UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Wild Card Weekend in the National Football League saw 27 Penn State football alums compete for 12 teams. One Nittany Lion was on a team who enjoyed a bye to the divisional round.
Twelve Nittany Lions helped their teams advance to the divisional round, including DaQuan Jones and Connor McGovern (Buffalo Bills), Ryan Bates and Jaquan Brisker (Chicago Bears), Jaylen Reed and Juice Scruggs (Houston Texans), Jesse Luketa (Los Angeles Rams), Caedan Wallace (New England Patriots), Ji’Ayir Brown, Kevin Givens and Yetur Gross-Matos (San Francisco 49ers) and Chris Stoll (Seattle Seahawks).
In the Bears’ 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers, Brisker was Chicago’s leading tackler. He posted nine tackles, including five solo, while playing all 71 defensive snaps. Fellow safety Nick Scott tallied nine tackles, four solo, in the Carolina Panthers’ 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Saquon Barkley recorded a 100-yard rushing day as the Philadelphia Eagles fell 23-19 to the San Francisco 49ers. He carried the ball 26 times for 106 yards, while catching three passes for 25 yards. He had a long run of 29 yards and a 20-yard reception.
Parker Washington finished off a big 2025 season with seven catches for 107 yards in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 27-24 setback to the Buffalo Bills. He hauled in a 6-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter. He added catches of 34 and 31 yards, while earning two carries.
Odafe Oweh made a big impact on the edge in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots. Oweh notched three sacks, among four solo tackles. He recorded two forced fumbles and added three quarterback hits.
In the AFC divisional round, the Buffalo Bills (Jones, McGovern) will take on the Denver Broncos on Saturday and the New England Patriots (Wallace) will face the Houston Texans (Reed, Scruggs).
In the NFC divisional round, the San Francisco 49ers (Brown, Givens, Gross-Matos) meet the Seattle Seahawks (Stoll) on Saturday and the Chicago Bears (Bates, Brisker) and Los Angeles Rams (Luketa) battle on Sunday.
Here’s how all 27 former Nittany Lions in the NFL Playoffs fared on Wild Card Weekend:
Saquon Barkley, RB (2015-17), Philadelphia Eagles
49ers 23, Eagles 19
- Second season with Philadelphia (eighth in the NFL)
- Rushed for 106 yards on 26 carries.
- Added three receptions for 25 yards.
- Had a long run of 29 yards and a 20-yard catch.
- Played 62 offensive snaps.
Regular season:
- Started 16 games in 2025.
- Rushed for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns on 280 carries.
- Added 37 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
- Had three 100-yard rushing games and four games with 100+ scrimmage yards.
Ryan Bates, OL (2016-18), Chicago Bears
Bears 31, Packers 27
- Second season with Chicago (seventh in the NFL)
- Played five snaps on special teams.
Regular season:
- Appeared in 16 games in 2025.
Jaquan Brisker, S (2019-21), Chicago Bears
Bears 31, Packers 27
- Fourth season with Chicago (fourth in the NFL)
- Made a team-high nine tackles, including five solo.
- Played all 71 defensive snaps and six on special teams.
Regular season:
- Started in all 17 games in 2025.
- Collected 93 tackles (52 solo), one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception and eight pass breakups.
- Returned an interception 32 yards against Washington on October 13.
Ji’Ayir Brown, S (2020-22), San Francisco 49ers
49ers 23, Eagles 19
- Third season with San Francisco (third in the NFL)
- Recorded four tackles, including two solo.
- Played 31 snaps on defense and one on special teams.
Regular season:
- Played in 17 games and made 12 starts in 2025.
- Tallied 76 tackles (44 solo), two tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and six pass breakups.
- Was NFL Defensive Player of the Week in Week 12 after recording five tackles and two interceptions.
Tariq Castro-Fields, CB (2017-21) - Philadelphia Eagles
49ers 23, Eagles 19
- Second season with Philadelphia (fourth in the NFL)
- Did not play against San Francisco.
- On practice squad
Regular season:
- Did not see game action after signing with the Eagles practice squad on October 13.
Dan Chisena, WR (2015-19) - Carolina Panthers
Rams 34, Panthers 31
- First season with Carolina (fifth in the NFL)
- Did not play against Los Angeles.
Regular season:
- Played in one game in 2025, seeing four snaps on offense and nine on special teams.
