12 Former Golden Bears In NFL Playoffs

By Cal Athletics

Cal will have 12 former players participating in the NFL playoffs that begin with Wild Card Weekend next Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 9-10. The dozen include 10 former players on active NFL rosters in C.J. Anderson (Denver); Brian de la Puente, DeSean Jackson and Nick Sundberg (Washington); Chris Harper (New England); Marvin Jones (Cincinnati); Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Mebane (Seattle); and Aaron Rodgers and Richard Rodgers (Green Bay).

The 10 former players on NFL rosters are joined by Carolina head coach Ron Rivera and assistant defensive backs coach Richard Rodgers Sr.

Eight of the 10 former Cal players on NFL playoff rosters will be in action on Wildcard Weekend with seven of those in the NFC and five in a game between a fourth-seeded Redskins’ team with de la Puente, Jackson and Sundberg that hosts and a fifth-seeded Packers’ squad with both Rodgers (Sunday, Jan. 10, 1:40 pm PT, FOX). A sixth-seeded Seattle team with Lynch and Mebane will travel to a third-seeded Minnesota squad the same day (10:05 am PT, NBC). Jones will be the only former Cal player in the AFC in action during Wild Card Weekend and open the action by former Golden Bears in the NFL playoffs when third-seeded Cincinnati hosts sixth-seeded Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 9 (5:15 pm PT, CBS).

The other two former Cal players on NFL playoff roster will open postseason action Jan. 16-17 during the Divisional Round. Chris Harper’s second-seeded AFC New England squad begins at home on Saturday, Jan. 16 (1:35 pm PT, CBS) while C.J. Anderson’s top-seeded AFC Denver team opens its playoff schedule on Sunday, Jan. 17 (1:40 pm PT, CBS).

Rivera, Rodgers Sr. and their top-NFC seed Carolina squad will also open playoff action in the Divisional Round on Sunday, Jan. 17 (10:05 am PT, FOX).

The 2015 NFL regular season ended Sunday.

NFL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
WILD CARD ROUND
Saturday, January 9, 2016
AFC – 1:35 pm PT – No. 5 Kansas City at No. 4 Houston (ESPN/ABC)
AFC – 5:15 pm PT – No. 6 Pittsburgh at No. 3 Cincinnati (CBS)

Sunday, January 10, 2016
NFC – 10:05 am PT – No. 6 Seattle at No. 3 Minnesota (NBC)
NFC – 1:40 pm PT – No. 5 Green Bay at No. 4 Washington (FOX)

DIVISIONAL ROUND
Saturday, January 16, 2016
AFC – 1:35 pm PT – No. 3 Cincinnati/No. 4 Houston/No. 5 Kansas City at No. 2 New England (CBS)
NFC – 5:15 pm PT – No. 3 Minnesota/No. 4 Washington/No. 5 Green Bay at No. 2 Arizona (NBC)

Sunday, January 17, 2016
NFC – 10:05 am PT – No. 4 Washington/No. 5 Green Bay/No. 6 Seattle at No. 1 Carolina (FOX)
AFC – 1:40 pm PT – No. 4 Houston/No. 5 Kansas City/No. 6 Pittsburgh at No. 1 Denver (CBS)

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Sunday, January 24, 2016
AFC – 12:05 pm PT – TBD vs. TBD (CBS)
NFC – 3:40 pm PT – TBD vs. TBD (FOX)

SUPER BOWL XLVIII
Sunday, February 7, 2016 (Levi’s® Stadium, Santa Clara, CA – 3:30 pm PT, NBC)
AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion