Iowa Football: Hawkeyes in the NFL, Playoffs - Divisional Round

The playoffs have reached the semifinal round. At the start of last weekend there were 17 former Iowa players trying to help their team earn the Vince Lombardi Trophy and pick up a nice ring in the process, now it’s down to nine.

With the Texans and the Seahawks both losing, we’re going to be guaranteed that a former Hawkeye walks away with a Super Bowl ring!

For the former Hawkeyes not in the playoffs, their final stats and information are at the bottom of the article and as team are eliminated, they will join their friends at the bottom the week after their loss.

Hawkeyes in the Playoffs

QB C.J. Beathard (San Francisco 49ers, 3rd season in the NFL): Beathard and the 49ers defeated the Vikings 27-10 on Saturday. They will host the Packers on Sunday night for a berth in the Super Bowl. Beathard was inactive for the game.

OL Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay Packers, 10th season): Bulaga and the Packers defeated Seattle 28-23 in an entertaining game on Sunday night. Unfortunately of Bulaga, he was unable to play in the game due to an illness that had run through the locker room. Hopefully big #75 will be able to go against San Francisco on Sunday. POTW = 1.

TE Parker Hesse (Tennessee Titans, 1st season): Hesse is on the Titans practice squad.

LB Anthony Hitchens (Kansas City Chiefs, 6th season): Hitchens and the Chiefs overcame a 24-0 first quarter deficit to blow out the Houston Texans 51-31. Hitchens had three tackles in the victory. The Chiefs will now remain at home as they host the Titans in the Conference Championship. POTW honors = 1.

S Amani Hooker (Tennessee Titans, 1st season): Hooker and the Titans shocked the NFL for the second week in the row as they upset the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens 28-12 on Saturday after taking out New England the week before. Hooker had two tackles in the victory. The Titans travel to Kansas City on Saturday as the try to continue their exciting run.

CB Josh Jackson (Green Bay Packers, 2nd season): Jackson and the Packers defeated Seattle 28-23 to advance in the playoffs to the final four. Jackson was inactive for the game.

DT Jaleel Johnson (Minnesota Vikings, 3rd season): Johnson and the Vikings lost to the 49ers 27-10 on Saturday to end their season. Johnson had one tackle in the loss. POTW honors = 1.

TE George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers, 3rd season): Kittle and the 49ers defeated Minnesota 27-10 to advance to the Conference Championships next Sunday. Kittle had three catches for 16 yards in the victory. POTW honors = 4.

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

LB Ben Niemann (Kansas City Chiefs, 2nd season): Niemann and the Chiefs outscored Houston 51-7 in the last three quarters to earn the win. Niemann had four tackles in the victory. The Chiefs will host the Titans on Saturday for a trip to the Super Bowl. POTW honors = 1.

Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

OL Riley Reiff (Minnesota Vikings, 8th season): Reiff and the Vikings ended their season on Saturday as they were defeated by San Francisco 27-10.

OL Ross Reynolds (San Francisco 49ers, 1st season): Reynolds is on the San Francisco practice squad.

OL Marshal Yanda (Baltimore Ravens, 13th season): Yanda and the Ravens were upset by the Tennessee Titans 28-12 on Saturday ending their season. Yanda, a 13 year NFL veteran, played at an All-Pro level once again this season but there are rumors floating that he may retire. Yanda also accused Titans rookie Jeffrey Simmons (Mississippi State) of spitting on him, among other things, during that game. POTW honors = 1.

Final Stats for Eliminated Hawkeyes

OL Austin Blythe (Los Angeles Rams, 4th season): Blythe and the Rams finished their season at 9-7 as they defeated Arizona 31-24. With a high payroll and no first round pick in 2020, the Rams will have to be creative to keep up with San Francisco and Seattle. Blythe played and started in 15 games on the season while drawing just three penalties on the year. Blythe is a free agent for 2020.

OL Ike Boettger (Buffalo Bills, 2nd season): Boettger and the Bills lost in the wild card game to the Texans 22-19 in overtime. Boettger was only active in two games for the 10-6 Bills this season but saw extensive action in week 17 when the Bills rested many of their starters. Boettger still has one year remaining on his contract.

RB James Butler (Oakland Raiders, 2nd season): Butler was on the Raiders practice squad in 2019.

DE Adrian Clayborn (Atlanta Falcons, 9th season): Clayborn and the Falcons finished 7-9 on the season. Clayborn played in 15 games recording 18 tackles which included four sacks. He also forced two fumbles. Clayborn is a free agent for 2020.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

DT Mike Daniels (Detroit Lions, 8th season): Daniels and the Lions finished 3-12-1 on the season. Daniels was put on the IR on December 16 and was only able to play in nine games for the Lions. His ten tackles and one sack were probably not what the Lions had in mind when they gave him an $8 million contract. Daniels is a free agent for 2020.