Jahan Dotson, WR (2018-21), Philadelphia Eagles
49ers 23, Eagles 19
- Second season with Philadelphia (fourth in the NFL)
- Had one target.
- Played 38 offensive snaps.
Regular season:
- Played in 17 games and made 10 starts in 2025.
- Caught 18 passes for 262 yards and one touchdown with a long reception of 51 yards.
- Added five punt returns for 48 yards.
- Had a 40-yard touchdown grab against the New York Giants on October 26.
Pat Freiermuth, TE (2018-20), Pittsburgh Steelers
Texans 30, Steelers 6
- Fifth season with Pittsburgh (fifth in the NFL)
- Caught one pass for 18 yards.
- Played 39 offensive snaps and two on special teams.
Regular season:
- Made 17 appearances and eight starts in 2025.
- Caught 41 passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns with a long reception of 68 yards.
- Had a season-high 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns on five catches against Cincinnati in Week 7.
Kevin Givens, DT (2016-18), San Francisco 49ers
49ers 23, Eagles 19
- Sixth season with San Francisco (sixth in the NFL)
- Did not play against Philadelphia.
Regular season:
- Played in five games in 2025 after returning from injured reserve.
- Recorded two tackles, including one solo.
- Played 116 snaps on defense and four on special teams.
Yetur Gross-Matos, DE (2017-19), San Francisco 49ers
49ers 23, Eagles 19
- Second season with San Francisco (sixth in the NFL)
- Played 34 snaps on defense and one on special teams.
Regular season:
- Made eight appearances after returning from injury.
- Tallied eight tackles, three solo, one pass breakup and two quarterback hits.
Daequan Hardy, CB (2019-23), Pittsburgh Steelers
Texans 30, Steelers 6
- First season with Pittsburgh (second in the NFL)
- Did not play against Houston.
- On practice squad
Regular season:
- Did not see game action after signing with Steelers practice squad on November 4.
Austin Johnson, DT (2013-15), Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
- First season with Jacksonville (ninth in the NFL)
- Recorded a solo tackle.
- Played 15 snaps on defense and four on special teams.
Regular season:
- Made 14 appearances in 2025.
- Recorded 12 tackles, four solo, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one pass breakup and one quarterback hit.
- Had a sack and a forced fumble on November 30 against Tennessee.
DaQuan Jones, DT (2010-13), Buffalo Bills
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
- Fourth season with Buffalo (12th in the NFL)
- Secured a solo tackle.
- Played 39 snaps on defense and five on special teams.
Regular season:
- Started in 12 games in 2025.
- Notched 22 tackles, 11 solo, three sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, two pass breakups and eight quarterback hits.
- Had a sack and a forced fumble on November 16 against Tampa Bay.
Jesse Luketa, LB (2018-21), Los Angeles Rams
Rams 34, Panthers 31
- First season with Los Angeles (fourth in the NFL)
- Did not play against Carolina.
- On practice squad.
Regular season:
- Did not see game action after signing with the Rams practice squad on November 18.
Connor McGovern, OL (2016-18), Buffalo Bills
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
- Third season with Buffalo (seventh in the NFL)
- Made the start and played all 63 offensive snaps.
Regular season:
- Started 16 games in 2025.
- Played 1,037 of Bills’ 1,132 offensive snaps (98%) this season.
Odafe Oweh, LB (2019-20), Los Angeles Chargers
Patriots 16, Chargers 3
- First season with the Los Angeles Chargers (fifth in the NFL)
- Recorded four tackles, all solo.
- Notched three sacks and two forced fumbles.
- Added three quarterback hits.
- Played 25 defensive snaps and five special teams snaps.
Regular season:
- Made 17 appearances and four starts in 2025, including five appearances (two starts) for Baltimore and 12 appearances (two starts) for Los Angeles.
- Collected 38 tackles, 20 solo, nine tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits.
- Recorded four tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks against Kansas City on December 14.
Micah Parsons, DL (2018-19), Green Bay Packers
Bears 31, Packers 27
- First season with Green Bay (fifth in the NFL)
- On injured reserve.
- Selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career.
Regular season:
- Played in 14 games and made 13 starts in 2025 before a season-ending injury.
- Recorded 41 tackles, 19 solo, 12 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one pass breakup and 26 quarterback hits.
