Aaron Rodgers will be one of nine former Cal players on teams battling for a playoff berth during NFL Week 17 games (Getty Images)
Photo by: Getty Images
12/26/2016 9:22 PM | Football
Four Former Bears In NFL Playoffs, Nine More With Chance Heading Into Final Week Of Regular Season
BERKELEY – The final week of the 2016 NFL regular season that ends next Sunday will determine the playoff fate of nine former Cal players while four are on teams that have already clinched playoff positions. Three of those four spots were clinched with Week 16 victories that have Stephen Anderson (Houston), Alex Mack (Atlanta) and Mitchell Schwartz (Kansas) in the playoffs for the first time, while LP Ladouceur (Dallas) had previously earned a playoff spot for a Cowboys' team that has clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a 13-2 record and wrapped up Week 16 action with a 42-21 win over Detroit on Monday Night Football.
Anderson saw action off the bench but had no other stats in the Texans' 12-10 win over Cincinnati in Week 16.
Mack (116) and Schwartz (79) have combined for 195 NFL starts on the offense live but hadn't wrapped up their first career playoff spots until their Week 16 victories when the Falcons picked up a road win at defending NFC champion Carolina and the Chiefs were victorious at home over Super Bowl 50 champion Denver to eliminate both of last season's Super Bowl teams from playoff contention. The pair were teammates in Cleveland the past four seasons with Mack now in his eighth year in the league after a total of seven campaigns with the Browns and Schwartz his fifth campaign overall.
The nine Cal former Cal players still with a chance to make the playoffs include Trevor Davis, Aaron Rodgers and Richard Rodgers of Green Bay; Maurice Harris, DeSean Jackson and Nick Sundberg of Washington; Bryan Anger and Chris Conte of Tampa Bay; and Marvin Jones of Detroit.
Detroit will host Green Bay in the final regular-season game of the 2016 NFL campaign Sunday evening with the winner taking the NFC North title. The Packers-Lions loser could still end up in the playoffs as a wild card depending on the outcomes of the Redskins' game at Detroit and the Buccaneers' home contest against Carolina earlier Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers has led a Green Bay team that was 4-6 after 10 games back into the playoff picture with five straight victories including a 38-25 victory over Minnesota in a Week 16 contest in which Rodgers was 28-of-38 for 347 yards with a season-high-tying four touchdown throws and no interceptions for a 136.6 quarterback rating that was his second-highest of the season. He also rushed twice for 13 yards and one score on the ground to give him a season-high five total touchdowns.
Rodgers has also returned to the league's MVP discussion and is looking to win the honor for a third time with season totals through 15 games that include 374-of-571 passing for 4,128 yards with a league-high 36 touchdown throws to only seven interceptions for a 102.7 quarterback rating. His completions are already a career high while his attempts are one shy. His passing yards and touchdowns are both his fourth-highest career totals.
Richard Rodgers picked up his second receiving touchdown of the season in Green Bay's most recent victory over the Vikings.
Jackson is on the verge of his fifth career 1,000-yard receiving campaign for a Redskins' squad that will make the playoffs with a win at the New York Giants in their regular-season finale and anything but a tie in the Lions-Packers game. Jackson has recorded three straight 100-yard receiving games including five catches for 114 yards in the Redskins' 41-21 win at Chicago in Week 16 that kept them in the playoff hunt.
The Buccaneers squad featuring Anger and Conte need a Week 17 home victory over Carolina as well as several other scenarios to play out to gain a wild card spot. Tampa Bay had been in a strong position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007 before dropping each of its last two contests.
Other former Cal players contributing to their non-playoff teams' Week 16 wins included Tyson Alualu (Jacksonville), Chris Harper (San Francisco), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans), Mychael Kendricks (Philadelphia) and Bryce Treggs (Philadelphia).
Harper made his first career start for a 49ers' squad that snapped a 13-game losing skid with a 22-21 road victory against the Rams. Alualu (2 tackles), Jordan (2 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD) and Kendricks (2 tackles) all started and made defensive contributions in their teams' respective wins over Tennessee, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants. Treggs played but did not have any stats in the Eagles' win over the Giants.
Others to play for losing teams in Week 16 action included Lorenzo Alexander (Buffalo), Deandre Coleman (Buffalo), Justin Forsett (Denver), Jared Goff (Los Angeles) and Brian Schwenke (Tennessee).
Ron Rivera (head coach) and Richard Rodgers Sr. (assistant defensive backs/safeties coach) fell at home to Atlanta in their Week 16 contest.
Daniel Lasco is on New Orleans' 53-man roster but was inactive for the Saints' Week 16 win over the Buccaneers.
