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Here are the top 12 free-agent offensive tackles of 2024:
Donovan Smith is looking forward to getting his second Super Bowl ring.
Former Penn State offensive lineman [autotag]Donovan Smith[/autotag] picked up his second Super Bowl championship when the Kansas City Chiefs topped the San Franciso 49ers in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday. Smith earned the 63rd Super Bowl ring in Penn State history, and he took to social media to celebrate the fact he now has a second Super Bowl ring.
“I get to HOLD 2 fingers up with rings,” Smith said on his X, formerly known as Twitter, account on Monday afternoon as the Chiefs continued to celebrate their latest world championship.
I get to HOLD 2 fingers up with Rings 😂 #2xSuperBowlChampion
— Donovan Smith (@DSmith_76) February 12, 2024
Smith won his first Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Smith was drafted by the Bucs in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. Smith spent eight seasons with the Bucs, winning a Super Bowl with Tom Brady, but was released by the franchise in March 2023.
Smith was only on a one-year contract with Kansas City, so it remains to be seen if he will have a chance to help the Chiefs go for the first threepeat in Super Bowl history in 2024.
Penn State has been represented by at least one Super Bowl participant in 53 out of 58 Super Bowl games in NFL history.
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Penn State players have now won 63 Super Bowl rings in 53 Super Bowl appearances.
Penn State was guaranteed to have a Super Bowl champion in this year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, and former offensive lineman [autotag]Donovan Smith[/autotag] was the one ending up on the winning side of an overtime classic on Sunday. Smith and the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII when Patrick Mahomes completed a pass for the game-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman in overtime in Las Vegas.
Smith, who joined the Chiefs in 2023, is now a two-time Super Bowl champion. Smith won his first Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Smith also helped add to Penn State’s all-time Super Bowl champion count by raising Penn State’s Super Bowl ring count up to 63. Penn State has been represented by at least one Super Bowl participant in 53 out of 58 Super Bowl games in NFL history.
The 49ers had two former Nittany Lions looking to win a Super Bowl. Defensive lineman [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] and rookie safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] each played for the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Brown started off the second half of the game with a big interception of Mahomes and ended the night with 11 tackles. Givens had two tackles in the game.
Smith will now enter free agency this offseason. Whether or not he will return to Kansas City in 2024 remains to be seen, but he did prove his value after starting 12 regular season games and returning from injury for the playoff run.
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There are quite a few former Bucs playing in the big game on Sunday — with a large majority suiting up for Kansas City.
Very few players get the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl.
NFL greats like Tony Gonzalez and Barry Sanders never got to step foot in a championship game. Nevertheless, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has defied the odds and is days away from competing in his fourth Super Bowl in six seasons. Along with him are several former Bucs who will play with him — additionally, one member of the 49ers was also recently in Tampa Bay, so there’s plenty of former Bucs pedigree in the big game on Sunday.
Here’s a list of the former Buccaneers who will participate in the Super Bowl:
Which Nittany Lions will have an impact on the Super Bowl this year?
As Super Bowl LVIII draws closer, football fans across the world are contemplating who they should be rooting for. Those who do not care for either team may be looking at individual players or perhaps the best story to decide their pick. It may be easiest for college football fans to root for the team with players from your favorite school, if they happen to have any.
For Penn State fans, however, that could cause a split. The Nittany Lions have three players representing them in the big game. Representing the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs is starting tackle [autotag]Donovan Smith[/autotag], and for the San Francisco 49ers safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] are big pieces on defense. Brown in particular has stepped up as a starter for the 49ers after an injury to All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga,
All three of Penn State’s representatives have a chance of making a big impact on the outcome of the game, but none more than Donovan Smith. Smith had been a rock at left tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for nearly a decade before signing with the Chiefs in 2023. He is no longer the above-average starter he once was, so how well he can hold up against the 49ers pass rush will be a huge part of the game.
Brown and Givens will have their own challenges dealing with the Kansas City offense. Brown has always been more of a tough, gritty box safety as opposed to a rangy cover player. The Chiefs could look to attack him through the air with their assortment of tight ends and running backs. Givens meanwhile will try and provide quality snaps against a very strong interior offensive line. Neither of them has the responsibility that Smith does, but they could still play deciding roles in the biggest game of their lives.
