The 32 most important players in the divisional playoffs

Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are only some of the key players in the Divisional Round.

The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is here this weekend. Eight teams playing for spots in the conference championship games. There are those players who can go out and be anonymous and do their jobs without too much spotlight. Then there are those who will be the focus of many.

32. A.J. Brown

Not the least important, but the bottom of our list is rookie A.J. Brown from Ole Miss. Ryan Tannehill needs to make sure the ground game goes first but he needs more production out of Brown than he got in the wild-card win over New England. Brown had a lone catch for four yards against the Patriots. He doesn’t have to do what D.K. Metcalf, his former teammate in Oxford, did against the Eagles but it certainly would help if he contributed more than four yards.

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NFL playoffs: Ranking the 8 kickers in the Divisional round

Justin Tucker leads the way among the 8 kickers left in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

The playoffs heighten the stakes as each round moves forward. No shock there. However, it ramps up the pressure on the kicking game more. What coaches should be confident when they send out their kicker and what teams should turn away rather than watch?

8. Titans: Greg Joseph

There should be no surprise the Titans bring up the rear when it comes to the kicking game. They are on kicker No. 4 in Greg Joseph. Overall, the Titans have made all of eight field goals in 2019. Joseph had been on the practice squad of the Panthers like Harrison Butker, played in 14 games with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 hit 17-of-20 field goal attempts. He is 9-of-9 for Tennessee on PATs and has not kicked a field goal for the Titans.

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Former Longhorn kicker named First-Team All Pro

The former Longhorn kicker has now been selected to five All Pro teams.

An incredibly consistent kicker for the Texas Longhorns in 2010 and 2011, Justin Tucker never seemed to miss a beat while beginning his professional career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012. The same kicker the city of Austin, TX confidently enjoyed watching quickly became an indispensable player for the Ravens.

Receiving an All Pro selection is a prestigious reward that isn’t taken lightly around the league. Tucker is almost as consistent with All Pro selections as he is on the field. Since entering the league, the former Longhorn has been selected to five All Pro teams, four being First-Team selections.

According to ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley, Tucker was selected by a comfortable margin.

All-Pro Placekicker voting: Justin Tucker, Baltimore, 34; Josh Lambo, Jacksonville, 11; Wil Lutz, New Orleans, 3; Harrison Butker, Kansas City, 2.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 3, 2020

The National Football League uses press organizations such as Associated Press (AP) and Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) to select the best player at each position during that respective season.

Tucker has made 28 of 29 field goals and 57 of 59 extra points for the Ravens in 2019. This marks his second-highest season percentage of ninety-six percent.

Texas Longhorns Team of the Decade: Defense and Special Teams

The breakdown of the defense and special teams Texas Longhorns of the decade.

As Longhorns Wire continues their team of the decade, the defense and special teams are up next. Much like the offense recap, each position group will have links to the original post.

Defensive Line

Alex Okafor

Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Okafor played for the Longhorns in the early part of the decade from 2009-12. During that time he recorded 23 sacks, 34 tackles for loss and 150 total tackles. He added seven forced fumbles. Okafor is currently a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jackson Jeffcoat

Jeffcoat is the son of former NFL chamption Jim Jeffcoat. He played on the defense along with Okafor. During his four-year college career from 2010-2013, Jeffcoat recorded 172 total tackles with 26 sacks and five turnovers forced. He was an All-American in 2013 when he was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Jeffcoat is currently playing in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Poona Ford

The man in the middle of the defense, Ford played in Austin from 2014-2017. During that time he recorded 133 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also forced three fumbles. He was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2017. Ford is currently one of a few Longhorns with the Seattle Seahawks.

Charles Omenihu

Omenihu is the final member of the defensive line. From 2015-2018, Omenihu racked up 115 total tackles, 30 TFL and 16.5 sacks. He forced four fumbles during that four-year span. Omenihu was named All-Big 12 and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2018. He is currently a member of the Houston Texans.

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NFL 2019: Russell Wilson, Tom Brady and 16 others within reach of milestones

Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson and Tom Brady are chasing milestones in Week 17.

Players will tell you they are about team and not individual marks. However, there are plenty of players looking to hit marks for 2019 as the regular season comes to a close.

Jameis Winston

The erratic Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston needs 92 yards to reach the 5,000 mark in 2019. His previous best was 4,090 in 2016.

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Two Former Longhorns Named to NFL Pro Bowl

Two former Texas Longhorns standouts named to the NFL Pro Bowl.

It is that time of year in the NFL where Pro Bowl voting has closed and players will be announced as part of the annual Pro Bowl festivities. This year two former Longhorns and now teammates were selected to the 2019-2020 Pro Bowl. Both are members of the Baltimore Ravens who currently own the best record in the NFL. Should the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl then both players will be replaced on the roster as they will be preparing to chase their second Super Bowl championship.

Straight ballin’. Congrats Earl and Justin. 🤘#ThisIsTexas #HookEm #ProBowl pic.twitter.com/607k2bSNCS

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 20, 2019

Justin Tucker

There are many accolades for the former Longhorns kicker. Tucker is the most-accurate kicker in NFL history with at least 100 attempts. He owns many other accolades including fastest player to 1,000 points in NFL history. This season Tucker is hitting 95.8% of his kicks which is the 2nd best mark of his career (97.4% in 2016).

