Sooners in the NFL: Divisional Weekend
And then there were four.
The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs are now in the books with four more playoff games taking place over the weekend splitting the remaining pool of Super Bowl hopefuls in half.
Of the eight teams in action on Divisional Weekend, only one team - the Jacksonville Jaguars - did not feature a single former Oklahoma player on their roster.
In the first game of the weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs then eliminated the Jaguars - thus clinching that at least one former Sooner would be getting a Super Bowl ring this season.
Among the players still in the running to hoist the Lombardi Trophy is former OU running back Joe Mixon and his Cincinnati Bengals, who moved one step closer to returning to the NFL’s title game on Sunday.
In snowy conditions in Orchard Park, NY, the Bengals visited the mighty Buffalo Bills with a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line - and utterly dominated one of the biggest title favorites throughout the year.
At the center of Cincinnati’s 27-10 handling of the Bills was Mixon, who went for 105 yards on the ground with a touchdown along with another 18 yards on two receptions through the air.
Joe Mixon
Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer
Also worth noting is fellow former Sooner running back Samaje Perine, who contributed 64 total yards on the day as well as the No. 2 option.
Just as they did a year ago, the Bengals are getting hot and playing better and better each week at the right time - now moving to within one win of returning to the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Cincinnati, who doesn’t need much extra motivation as it is, certainly seemed to gain an even greater amount of inspiration to get the road win thanks to an announcement made by the league earlier in the week regarding a potential Chiefs/Bills game next Sunday.
The game, which was to be played at a neutral site after the Week 17 game cancellation between the Bills and Bengals, was announced as set to be played in Atlanta with tickets already being sold for the event.
Cincinnati took that as a slight as to what the league preferred to have happened - and let everyone know about it after their win including Mixon.
“AFC Championship in Mercedes-Benz Stadium!? That’ll be neveruary,” Mixon wrote on Twitter. “Make sure y’all go get y’all refunds back!”
Just like last season, the Bengals will next head to Arrowhead Stadium for a date with the Chiefs with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.
With the Chiefs, Eagles, Bengals and 49ers wins over the weekend, now 11 former Sooners remain in the playoffs with nine players on active rosters for Championship Sunday.
According to Pick Six Previews, Oklahoma's nine players on active rosters is the most of any program going into in the conference title games.
As for the rest of the Sooners in the NFL, here is a recap of how they did in the Divisional round:
Arizona Cardinals
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- WR Marquise Brown:
- OL Cody Ford:
- OL Marquis Hayes:
- QB Kyler Murray:
Atlanta Falcons
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- DL Amani Bledsoe:
Baltimore Ravens
(Eliminated in Wild Card)
- TE Mark Andrews:
- OL Ben Powers:
Buffalo Bills
(L 27-10 vs Cincinnati)
- DL Jordan Phillips: 1 solo tackle
Cincinnati Bengals
(W 27-10 at Buffalo)
- RB Joe Mixon: 20 rushes for 105 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions on 3 targets for 18 yards
- RB Samaje Perine: 7 rushes for 33 yards, 5 receptions on 5 targets for 31 yards
Cleveland Browns
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- DE Isaiah Thomas:
- DL Perrion Winfrey:
- WR Mike Woods:
Dallas Cowboys
(L 19-12 at San Francisco)
- LB Devante Bond: DNP (Reserve)
- DT Neville Gallimore: 1 solo tackle
- WR CeeDee Lamb: 10 receptions on 13 targets for 117 yards, 2 rushes for 6 yards
Denver Broncos
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- OLB Nik Bonitto:
- S Delarrin Turner-Yell:
Houston Texans
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo:
Kansas City Chiefs
(W 27-20 vs Jacksonville)
- TE Blake Bell: 1 reception on 2 targets for 4 yards
- OT Orlando Brown: Started at left tackle
- C Creed Humphrey: Started at center
- LS James Winchester: Served as long snapper for 9 snaps
Las Vegas Raiders
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- LB Curtis Bolton:
Los Angeles Chargers
(Eliminated in Wild Card)
- LB Kenneth Murray:
Los Angeles Rams
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- QB Baker Mayfield:
Minnesota Vikings
(Eliminated in Wild Card)
- LB Brian Asamoah:
- OL Bobby Evans:
New England Patriots
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- OLB Ronnie Perkins:
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson:
New York Giants
(L 38-7 at Philadelphia)
- DB Tony Jefferson: Saw playing time in a reserve role, no tackles
- WR Sterling Shepard: DNP (IR List)
New York Jets
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- OL Dru Samia:
Philadelphia Eagles
(W 38-7 vs NY Giants)
- RB Kennedy Brooks: DNP (Reserve)
- QB Jalen Hurts: Completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards, 2 touchdowns, 9 rushes for 34 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
- OL Lane Johnson: Started at right tackle
- OL Tyrese Robinson: DNP (Practice Squad)
Pittsburgh Steelers
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- S Tre Norwood:
San Francisco 49ers
(W 19-12 vs Dallas)
- OL Trent Williams: Started at left tackle
Seattle Seahawks
(Eliminated in Wild Card)
- CB Tre Brown: Saw playing time in a reserve role, no tackles
- S Steven Parker: DNP (Practice Squad)
Washington Commanders
(Failed to Reach Playoffs)
- P Tress Way:
