Pokes in the NFL: Divisional Round
STILLWATER -- In terms of football, this was a fun week in the NFL. We saw one of the most insane comebacks at any level with the Kansas City Chiefs, a total collapse of one of the best teams this season in Baltimore and a near-comeback for the Seahawks.
But in terms of former Oklahoma State football players, it was a rough weekend. Of the seven guys that are on playoff rosters (only four are healthy), only two (healthy guys) are moving on.
We'll start with the first game and work our way to the final game.
After beating a tough New Orleans team in overtime the week before, the Minnesota Vikings had a chance to knock off one of the best teams in the league this season in the 49ers.
That didn't happen.
San Francisco beat the Vikings 27-10, but despite losing, former Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey nearly scored half of the Vikings 10 points. He finished the game going 1-of-1 from field goal range and extra point to finish with four points.
On the season, Bailey finished going 27-of-29 on field goals and 40-of-44 on extra points.
In one of the biggest upsets of the season, the Tennessee Titans took ti to the Baltimore Ravens 28-12 at Baltimore. Running back Justice Hill didn't record any stats. On the season, Hill finished with 58 carries for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Next up is one of the biggest comebacks for a team at any level: a 51-31 beatdown of the Texans by the Kansas City Chiefs. Just to give you an idea of how big of a comeback it was, the Chiefs came back from a 24-0 deficit and scoring 41 unanswered points.
There are two former Pokes on the Chiefs, receiver Tyreek Hill and defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah (injured). Tyreek finished the game with three receptions on four targets for 41 yards.
I've got several friends that are Chiefs fans (shout-out Jason Elmquist, Chris Young and Reed Spencer), so I was rooting for Kansas City. Great game to watch while doing some pre-spring cleaning.
The Chiefs will play host to the Tennessee Titans this coming Sunday at 2:05 p.m. on CBS.
The final game of the Divisional Round came down to the wire between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
The match up featured three former Pokes, but two are injured, Seattle running back Chris Carson and Packers offensive lineman Lane Taylor.
Green Bay held on late to win 28-23, but it came down to a the Packers picking up a first down with just over a minute left to go in the game. They were able to do so, rather controversially, and Seattle was out of timeouts to stop the clock.
While he led the Seahawks in tackles, seven total with five solo stops, it wasn't one of his best games as he got burned on quite a few plays. So much so that he was trending on Twitter during the game.
This is only his second season, so I think he's going to be just fine. It takes a heck of a lot more than just one corner to lose a game, so it's unfair for fans to put the loss on him. While I'm not a Seattle fan (go Steelers), Tre Flowers will continue to be one of my favorite players in the league.
While he's out for the season with an injury, Lane Taylor and the Packers travel to San Francisco this weekend to face the 49ers. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. on FOX.
