NFL Playoffs Week 1: SEC programs dominate rosters

NFL Playoffs Week 1: SEC programs dominate rosters

Alabama became the first college program to have 70 of its alumni play in one NFL season in 2022, but with the regular season over and the league’s postseason set to kick off, the Crimson Tide isn’t No. 1 anymore.

Based on the active rosters of the 14 playoff teams, LSU has 24 alumni in the playoffs, with fellow SEC members Georgia providing 22 postseason players and Alabama 20.

MORE NFL:

· AP ALL-PRO FIRST TEAM INCLUDES 8 WITH ALABAMA FOOTBALL ROOTS

· INJURED EAGLES QB JALEN HURTS: ‘THE MAN WLL BE THERE’

· DEMECO RYANS KEEPING FOCUS ON SATURDAY’S PLAYOFF GAME AMID COACHNG CLAMOR

In all, 161 players from SEC programs are on the active rosters of the playoff teams. That’s 22 percent of the players from 14 college programs, and 78 percent from 153 other colleges.

But only one of those SEC programs is guaranteed to get at least one alumnus to Super Bowl LVII. Georgia is represented on the active rosters of all the AFC playoff teams.

Only one other program has a full house to reach the Super Bowl, with at least one former Notre Dame player on each of the NFC postseason teams.

No program is currently guaranteed a Super Bowl winner this season.

Alabama doesn’t have a representative on the active rosters of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs on the AFC side or the San Francisco 49ers on the NFC side, although former Crimson Tide standouts Cam Robinson and Deionte Thompson are members of the Jaguars. Robinson is on injured reserve, and Thompson is on the practice squad.

With players on the active rosters of 11 postseason teams, Alabama is tied for second in the spread of its representation with Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. LSU has players on 12 active rosters – six in each conference.

Auburn has nine former players on the active rosters of this year’s playoff teams. For the other colleges in Alabama, it’s two apiece for South Alabama and UAB and one each for Jacksonville State, Samford and West Alabama.

But a North Alabama alumnus could be on the field on Saturday. The San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday night the elevation of cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins from their practice squad for their first-round game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Each NFL team is allowed to elevate two practice-squad members to active status for each game.

The postseason active rosters also include 21 former Alabama high school stars.

The players with Alabama football roots on the rosters of the playoff teams include:

AFC

Baltimore Ravens

· Reserve/injured: Jalyn Armour-Davis, cornerback, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Alabama

· Practice squad: Josh Bynes, inside linebacker, Auburn

· Kenyan Drake, running back, Alabama

· Marlon Humphrey, cornerback, Hoover, Alabama

· Practice squad: Jeremiah Moon, outside linebacker, Hoover

· Reserve/injured: Michael Pierce, defensive tackle, Daphne, Samford

Buffalo Bills

· Jared Mayden, safety, Alabama

· Siran Neal, cornerback, Eufaula, Jacksonville State

Cincinnati Bengals

· Allan George, cornerback, Andalusia

· Evan McPherson, kicker, Fort Payne

· Cam Taylor-Britt, cornerback, Park Crossing

· Jonah Williams, offensive tackle, Alabama

Jacksonville Jaguars

· Josh Allen, defensive end/outside linebacker, Abbeville

· Practice squad: Gerrit Prince, tight end, UAB

· Reserve/suspended by commissioner: Calvin Ridley, wide receiver, Alabama

· Reserve/injured: Cam Robinson, offensive tackle, Alabama

· Reserve/injured: Jordan Smith, defensive end/outside linebacker, UAB

· Daniel Thomas, safety, Lee-Montgomery, Auburn

· Practice squad: Deionte Thompson, safety, Alabama

· Darious Williams, cornerback, UAB

· Practice squad: Darryl Williams, center, Bessemer City

· Practice squad: Seth Williams, wide receiver, Paul Bryant, Auburn

Kansas City Chiefs

· Reserve/injured: Justyn Ross, wide receiver, Central-Phenix City

· Kadarius Toney, wide receiver, Blount

· Prince Tega Wanogho, offensive tackle, Edgewood Academy, Auburn

Los Angeles Chargers

· Gerald Everett, tight end, UAB/South Alabama

· Josh Harris, long snapper, Auburn

· JK Scott, punter, Alabama

Miami Dolphins

· Practice squad: Lester Cotton, guard, Central-Tuscaloosa, Alabama

· Raekwon Davis, defensive tackle, Alabama

· Reserve/injured: Trey Flowers, outside linebacker, Columbia

· Tyreek Hill, wide receiver, West Alabama

· Noah Igbinoghene, cornerback, Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn

