While the Nebraska football season has been over for quite a while now, there is a way for people to watch former Huskers continue their playing days. At least for another week or so. The 2024 NFL playoffs offiically kicked off on Saturday.
A couple of former Huskers played on Saturday and a few more will play in the coming weeks. Check out who you can watch vie for the Super Bowl and, if you're like me, find a reason to root for a team, even if your favorite squad is already finished playing.
The Houston Texans just finished a cinderella season, winning the AFC South after having one of the worst records in the league in 2022. Then they went out and demolished the Cleveland Browns, 45-14. As it turns out, a couple of former Nebraska football defensive linemen factored into the win.
Maliek Collins
Collins was a passrusher extraoridinaire for the Texans this year. The former Nebraska football star had 41 tackles and 5 sacks this season. Both of those numbers were career highs. On Saturday, he had just one tackle but he also had a quarterback hit against the Browns.
Khalil Davis
Khalil Davis didn't have quite as good a regular season as Collins, but he had a very good first round in the playoffs. Davis had 32 tackles and 2 sacks this season, and then added 5 tackles (including one for a loss) against the Browns on Saturday.
The Green Bay Packers had a bit of a surprising season in their first without Aaron Rodgers. Finishing 9-8 on the season, they just snuck into the playoffs as a Wildcard and take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm.
Samori Toure
While the former Huskers receiver hasn't been a massive impact player for the Packers, he's been good enough to stay on the active roster for two straight seasons. This year, he played in 11 games and caught 8 passes for 78 yards. He won't be able to suit up for the Pack on Sunday as he's currently on the IR.
The Los Angeles Rams weren't really expected to be contenders this season. However, no one should ever count a Sean McVay team out. The Rams posted a 10-7 record and got into the playoffs as a wild card squad. They'll take on the upstart Detroit Lions who are coming off their first NFC North title.
Brett Maher
Maher has had a very interesting NFL career since leaving the Nebraska football team behind. He's been quite good for the most part, though struggled a bit in 2023. He started and ended the season with the Rams after being cut in the middle. This year he hit just 17-of-23 field goals and had a bit of his extra point problems that made him a joke of the league last year.
Ochaun Mathis
After spending most of the season on the IR, Mathis wasn't much of a contribtor this season. Still, the one-time Nebraska football player logged 2 tackles and did appear in 8 games. That's impressive enough for someone drafted so late.
The Eagles are coming off an NFC Championship season, though the end to this regular season showed they have some flaws. They'll be trying to jumpstart their playoff run on Monday evening when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cam Jurgens
Jurgens entered the 2023 season as a starting guard, thanks to the Eagles having a future Hall of Famer and Kelce brother in Jason, as the starting center. Unfortunately, he suffered a couple of different injuries and ended up playing in just 11 games. It does appear he'll be ready to go for the playoffs.
Jack Stoll
While Jack Stoll went undrafted, he's managed to forge a career with the Philadelphia Eagles. 2023 was his third season. While he's played in every game since hooking on with the Eagles, he tends to play special teams. Though he did haul down five receptions for 38 yards this year.
The Bucs were a bit of an upstart team in 2023 as they managed to get into the playoffs as a wild card squad. Now they'll have to take on an Eagles team that wants to prove they're still the best of the NFC.
Lavonte David
Lavonte David has long been one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Oddly, he also tends to be one of the least talked about. Perhaps he can finally get his due with a big game against the Eagles. This year he led the Bucs in tackles with 134. He added 4.5 sacks. It was his 10th 100 tackle season in 12 years.
Trey Palmer
All things considered, Trey Palmer had a very impressive rookie season. The 6th round pick logged 39 catches for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns. Generally he was a short yardage, dump off option, though he seemed to show what he could really do towards the end of the season. He could be a nice secret weapon against Philly.
The San Francisco 49ers are looking like the best team in the NFL these days. They get to sit and wait this weekend because of that. There was a time when former Cornhuskers came through the Bay rather often. This time, there's only one.
Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory was added to the San Francisco 49ers as a pass rush specialist in the middle of the season. He finished the campaign with just 12 tackles, but did have 3.5 sacks, with 2.5 of those coming for the 49ers. The playoffs might be the best time to unleash the former Nebraska football star.