yards in Buffalo’s 31-7 wild-card victory over the Denver Broncos. 

Shakir then had six catches for 67 yards — including a 34-yarder — as the Bills held on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-25, in the divisional round. 

Shakir signed with Boise State in 2018 as a four-star prospect from Southern California’s Vista Murrieta High School. Shakir earned first-team all-MWC honors his final two seasons in Boise and was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft by the Bills. 

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our Boise State coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.


Published |Modified
Bob Lundeberg
BOB LUNDEBERG

Bob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.