Tag: Pro Ducks

How to watch trio of Oregon Ducks in 2025 NFL divisional playoffs

A handful of former Oregon Ducks will be taking the field in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs this weekend.

Oregon Duck fans had a long list of former players to cheer for going into last week’s wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, but unfortunately, that list has dwindled after the first week.

With teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all suffering defeats, some of the most popular and productive Pro Ducks saw their seasons come to an end. Justin Herbert’s first year under Jim Harbaugh ended unceremoniously with a blowout loss to the Houston Texans, while Bo Nix and Bucky Irving saw their promising and at times electric rookie campaigns come to a close.

Fortunately for Duck fans, there are a ton of former Oregon players in the NFL, so going into the divisional round of the playoffs, for Ducks are getting set to play.

Saturday will be the day to watch, as the early game between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions features a pair of Ducks going up against each other, while Saturday night’s Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs game has one young Duck hoping for a chance to make an impact.

Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s NFL action:

Detroit Lions RT Penei Sewell

Game: vs. Washington Commanders — Saturday, 5:00 p.m. PST

Odds: Detroit Lions -9.5

Analysis: After having a first-round bye, Sewell and his team will come out on Saturday night and look to make a statement as massive favorites over the Commanders. Sewell has had an incredible season and stands as one of the single best players in the NFL at his position. He will continue to dominate this game.

Washington Commanders QB Marcus Mariota

 Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

Game: vs. Detroit Lions — Saturday, 5:00 p.m. PST

Odds: Washington Commanders +9.5

Analysis: As the backup to Jayden Daniels, we likely won’t see a ton of Marcus Mariota in this game, but the Commanders have used him in spurts throughout the season, bringing him in for short-yardage situations or trick plays in a two-QB look. What tricks will OC Kliff Kingsbury have up his sleeve? It should be fun to watch and find out.

Houston Texans LB Jamal Hill

 Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Game: vs. Kansas City Chiefs — Saturday, 1:30 p.m. PST

Odds: Houston Texans +8

Analysis: Jamal Hill did not play in Houston’s wild-card game against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, but we will see if he can work his way into the lineup for this playoff game against the Chiefs, one that will undoubtedly be an uphill battle.

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Former Oregon Ducks’ DT DeForest Buckner placed on injured reserve

Former Oregon Ducks DT DeForest Buckner will miss at least four games with a sprained ankle.

DeForest Buckner, a former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman and All-Pro DT in the NFL, has been placed on short-term injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport. Buckner suffered the injury during the Indianapolis Colts’ week three game against the Green Bay Packers.

Buckner sprained his ankle last weekend, after developing a reputation as one of the most durable players in the NFL. Since his rookie season in 2016, Buckner has played in all but one regular season game, for the 49ers and the Colts.

In his nine-year NFL career, Buckner has earned Pro Bowl honors three times, and once he was named an All-Pro. This season, he was off to a strong start, finishing week one with six solo tackles and a TFL. In game two, Buckner grabbed one tackle before being knocked out of the game.

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Through two weeks of the NFL season, plenty of pro Ducks have been off to hot starts — and Buckner has been among the best. Bucker’s injury wasn’t initially expected to be serious, but by being placed on IR, he’ll be forced to miss at least four games.

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Pair of former Oregon Duck stars released by NFL teams on Monday

It was a tough Monday morning for a pair of former Oregon Ducks after the third week of the preseason.

Monday was a tough day for a pair of former Oregon Duck stars in the NFL. Quarterback Anthony Brown and safety Verone McKinley III were released by their respective teams.

Brown was released by the Las Vegas Raiders a week ago and signed by the Buffalo Bills. In the Bills’ loss to the Carolina Panthers over the weekend, Brown played well, completing 11-of-12 passes for 102 yards. Ultimately, though, the Bills are apparently more comfortable with Mitchell Trubisky and Ben DiNucci serving as the backups for Josh Allen.

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McKinley suffered a similar fate for the Arizona Cardinals. He had a total of three tackles in Arizona’s game against the Denver Broncos over the weekend, giving him 11 tackles during the three-game preseason. The Cardinals decided to part ways with him, though.

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We will see if either pro Duck can sign with a practice squad for the season.

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WATCH: Bucky Irving scores first NFL touchdown in preseason with Tampa Bay

Former Oregon Ducks star running back scored his first NFL touchdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their preseason game vs. Cincinnati.