- Had five tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and five quarterback hits against Arizona on October 19.
Joey Porter Jr., CB (2019-22), Pittsburgh Steelers
Texans 30, Steelers 6
- Third season with Pittsburgh (third in the NFL)
- Recorded two tackles and two pass breakups.
- Played all 68 defensive snaps and one on special teams.
Regular season:
- Started in 14 games in 2025.
- Recorded 52 tackles, 35 solo, one sack, one interception and 13 pass breakups.
- Had eight tackles, one sack and an interception against Indianapolis on November 2.
Jaylen Reed, S (2021-24), Houston Texans
Texans 30, Steelers 6
- First season with Houston (first in the NFL)
- Returned from injured reserve against Pittsburgh.
- Made three stops, one solo.
- Played 47 snaps on defense.
Regular season:
- Played in seven games and made one start in 2025 before going on injured reserve.
- Notched 14 tackles, nine solo, and one fumble recovery.
- Secured 12 tackles, nine solo, and a fumble recovery against Buffalo on November 20.
Nick Scott, S (2015-18), Carolina Panthers
Rams 34, Panthers 31
- Second season with Carolina (seventh in the NFL).
- Tallied nine tackles, including four solo.
- Played all 76 defensive snaps.
Regular season:
- Started all 17 games in 2025.
- Recorded 111 tackles, 64 solo, one interception, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
- Had nine tackles and an interception against the Los Angeles Rams on November 30.
Juice Scruggs, OL (2018-22), Houston Texans
Texans 30, Steelers 6
- Third season with Houston (three in the NFL)
- Did not play against Pittsburgh.
Regular season:
- Played in 17 games and made one start in 2025.
- Recorded 351 snaps on offense and 83 on special teams.
Chris Stoll, LS (2017-22), Seattle Seahawks
Bye Week Into Divisional Round
- Third season with Seattle (third in the NFL)
Regular season:
- Appeared in all 17 games in 2025 and made one tackle.
- Played 150 special teams snaps.
Brenton Strange, TE (2019-22), Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
- Third season with Jacksonville (third in the NFL)
- Caught two passes, on five targets, for nine yards.
- Played 49 snaps on offense.
Regular season:
- Started in 12 games in 2025. Missed five games due to injury.
- Caught 46 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns.
- Had a season-high 93 yards on five catches against Arizona on November 23.
Rasheed Walker, OL (2019-21), Green Bay Packers
Bears 31, Packers 27
- Fifth season with Green Bay (fifth in the NFL)
- Made the start against Chicago, playing all 71 offensive snaps and six on special teams.
Regular season:
- Appeared in 17 games and made 16 starts in 2025.
- Played 988 offensive snaps (94% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps) and 76 special teams snaps this season.
Caedan Wallace, OL (2019-23), New England Patriots
Patriots 16, Chargers 3
- Second season with New England (second in the NFL)
- Did not play against Los Angeles.
Regular season:
- Played in four games in 2025.
- Saw eight offensive snaps and 24 special teams snaps this season.
Parker Washington, WR (2020-22), Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
- Third season with Jacksonville (third in the NFL)
- Hauled in seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.
- Had a 6-yard touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter.
- Made catches of 34 and 31 yards.
- Had two rushes for two yards.
- Played 40 snaps on offense and three on special teams.
Regular season:
- Appeared in 16 games and made seven starts in 2025.
- Recorded 58 catches for 847 yards and five touchdowns with a long reception of 63 yards.
- Added 25 punt returns for 341 yards and two touchdowns and three kickoff returns for 75 yards.
- Tied for NFL lead with two punt return touchdowns.
- Had six catches for a season-high 145 yards and one touchdown against Denver on December 21.
Sal Wormley, OL (2019-24), Jacksonville Jaguars
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
- First season with Jacksonville (first in the NFL)
- Did not play against Buffalo.
- On practice squad
Regular season:
- Did not see game action after signing with the Jaguars practice squad.
Former Nittany Lions on NFL teams who concluded their 2025 seasons (regular season stats):
Abdul Carter, LB (2022-24), New York Giants
- First season with the New York Giants (first in the NFL)
- Played in 17 games and made six starts in 2025.
- Secured 43 tackles (25 solo), seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 23 quarterback hits.
- Tallied seven tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against Washington on December 14.