Earl Thomas

Former Longhorns safety Earl Thomas is enjoying his 10th season in the league and this marks his seventh Pro Bowl selection. The numbers aren’t the same for Thomas but he is still proving that he can be a force in the defensive backfield. He has 27 tackles, two interceptions and four passes defended this year.

You can watch both players in the Pro Bowl should the Ravens miss the Super Bowl on January 26, 2020 which will be aired on ESPN.

2020 NFL Pro Bowl: Which Ravens should be selected

The Baltimore Ravens sit atop the NFL and with the 2020 Pro Bowl rosters to drop tonight, several players should get recognized for it.

The NFL is set to announce the 2020 Pro Bowl roster later this evening. And with the Baltimore Ravens sitting at 12-2 and leading several respective positions in fan voting, it got me wondering which players should actually make their way into the Pro Bowl this season?

Of course, the ultimate hope is Baltimore has to have all their players turn down the event as they prepare for Super Bowl LIV. But regardless, this is a golden opportunity for many players to get their very first Pro Bowl nod and for some others to continue their streak. So let’s take a look at the 13 Ravens players I believe should be selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl.

QB Lamar Jackson

A Pro Bowl appears to be nothing more than a formality at this stage. Jackson led every NFL player in fan votes by a wide margin. And given his MVP-caliber season on top of it, Jackson not making the cut would be worthy of a headline all its own.

But just in case anyone is unsure why Jackson should get a Pro Bowl nod, Neil Dutton went through all the Ravens franchise records Jackson has already set. Add to it breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record, leading the league in touchdown passes, TD% and QBR seems like good enough reasons by themselves for Jackson to get his first Pro Bowl nomination.

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Lamar Jackson topped all NFL players in Pro Bowl voting

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has taken the NFL by storm, getting more fan votes for the Pro Bowl than any other player

As if anyone needed more reason to believe Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the NFL’s MVP, the people have spoken. At the end of Pro Bowl voting by fans, Jackson is not only the most voted-on quarterback but he also received more votes than any other player.

Jackson finished with 704,699 votes, beating second-placed Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson by more than 160,000 votes, according to a league press release.

The fan vote is just one portion of what determines if a player make the Pro Bowl, with players and coaches also getting to vote. Each section counts as 1/3 towards a player’s Pro Bowl nomination.

Jackson isn’t the only Ravens player to get a bunch of fan votes. Fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Mark Andrews, tackle Orlando Brown Jr., guard Marshal Yanda, kicker Justin Tucker and cornerback Marcus Peters all top their respective positions.

If the fan vote holds true, Baltimore will have seven players receive Pro Bowl nomination. Though the hope is the Ravens have to turn it down because they’re too busy practicing for Super Bowl LIV.

4 studs, 2 duds from Ravens’ win over Jets in Week 15

The Baltimore Ravens beat up on the NY Jets but not everyone had a perfect game in spite of the lopsided win. These are the studs and duds

The Baltimore Ravens once again handled their business, returning on a short week to blow out the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. In the 42-21 drubbing that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicates, the Ravens got back into the flow on offense but struggled in a few other spots.

Though there aren’t very many duds in their Week 15 win, Baltimore has a few spots they need to address moving forward. Here are the four studs and two duds from the Ravens’ win over the Jets.

Stud: Lamar Jackson

Jackson was expected to break the single-season rushing record in this game. But needing 23 yards, I’m not sure many really expected he’d do it on the opening drive. However, just like this entire season has been, Jackson was more impressive with his arm and leadership in spite of where all the headlines will focus.

Jackson was far from perfect, failing to connect on a few deep shots that he’ll likely be upset about. But it was still an amazing game from Jackson as he completed 65.2% of his passes for 212 yards and five touchdown throws on the night. But his best play of the game was easily the 4th-and-1 from their own 29-yard line where Jackson told the punt team to stay on the sidelines and found tight end Mark Andrews for 36 yards to convert.

Jackson looked every bit the MVP he’s likely going to earn this season while extending his lead on touchdown passes, TD% and amazing individual plays.

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4 takeaways from Ravens 20-17 win over the 49ers

Here’s what we learned from the Baltimore Ravens’ close win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13

In what might have been a possible preview of Super Bowl LIV, the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 20-17. With the win, the Ravens to rise to 10-2 and keep up with the New England Patriots in the race for the conference crown.

This was quite possibly the hardest opponent the Ravens have faced all season. So of course, there’s going to be a few things we can learn from this win and carry into future games.

1. The Ravens can beat anyone

In the last six weeks, the Ravens have faced the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers. Four of the teams on that list — the Seahawks, Patriots, Texans and 49ers — appear to be postseason bound and two of them –the Patriots and 49ers –are popular picks to win the Super Bowl.

Baltimore is 5-1 against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, with their one loss coming against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 when this was a much different team. After struggling to defeat playoff-caliber teams in previous seasons, the Ravens have figured out how to do it now in 2019 and that makes them the most dangerous team in the league with the postseason approaching.

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