· Practice squad: La’Mical Perine, running back, Theodore

· Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback, Alabama

· Jaylen Waddle, wide receiver, Alabama

NFC

Dallas Cowboys

· Trevon Diggs, cornerback, Alabama

· Practice squad: Anthony Rush, defensive tackle, UAB

· Jalen Tolbert, wide receiver, McGill-Toolen, South Alabama

· Sam Williams, defensive end, Lee-Montgomery

Minnesota Vikings

· Nick Mullens, quarterback, Spain Park

· Irv Smith Jr., tight end, Alabama

· Za’Darius Smith, outside linebacker, Greenville

· Dalvin Tomlinson, defensive tackle, Alabama

New York Giants

· Landon Collins, safety, Alabama

· Practice squad: Korey Cunningham, offensive tackle, Montevallo

· Cordale Flott, cornerback, Saraland

· Xavier McKinney, safety, Alabama

· Evan Neal, offensive tackle, Alabama

· Reserve/injured: Aaron Robinson, cornerback, Alabama

· Darius Slayton, wide receiver, Auburn

· Reserve/injured: Nick Williams, defensive lineman, Minor, Samford

Philadelphia Eagles

· Reed Blankenship, safety, West Limestone

· James Bradberry, cornerback, Pleasant Grove, Samford

· Landon Dickerson, guard, Alabama

· Jack Driscoll, offensive lineman, Auburn

· Jalen Hurts, quarterback, Alabama

· Josh Jobe, cornerback, Alabama

· Reserve/injured: Arryn Siposs, punter, Auburn

· DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, Alabama

· Quez Watkins, wide receiver, Athens

San Francisco 49ers

· Practice squad: Jackrabbit Jenkins, cornerback, North Alabama

· Reserve/injured: Jordan Matthews, tight end, Madison Academy

· Jimmie Ward, safety, Davidson

Seattle Seahawks

· Mike Jackson, cornerback, Spain Park

· Carson Tinker, long snapper, Alabama

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

· K.J. Britt, inside linebacker, Oxford, Auburn

· Carlton Davis, cornerback, Auburn

· Jamel Dean, cornerback, Auburn

· Julio Jones, wide receiver, Foley, Alabama

· Rakeem Nunez-Roches, defensive lineman, Central-Phenix City

· Practice squad: Nolan Turner, safety, Vestavia Hills

The schedule for the Super Wild-Card Weekend of the NFL playoffs (with all times Central and point spreads from Catena):

Saturday, Jan. 14

· NFC: No. 7 Seattle Seahawks (9-8) at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers (13-4), 3:30 p.m. (FOX, FOX Deportes) Line: 49ers by 9.5.

· AFC: No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) at No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8), 7:15 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, Universo) Line: Chargers by 2.5.

Sunday, Jan. 15

· AFC: No. 7 Miami Dolphins (9-8) at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (13-3), noon (CBS, Paramount+) Line: Bills by 13.5.

· NFC: No. 6 New York Giants (9-7-1) at No. 3 Minnesota Vikings (13-4), 3:30 p.m. (FOX, FOX Deportes) Line: Vikings by 3.

· AFC: No. 6 Baltimore Ravens (10-7) at No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (12-4), 7:15 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, Universo) Line: Bengals by 8.5.

Monday, Jan. 16

· NFC: No. 5 Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9), 7:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes) Line: Cowboys by 2.5.

Earning first-round byes as the No. 1 seeds for each conference were the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) in the NFC and the Kansas City Chiefs (14-3) in the AFC.

The top two seeds in each conference begin postseason play in the Divisional Round on Jan. 21 and 22. The schedule for that round will be determined after the Super Wild-Card Weekend.

The conference championship games will be played on Jan. 29.

Super Bowl LVI is scheduled to be played at 5:30 p.m. CST Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. FOX will televise the game.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.