It was only a matter of time until former Oregon Ducks running back Bucky Irving found the end zone at the next level.

Unsurprisingly, it happened in his first action as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first quarter of their preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Irving punched it in from a few years out on the second drive of the day to tie the game at 7.

It will go down in the scorebook as a 6-yard TD run, but Irving showed nice burst on the run, busting through the middle and diving over the goal line for the score.

Through the first two quarters of the game, Irving had 6 rushes for 27 yards and the touchdown.

Oregon fans will have pleasant memories watching Irving get into the end zone, fondly recalling all of the times he did so with the Ducks in Eugene.

At the top of the depth chart in Tampa Bay, Rachaad White is expected to enter the season as the starter. However, there’s a good chance Irving can take over as the RB2 going into 2024. He is competing with Chase Edmonds for the spot.

A couple more preseason performances like this, and it’s not hard to see Irving carving out a role in this offense as a rookie.

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Former Oregon Duck Christian Gonzalez buys parents a new house

Former Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez made good on his promise to buy his parents a house.

One of the goals of every athlete who ultimately reaches the professional level is to be able to provide for their family and give back to those who have helped get them to where they are.

Former Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez was finally able to see that dream come to fruition.

On his Instagram this past weekend, Gonzalez shared that he bought his parents a new house. Here’s what he wrote in the post:

“Mom and Dad, I told you guys when I started this football journey at 5 years old I was going to put you in a place you couldn’t imagine. You guys deserve this and even more. I love y’all!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9qJ-cwPyug/

Fit with beautiful hardwood floors, tall ceilings, and a pool in the backyard, it looks like a beautiful house. As a first-round pick with the New England Patriots a year ago, Gonzalez signed a four-year contract worth over $15 million. It’s great to see he’s putting it to good use.

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Where Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty stand after a month of WNBA action

An update on Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty after a month of the WNBA season.

The WNBA season has been chugging along for over a month now, and the attention the league has garnered this year is unprecedented. But regardless of the spike in popularity, it’s time we look in depth at the status of the former Oregon Ducks in the W.

Today, we’re looking at Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty, but I’ll look at the other Ducks in the league over the next few days.

Through 14 games of the season, the New York Liberty look splendid, with a record of 12-2 and an eight-game running win streak. The only team in the league with a better record than New York is the Connecticut Sun at 12-1.

Leading the Liberty, of course, are point guard Sabrina Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart. The duo is combining for 36.2 points per game this season, with Ionescu leading the team in assists and Stewart leading the team in rebounds.

Ionescu is averaging 17.6 points so far this season, but she is shooting a far lower three-point clip (34.7%) than she did in 2023 (44.8%). Ionescu is also averaging fewer rebounds per game this season than any season of her career.

There is plenty of time left this year for those numbers to turn around, and clearly, those statistical downticks haven’t hurt the Liberty. Ionescu’s three-point percentage in 2023 is an outlier in her career, so 34.7% from deep isn’t concerning.

New York’s most recent victory came on Saturday against the Las Vegas Aces, the WNBA’s reigning champions who beat the Liberty in the Finals last season. The Aces have started slow this season, but New York’s win this weekend is still important.

The Liberty have three games this week. On Tuesday, they’ll tip off against the Phoenix Mercury in Arizona, and then they’ll head back home to host the LA Sparks for games on Thursday and Saturday.

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Sabrina Ionescu and Lebron James share a hug after the Liberty’s win over Las Vegas

After the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, Lebron James shared congratulations with Sabrina Ionescu.

Moments after Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty closed out their 90-82 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, Ionescu and Lebron James — who attended the game — shared a hug on the court. Before beginning her WNBA career with the New York Liberty in 2020, Ionescu played four years for the Oregon Ducks.

Ionescu didn’t have her most efficient day shooting the basketball on Saturday, but she still scored 15 points for New York and excelled in other areas, finishing with 12 assists.

The Liberty are off to a hot start this season with a record of 12-2 — the second-best record in the league — putting them a half-game back of the first-place Connecticut Sun. Ionescu has been a large part of New York’s success, averaging 17.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game, on 42.6% shooting this season.