Either way, the number of Super Bowl rings earned by the Nittany Lions will get even higher, and that’s something to be proud of.
Nick Bosa is not afraid to throw some shade at the Chiefs.
As if a Super Bowl needs any additional fire for either team, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has provided some bulletin-board material for the Kansas City Chiefs.
While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Bosa was asked what he thinks about the Chiefs’ two tackles, Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor, with the latter known for his in-game penalties.
Well, Bosa gave a very blunt, quick answer about his feelings on the Kansas City offensive linemen.
“They hold a lot,” Bosa quipped in response to the question.
If that doesn’t fire up the Chiefs tackles in their upcoming Super Bowl matchup against Bosa, we’re really not sure what will.
Nick Bosa on his impression of Chiefs tackles Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor:
“They hold a lot.” pic.twitter.com/U0YGXiCMqZ
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 1, 2024
To be fair to Bosa, former NFL offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz, who played for Kansas City, agreed with the former’s assessment.
This is going to make its rounds and for obvious reasons but he’s not wrong. And the question that he’s answering if you watch the video frames it as a penalty happy OL and what he sees when watching them. Which, again, not wrong! https://t.co/Hz4RLelO6m
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) February 1, 2024
Even if Bosa isn’t technically wrong, the Chiefs are going to take this response and run with it. Honestly, wouldn’t you if you were Kansas City?
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After having exit meetings on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens met the media and offered their reactions to the AFC title game loss to the Chiefs
The Ravens are again staring disappointment in the face after a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Jackson and the Ravens offense imploded with three turnovers, and the team is 0-8 in team history when committing three or more turnovers in the postseason.
Jackson finished 20 of 37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as Baltimore tied a season-low with 10 points.
The consensus favorite for NFL MVP, Jackson will have to wait another year to escape the notion that he’s unable to win games in the most crucial moments.
With a critical offseason and major decisions ahead, the Ravens cleaned out their lockers and had exit interviews with the coaching staff. Afterward, they met with the media, and here are the instant reactions.
We’re looking at the takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game
The Ravens are again staring disappointment in the face after a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at M&T Bank Stadium.
The consensus favorite for NFL MVP, Jackson will have to wait another year to escape the notion that he’s unable to win games in the most crucial moments.
Jackson and the Ravens offense imploded with three turnovers, and the team is 0-8 in team history when committing three or more turnovers in the postseason.
Jackson finished 20 of 37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as Baltimore tied a season-low with 10 points.
With a critical offseason and major decisions ahead, we’re looking at takeaways and observations from the shocking loss.
We’re looking at ten takeaways from the first half as the Kansas City Chiefs hold a 17-7 lead over the Baltimore Ravens
The Chiefs heard all the noise and responded upon entering M&T Bank Stadium, jumping out to an early lead on the Baltimore Ravens and taking a 17-7 lead into halftime.
Sunday is the 5th time the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens have trailed by double digits at halftime (0-4 in the first four games).
Three other times, it has been vs. the Chiefs (2019 and 2020).
Kansas City answered the questions about Baltimore’s physicality, attacking the Ravens in the trenches on both sides of the football.
With the second half underway, we’re looking at takeaways from the first half.
Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce tried to chump Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and make him move so Patrick Mahomes can warm up
We’re a little over an hour away from the Ravens and Chiefs kicking off the AFC title game, and star tight end Travis Kelce just added some drama to the contest.
Baltimore’s All-Pro kicker, Justin Tucker was down in the Chiefs end of the field warming up with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kelce and the Kansas City offense took the field for some early pregame warmups of their own.
Travis Kelce told Justin Tucker he needed to move because their QB Patrick Mahomes had to warm up. So Kelce kicked his ball away and threw his helmet. 😂 pic.twitter.com/pFF0DC1yA7
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 28, 2024
After watching Mahomes take a couple of dropbacks with Tucker still stretching, and his helmet in the Chiefs way, Kelce took upon himself to tell the kicker to move, while tossing his helmet.
Social media reacts to everything, and this altercation was no different.
