Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
17 ex-Saints players and coaches will compete in the AFC, NFC Championship Games for a shot at advancing to Super Bowl LVIII:
The New Orleans Saints won’t be competing in this weekend’s AFC and NFC Championship Games, but many of their former players and coaches will be fighting for the chance to advance to Super Bowl LVIII.
By our count, 17 former Saints have a shot at moving on to the final stage — here’s a quick look at the list suiting up for the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
13 former Saints players are advancing to the conference championship games, ranging from Trey Hendrickson and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Ian Book and Eli Apple:
No teams in the NFL divisional round rostered more former New Orleans Saints players than the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, who have each progressed further to the AFC and NFC championship games, respectively. Cincinnati will visit the Kansas City Chiefs (who have a pair of former Saints of their own) while Philadelphia hosts the San Francisco 49ers (with three former Saints players in their lineup).
Why were so many former Saints players suiting up in playoff games this weekend? It’s actually not that unusual — the Carolina Panthers had the same number of former players on playoff rosters around the league, for example. So many players enter and exit practice squads these days that it’s almost inevitable to find familiar names in unexpected places.
That’s not to say the Saints didn’t commit some self-inflicted wounds here. They didn’t handle the C.J. Gardner-Johnson situation well last summer, which led to the Philadelphia Eagles fleecing them in a trade. Their salary cap machinations led to Trey Hendrickson and Vonn Bell getting priced out of New Orleans. Poor talent evaluation cost them Boston Scott.
At the same time, nobody is shedding tears over the likes of Ian Book, Joe Bachie, Cameron Tom, and Eli Apple joining other teams. Bachie and Tom were replacement-level practice squad players. Book and Apple’s time ran out with the Saints. It’s more happenstance than anything to see these high numbers of former Saints players on competitive playoff teams.
But with that said, it’s still painful to see Gardner-Johnson taking on a leadership role with the Eagles and creating turnovers while Hendrickson is screaming off the edge to put the Bengals over the top, with Bell putting the game away. Especially when their replacements haven’t worked out. Marcus Davenport hasn’t panned out at defensive end for New Orleans, and Marcus Maye wasn’t able to stay in the lineup at safety. The Saints ostensibly let Bell and Hendrickson walk so they could pay players like Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Williams, only to lose both of them.
That’s enough angst. Here’s a quick recap of the former Saints players whose teams have a shot at the Super Bowl with a win next weekend:
Everything you need to know about the Kansas City Chiefs’ matchup vs. the Buffalo Bills.
The Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the Buffalo Bills for the AFC Championship Game.
It’s the third consecutive appearance in the AFC conference title game for the Chiefs, but the first appearance since 1993 for the Bills. Will veteran experience pay off or will a newcomer prevail and head to Super Bowl LV? Be sure to tune into the game to find out!
Below are important game details about this playoff matchup. If you have questions about the game, reach out to us on Twitter @TheChiefsWire.
Who: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills
When: Sunday, January 24 at 5:40 p.m. CT
Where: Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, Missouri
Live stream: fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market. *Regional Restrictions Apply*
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo
WDAF-FM (106.5 The Wolf)
Money Line (via BetMGM): -175
Spread (via BetMGM): -3.5
Over/Under (via BetMGM): 54.5
| Week | Opponent | Time (CT) | Date | Channel |
| 1 | vs. Houston Texans | 7:20 p.m. Thu, Sept. 10th | NBC |
| 2 | at Los Angeles Chargers | 3:25 p.m. Sun, Sept. 20th | CBS |
| 3 | at Baltimore Ravens | 7:15 p.m. Mon, Sept. 28th | ESPN |
| 4 | vs. New England Patriots | 6:05 p.m. Mon, Oct. 5th | CBS |
| 5 | vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 12:00 p.m. Sun, Oct. 11th | CBS |
| 6 | at Buffalo Bills | 4:00 p.m. Mon, Oct. 19th | FOX/NFLN/Amazon |
| 7 | at Denver Broncos | 3:25 p.m. Sun, Oct 25th | CBS |
| 8 | vs. New York Jets | 12:00 p.m. Sun, Nov. 1st | CBS |
| 9 | vs. Carolina Panthers | 12:00 p.m. Sun, Nov. 8th | FOX |
| 10 | BYE | BYE | BYE |
| 11 | at Las Vegas Raiders | 7:20 p.m. Sun, Nov. 22nd | NBC |
| 12 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3:25 p.m. Sun, Nov. 29th | CBS |
| 13 | vs. Denver Broncos | 7:20 p.m. Sun, Dec. 6th | NBC |
| 14 | at Miami Dolphins | 12:00 p.m. Sun, Dec. 13th | CBS |
| 15 | at New Orleans Saints | 3:25 p.m. Sun, Dec. 20th | CBS |
| 16 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | 12:00 p.m. Sun, Dec. 27th | FOX |
| 17 | vs. Los Angeles Chargers | 3:25 p.m. Sun, Jan. 3rd | FOX |
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