Penn State's Super Bowl Streak Will Continue
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Penn State's Super Bowl streak will reach 13 thanks to the NFC Championship Game. At least one former Nittany Lion will play in the Super Bowl for the 13th consecutive year and 52nd time overall.
Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers features three players: Eagle running back Miles Sanders and 49ers kicker Robbie Gould and defensive tackle Kevin Givens.
Gould is Penn State's longest active player with two Super Bowl appearances. Gould, an 18-year NFL veteran, is 0-2 in Super Bowls, which drives him to keep playing at age 39.
"I want to win a Super Bowl," Gould said last year, according to the Associated Press. "If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be playing football. I could care less to play football, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. ... I’ve spent the last six years away from my kids, and they mean the world to me. You know, at some point, Dad’s going to come home and be Dad for them."
In all, four former Nittany Lions are on rosters playing this weekend. But the NFC Championship Game is the one to watch.
NFC Championship
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco 49ers
- 3 p.m. EST Sunday
- FOX
Nittany Lions to watch: Running back Miles Sanders ran 17 times for 90 yards in the Eagles' 38-7 demolition of the New York Giants in the divisional round. Sanders outgained former teammate Saquon Barkley by 29 yards, though Barkley carried only nine times. Sanders is playing in his first NFC championship game.
San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould, meanwhile, is playing in his second straight conference title game. Gould also has never missed a playoff kick. He's 29-for-29 on field goals and 38-for-38 on extra points. He made four decisive field goals in the 49ers' 19-12 win over Dallas last week. Gould is 8-for-8 in field-goal attempts in the 2023 playoffs. Teammate Kevin Givens, a defensive tackle who missed four weeks with a knee injury, returned for the playoffs.
AFC Championship
- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- 6:30 p.m. Sunday
- CBS
Nittany Lions to Watch: Not much here. The only former Penn State player on either roster is Cincinnati tight end Nick Bowers, who spent the season on the practice squad. Cincinnati moved Bowers to the active squad for the first time this season before its divisional round game against Buffalo. However, the Bengals made Bowers inactive for the game and returned him to the practice squad afterward. Bowers, who joined the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2020, signed with Cincinnati last summer.
Penn State lettermen have won 65 Super Bowl rings, including two last season (the Los Angeles Rams' Nick Scott and Grant Haley).
Super Bowl LVII is scheduled for Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