While the WNBA season is in full swing, James’s offseason began in April after the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a series loss to the Denver Nuggets in five games. After the series, the Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham was fired, and LA is still searching for a replacement.

The Liberty play their next game on Tuesday against the Phoenix Mercury on the road. The Mercury are 7-7 on the season, but they’ve won three of their last four times out. After that, the Liberty will host the LA Sparks for back-to-back games in New York, where Ionescu will face off against Cameron Brink, a Sparks rookie native to Portland.

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Pro Duck Juwan Johnson to undergo offseason surgery, miss time going forward

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson to undergo off-season surgery that will cause him to miss some time.

One of the more prominent Oregon Ducks in the NFL is undergoing some off-season surgery in the coming days to deal with a foot injury that popped up recently.

According to multiple reports, New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson will undergo surgery on his foot, a procedure that is expected to cause him to miss time going forward.

“The hope and belief for now is that he will be back for the start of the season,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Johnson has been a big piece of the Saints offense over the past three seasons, hauling in 15 touchdowns with over 1,000 yards receiving. We will see how quickly he can recover from this procedure and get back onto the field during the 2024 season.

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Bucky Irving dons Buccaneers throwback uniform for recent photo shoot

Former Oregon Ducks running back Bucky Irving showcased the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throwback uniforms in a recent photo shoot.

With Bo Nix and Troy Franklin both headed to the Denver Broncos there’s been a lot of excitement around the former Oregon Ducks quarterback and wide receiver ahead of the 2024 NFL season. But, there are plenty of other Ducks draftees who could turn heads in their rookie campaigns. Chief among them: former Oregon running back Bucky Irving.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Irving in the 4th round of the 2024 NFL draft, making him the sixth running back taken. He was the seventh Oregon Duck to come off the board.

Earlier this week, as members of the Buccaneers participated in uniformed photo shoots, we got a look at Irving rocking Tampa Bay’s Creamsicle throwbacks.

This Buccaneers uniform is a tweaked iteration of Tampa Bay’s classic Creamsicle jerseys, which they wore from 1976 to 1996. Since their introduction as throwback uniforms in the late 2000s, there has been talk of a ‘Creamsicle Curse,’ due to the Buccanneer’s poor winning percentage while wearing them.

The top running back on Tampa Bay’s roster is Rachaad White, a third-year rusher who ran for nearly 1000 yards in 2023. The good news for Irving is White averaged fewer than eight rushes per game last season, since the Buccaneers mixed in their depth backs often.

Irving likes to play fast and powerful. Despite his small stature — which has been a cause for concern among some NFL talent evaluators — Irving fought for the extra few yards every snap in college — and will do the same as a pro. While it’s unlikely Irving will be a 15-20 carries per game back in the NFL, he could become one of the elite change-of-pace backs, playing alongside White.

A new look at Bo Nix in a Denver Broncos Uniform

Check out the first look at Bo Nix in a Denver Broncos uniform from the NFL Rookie Premiere.

Bo Nix has been the Denver Broncos quarterback for over a month now, and in that time, a lot has happened for the former Oregon Ducks QB. Nix participated in the Broncos’ rookie mini-camp, and he’s begun offseason training activities (OTAs), where he’s impressing early on.

Nix also took part in the NFL’s Rookie Premiere, a marketing event in Los Angeles that took place in early May. Earlier this week, the NFL Players Association released a video of Nix from the Rookie Premiere, giving us our first true look at Nix in the Mile High Orange. These uniforms are also new for the Broncos, and this is one of the first looks at Denver’s new threads on a player.

It’s exciting to see Nix go to a team coached by Sean Payton, one of the most successful offensive coaches in football, but he is walking into an organization that’s been riddled with quarterback turmoil. Since Peyton Manning retired after the Broncos’ 2016 Super Bowl victory, Denver has had 14 players start at quarterback. The Broncos believe Nix can end that long line of defeat, but only time will tell.

We also got our first look at Troy Franklin in Broncos uniforms from the Rookie Premiere, in videos released a few weeks ago. Franklin and Nix could be a special connection to the NFL, but Nix has other weapons as well. Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and DeVaughn Vele (another 2024 draft pick) are all talented wideouts and good names to know.

Of course, transitioning from Oregon to the NFL will mean a significant downgrade in Nix’s on-field fashion week-to-week, but these first glances at Bo in Broncos threads look pretty good.