Five former Cal players – Keenan Allen (San Diego), C.J. Anderson (Denver), Brandon Mebane (San Diego), Jordan Rigsbee (Carolina) and Shane Vereen (New York Giants) – are on injured reserve.
Cal currently has 29 former players on active NFL rosters including the five players on injured reserve as well as the two members of the Carolina coaching staff and three on practice squads in Chris McCain (San Diego), Stephen McClure (Indianapolis) and Darius Powe (New York Giants).
Anderson saw action off the bench but had no other stats in the Texans' 12-10 win over Cincinnati in Week 16.
Mack (116) and Schwartz (79) have combined for 195 NFL starts on the offense live but hadn't wrapped up their first career playoff spots until their Week 16 victories when the Falcons picked up a road win at defending NFC champion Carolina and the Chiefs were victorious at home over Super Bowl 50 champion Denver to eliminate both of last season's Super Bowl teams from playoff contention. The pair were teammates in Cleveland the past four seasons with Mack now in his eighth year in the league after a total of seven campaigns with the Browns and Schwartz his fifth campaign overall.
The nine Cal former Cal players still with a chance to make the playoffs include Trevor Davis, Aaron Rodgers and Richard Rodgers of Green Bay; Maurice Harris, DeSean Jackson and Nick Sundberg of Washington; Bryan Anger and Chris Conte of Tampa Bay; and Marvin Jones of Detroit.
Detroit will host Green Bay in the final regular-season game of the 2016 NFL campaign Sunday evening with the winner taking the NFC North title. The Packers-Lions loser could still end up in the playoffs as a wild card depending on the outcomes of the Redskins' game at Detroit and the Buccaneers' home contest against Carolina earlier Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers has led a Green Bay team that was 4-6 after 10 games back into the playoff picture with five straight victories including a 38-25 victory over Minnesota in a Week 16 contest in which Rodgers was 28-of-38 for 347 yards with a season-high-tying four touchdown throws and no interceptions for a 136.6 quarterback rating that was his second-highest of the season. He also rushed twice for 13 yards and one score on the ground to give him a season-high five total touchdowns.
Rodgers has also returned to the league's MVP discussion and is looking to win the honor for a third time with season totals through 15 games that include 374-of-571 passing for 4,128 yards with a league-high 36 touchdown throws to only seven interceptions for a 102.7 quarterback rating. His completions are already a career high while his attempts are one shy. His passing yards and touchdowns are both his fourth-highest career totals.
Richard Rodgers picked up his second receiving touchdown of the season in Green Bay's most recent victory over the Vikings.
Jackson is on the verge of his fifth career 1,000-yard receiving campaign for a Redskins' squad that will make the playoffs with a win at the New York Giants in their regular-season finale and anything but a tie in the Lions-Packers game. Jackson has recorded three straight 100-yard receiving games including five catches for 114 yards in the Redskins' 41-21 win at Chicago in Week 16 that kept them in the playoff hunt.
The Buccaneers squad featuring Anger and Conte need a Week 17 home victory over Carolina as well as several other scenarios to play out to gain a wild card spot. Tampa Bay had been in a strong position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007 before dropping each of its last two contests.
Other former Cal players contributing to their non-playoff teams' Week 16 wins included Tyson Alualu (Jacksonville), Chris Harper (San Francisco), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans), Mychael Kendricks (Philadelphia) and Bryce Treggs (Philadelphia).
Harper made his first career start for a 49ers' squad that snapped a 13-game losing skid with a 22-21 road victory against the Rams. Alualu (2 tackles), Jordan (2 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 PD) and Kendricks (2 tackles) all started and made defensive contributions in their teams' respective wins over Tennessee, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants. Treggs played but did not have any stats in the Eagles' win over the Giants.
Others to play for losing teams in Week 16 action included Lorenzo Alexander (Buffalo), Deandre Coleman (Buffalo), Justin Forsett (Denver), Jared Goff (Los Angeles) and Brian Schwenke (Tennessee).
Ron Rivera (head coach) and Richard Rodgers Sr. (assistant defensive backs/safeties coach) fell at home to Atlanta in their Week 16 contest.
Daniel Lasco is on New Orleans' 53-man roster but was inactive for the Saints' Week 16 win over the Buccaneers.
Five former Cal players – Keenan Allen (San Diego), C.J. Anderson (Denver), Brandon Mebane (San Diego), Jordan Rigsbee (Carolina) and Shane Vereen (New York Giants) – are on injured reserve.
Cal currently has 29 former players on active NFL rosters including the five players on injured reserve as well as the two members of the Carolina coaching staff and three on practice squads in Chris McCain (San Diego), Stephen McClure (Indianapolis) and Darius Powe (New York Giants).
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