Texas Longhorns Continue Impressive NFL Streak Following Divisional Round

After a hectic NFL Wild Card weekend that truly lived up to that name last week, the Divisional Round was just as wild and action-packed, as four teams inch closer to tasting glory in Santa Clara at Super Bowl LX.

The Denver Broncos denied Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills the opportunity for the championship with a walk-off field goal in overtime, as did the Los Angeles Rams against the Chicago Bears, the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans in a turnover-filled contest at a snowy Gillette Stadium, and the Seattle Seahawks hosted a 60-minute manhandling of the San Francisco 49ers.

But hidden deep in the chaos of the weekend, the Texas Longhorns were able to keep an incredible streak alive regarding the NFL playoffs.

A Texas Longhorn (Or Multiple) Will Win The Super Bowl in 2026

Jahdae Barron Texas Longhorns Football — Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron (23) after the game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

With only the conference championships and the Big Game left to go in the season, 13 Texas Longhorns alumni, 10 active players, two practice squad players, and one injured player, are represented across the four teams still in contention for the Lombardi Trophy, which guarantees that someone from the 40 Acres will play for an NFL championship for the 20th time in the past 21 years,
per a statement released by Texas Longhorns associate athletic director John Bianco.

The 10 active players representing the University of Texas are the most of any program in the country, narrowly beating out the nine from the Alabama Crimson Tide and the seven sporting the LSU Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

The streak began in 2006 with Super Bowl XL, which saw the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Detroit, with nose tackle Casey Hampton representing Pittsburgh and linebacker D.D. Lewis and defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs on the Seattle sideline.

After that, 17 straight Super Bowls saw a Burnt Orange alum suited up for at least one of the teams contending for the championship all the way until the 2023 season, when no player on the Kansas City Chiefs nor the Philadelphia Eagles came out of Austin.

The streak would pick back up the following year with nose tackle Keondre Coburn representing the Chiefs against the 49ers, and wide receiver Xavier Worthy on Andy Reid's team this past year in their loss to the Eagles.

That performance against Philly saw Worthy catch eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, setting a new rookie receiving record for the Super Bowl and becoming the first Longhorn to score a touchdown in the game.

The Denver Broncos are loaded with Texas personnel, including defensive backs Jahdae Barron and PJ Locke, quarterback Sam Ehlinger, wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, and safety Brandon Jones, who is injured, the most Longhorn talent represented amongst the four teams.

Seattle houses second-team All-Pro punter Michael Dickson and defensive lineman Byron Murphy II, along with practice squad defensive back Quandre Diggs.

The Rams have defensive lineman Poona Ford as well as Jordan Whittington in a stacked wide receiver corps, with practice squad defensive lineman Bill Norton also still a part of the team.

Mike Vrabel and the Patriots only have one Horn on their team in safety/special teamer Brenden Schooler, a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2024 for his special teams efforts.

The Patriots and Broncos meet in the AFC Championship at 2:00 PM on Sunday, and the Rams and Seahawks meet in an all-West NFC Championship immediately afterwards at 5:30.