C James Daniels (Chicago Bears, 2nd season): Daniels and the Bears finished the season at 8-8. Daniels played and started in all 16 games for the Bears as he played both center and guard. Daniels was called for four holding penalties on the season. There are still two years left on his rookie contract.

DT Carl Davis (Jacksonville Jaguars, 5th season): Davis and the Jaguars ended the season at 6-10. Davis played in two games for Jacksonville getting one tackle. He also played one game in his time with Indianapolis. Davis is a free agent for 2020.

WR Nick Easley (Buffalo Bills, 1st season): Easley was on the Buffalo practice squad. The Bills lost to the Texans in the Wild Card round.

TE Noah Fant (Denver Broncos, 1st season): Fant and the Broncos finished the season at 7-9. Fant played in all 16 games for Denver and ended the season with 40 catches for 562 yards and three touchdowns. Fant was the number 20 pick in the 2019 draft and has three years remaining on his rookie contract. POTW =2.

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

C James Ferentz (New England Patriots, 4th season): Ferentz and the 12-4 Patriots were upset by Tennessee 20-13 in the Wild Card round to end their season. Ferentz was active for 15 games this season and started two games while seeing extensive action with the special teams unit. He is an unrestricted free agent for 2020. POTW = 1.

S Jake Gervase (Los Angeles Rams, 1st season): Gervase and the Rams finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Gervase only saw action in two games this season and didn’t record any stats. Gervase signed a two year contract in 2019 so he has one year remaining.

TE T.J. Hockenson (Detroit Lions, 1st season): Hockenson and the Lions finished 3-12-1 on the season. After suffering a significant ankle injury, Hockenson was only able to play in 12 games but during his short time was able to catch 32 balls for 367 yards and two touchdowns. The eighth overall pick in 2019 still has three years left on his rookie deal. POTW honors = 1.

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

S Micah Hyde (Buffalo Bills, 7th season): Hyde and the Bills lost in the Wild Card game to the Texans 22-19 in overtime to end their season. Hyde finished the season by starting every game for the Bills. He had 72 tackles on the season and also added one interception. On special teams, Hyde became the 13th player to return an onside kick for a touchdown. Hyde has two years remaining on his contract. POTW honors =2.

LB Josey Jewell (Denver Broncos, 2nd season): Jewell and the Broncos finished the season at 7-9. Jewell dealt with some injuries over the season but still managed to play in 15 games for Denver. He recorded 38 tackles and 1.5 sacks for the year. Jewell still has two years remaining on his rookie contract. POTW honors = 1.

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CB Desmond King (Los Angeles Chargers, 3rd season): King and the Chargers finished their season at a disappointing 5-11 and will have the sixth pick in the upcoming draft. On the season King played in 15 games and had 50 tackles including 2.5 sacks. King also was featured in the return game and he returned 16 kicks for 331 yards and 21 punts for 118 yards and a touchdown. King will be entering the final year of his four year rookie contract in 2020. POTW honors = 1.

Photo by Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images

LB Christian Kirksey (Cleveland Browns, 6th season): Kirksey and the Browns finished their year with an under-performing record of 6-10. Kirksey was hurt early in the season and only managed to play in two games for the Browns. On the season he recorded 11 tackles and he has two years remaining on his contract though he potentially could be a salary cap casualty.

LS Casey Kreiter (Denver Broncos, 4th season): Kreiter and the Broncos finished the season at 7-9. For those keeping track at home, Kreiter snapped the ball 146 times for the special teams unit, down two snaps from 2018. Kreiter is a free agent for 2020 but I imagine he will be re-signed by Denver.

DB Greg Mabin (Cincinnati Bengals, 3rd season): Mabin and the Bengals won their last game of the year against Cleveland and still finished with a record of just 2-14. They own the top pick in the draft and are expected to take LSU qb Joe Burrow. Mabin was only active for nine games in 2019 and most of his time was spent on special teams. For the season he had just one tackle and one pass deflection. Mabin is a free agent for 2020.

OL Matt Nelson (Detroit Lions, 1st season): Nelson was on the practice squad for Detroit.

LB Anthony Nelson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1st season): Nelson and the Buccaneers finished their season at 7-9. The rookie battled injuries and only managed to see action in nine games. During that time he totaled eight tackles, one pass deflection, and a forced fumble. Nelson has three years left on his rookie deal.

OL Keegan Render (Philadelphia Eagles, 1st season): Render was on the practice squad for Philadelphia. The Eagles lost to the Seahawks in the Wild Card round.

OL Brandon Scherff (Washington Redskins, 5th season): Scherff and the Redskins finished their season at 3-13. Scherff only was able to play in 11 games due to injury but managed to be named to the Pro Bowl for his efforts. Scherff is a free agent and should be looking for a big payday in 2020.

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