NFL Playoffs To Feature 11 Former Cal Players

Information submitted by Cal Athletics:

The NFL Playoffs for the league’s 2014 season will feature 11 former Cal players that are members of nine of the 12 playoff teams including each of the NFC’s six postseason clubs. The playoffs begin with the league’s Wild Card Round next Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 3-4, 2015.

The 10 former Golden Bears that finished the 2014 regular season as players on active rosters of NFL playoff teams include Lorenzo Alexander (Arizona), C.J. Anderson (Denver), Thomas DeCoud (Carolina), Justin Forsett (Baltimore), L.P. Ladouceur (Dallas), Marshawn Lynch (Seattle), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), Richard Rodgers (Green Bay), Jeremy Ross (Detroit) and Shane Vereen (New England).

Ron Rivera is in the NFL Playoffs as Carolina’s head coach, while Marvin Jones (Cincinnati) and Brandon Mebane (Seattle) are on injured reserve for playoff squads.

Alexander, DeCoud, Forsett, Ladouceur, Rivera and Ross are slated to be in action during the Wild Card Round. Anderson, Lynch, Vereen, Aaron Rodgers and Richard Rodgers are scheduled to make their playoff debuts Jan. 10-11 during the Divisional Round.

The NFC playoff seeding has been settled with No. 1 Seattle and No. 2 Green Bay receiving playoff byes next weekend, while No. 3 Dallas will host No. 6 Detroit and No. 4 Carolina will welcome No. 5 Arizona.

No. 1 New England and No. 2 Denver have earned byes in the AFC with the seeding to be completed following the final regular-season game of the campaign Sunday evening between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The Cincinnati/Pittsburgh winner will capture the AFC North title, pick up the AFC’s No. 3 seed and host No. 6 Baltimore in the Wild-Card Round. The loser will be the No. 5 seed and a wild-card team on the road at No. 4 Indianapolis. Cincinnati would earn the AFC North title and the higher seed should the Bengals and Steelers tie.

DeCoud, Aaron Rodgers, Richard Rodgers and Lynch were all on teams that clinched Division titles with victories on Sunday, while Forsett and the Ravens earned a playoff spot with a win.

Telecast information and kickoff times for all NFL Playoff games are still to be announced.

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