Mississippi connections in each weekend NFL playoff games
With eight teams remaining in the NFL playoffs, not surprisingly Mississippi’s great legacy of football talent is represented well.
All but one of the eight remaining teams has at least one player on the roster with Mississippi ties — either being from the Magnolia State or having played for a Mississippi school.
If you don’t have a favorite team still in the hunt, feel free to join other Mississippians in rooting for the hometown players. The wide field of Mississippi connections means it’s highly likely the Magnolia State will be represented in the Super Bowl.
The lineups (and Mississippi connections) include:
Saturday, Jan. 12
Colts vs. Chiefs at 3:35 p.m. Central
Colts:
Defensive tackle Denico Autry, Mississippi State
Running back Jordan Wilkins, Ole Miss
Chiefs:
Defensive lineman Chris Jones, Mississippi State
Linebacker Breeland Speaks, Ole Miss
Cowboys vs. Rams, 7:15 p.m. Central
Cowboys:
Quarterback Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Defensive tackle Daniel Ross, Northeast Mississippi Community College
Rams:
Wide receiver Mike Thomas, Southern Miss (injured reserve)
Sunday, Jan. 13
Chargers vs. Patriots, 12:05 p.m. Central
Chargers:
No Mississippi connections
Patriots:
Placekicker Stephen Gostkowski, from Madison.
The Chargers-Patriots game will also have another Mississippi connection on the field (in black and white stripes).
Eagles vs. Saints, 3:40 p.m. Central
Eagles:
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State
Wide receiver, Mike Wallace, Ole Miss
Saints:
Linebacker Demario Davis, from Brandon
Center/guard Cameron Toms, Southern Miss
Editor’s note: The original article contained an error, listing players from the Seahawks under another team’s heading. The Seahawks were eliminated earlier from the playoffs. We regret the error and are happy to set the record straight.