Sean Clifford, QB (2017-22) - Cincinnati Bengals
- First season with Cincinnati (third in the NFL)
- Did not see game action after signing with the Bengals practice squad on September 16.
Arnold Ebiketie, LB (2021), Atlanta Falcons
- Fourth season with Atlanta (fourth in the NFL)
- Made 17 appearances and three starts in 2025.
- Tallied 36 tackles (17 solo), five tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup and six quarterback hits.
- Had four tackles, including a sack, against Indianapolis on November 9.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OL (2020-23), New York Jets
- Second season with the New York Jets (second in the NFL)
- Started all 17 games at tackle this season
- Played 1,040 of Jets’ 1,048 offensive snaps (99%) this season.
- In 1,040 offensive snaps, was only called for one holding penalty.
Will Fries, OL (2017-20), Minnesota Vikings
- First season with Minnesota (fifth in the NFL)
- Started all 17 games this season
- Played 989 of Vikings’ 1,001 offensive snaps (99%) this season.
- In 989 offensive snaps, had zero holding penalties.
Mike Gesicki, TE (2014-17), Cincinnati Bengals
- Second season with Cincinnati (seventh in the NFL)
- Played in 13 games and made two starts in 2025.
- Recorded 28 receptions for 307 yards and two touchdowns.
- Had a season-high 86 yards and a touchdown on six receptions against Buffalo on December 7.
Blake Gillikin, P (2016-19), Arizona Cardinals
- Third season with Arizona (sixth in the NFL)
- Played in five games in 2025 before going on injured reserve on October 11.
- Averaged an NFL-best 51.7 yards on 22 punts (1,138 punt yards).
- Had a long punt of 63 yards and landed eight inside the 20.
Chris Godwin, WR (2014-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Ninth season with Tampa Bay (ninth in the NFL)
- Played in nine games and made six starts in 2025 after returning from injured reserve.
- Caught 33 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns.
- Had seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown against Miami.
Adisa Isaac, DE (2019-23), Baltimore Ravens
- Second season with Baltimore (second in the NFL)
- Spent entire 2025 season on injured reserve.
Coziah Izzard, DT (2020-24), New Orleans Saints
- First season with New Orleans (first in the NFL)
- Did not see game action after signing with Saints practice squad on November 5.
Theo Johnson, TE (2020-23), New York Giants
- Second season with the New York Giants (second in the NFL)
- Started in 15 games in 2025.
- Recorded 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns with a long reception of 25 yards.
- Caught two touchdown passes against New Orleans on October 5.
Jalen Kimber, CB (2024) - Cincinnati Bengals
- First season with Cincinnati (first in the NFL)
- Did not see game action after signing with the Bengals practice squad on December 2.
Kalen King, CB (2021-23), Arizona Cardinals
- First season with Arizona (second in the NFL)
- Signed from Carolina Panthers practice squad on December 23
- Played in one game in 2025.
Kobe King, LB (2021-24), New York Jets
- First season with New York (first in the NFL)
- Made 14 appearances in 2025, including five with Minnesota and nine with the Jets.
- Recorded 10 tackles, including five solo.
PJ Mustipher, DT (2018-22), Arizona Cardinals
- Second season with Arizona (second in the NFL)
- Played in 15 games in 2025.
- Made 32 tackles, 11 solo, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup.
- Had a season-high seven tackles against the Los Angeles Rams on December 7.
Hunter Nourzad, OL (2022-23), Kansas City Chiefs
- Second season with Kansas City (second in the NFL)
- Made 11 appearances and one start in 2025.
- Played 92 offensive snaps and 43 special teams snaps this season.
Amani Oruwariye, CB (2015-18), Baltimore Ravens
- First season with Baltimore (sixth in the NFL)
- Played in one game in 2025, recording one tackle.
Chop Robinson, LB (2022-23), Miami Dolphins
- Second season with Miami (second in the NFL)
- Played in 15 games and started three in 2025.
- Tallied 21 tackles, 10 solo, four tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, one pass breakup and seven quarterback hits.
- Had five tackles and 1.5 sacks against New Orleans on November 30.
Miles Sanders, RB (2016-18), Dallas Cowboys
- First season with Dallas (seventh in the NFL)
- Played in four games before a season-ending injury.
- Rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.
- Added eight receptions for 30 yards.
- Had a season-high 53 rushing yards on four carries against Philadelphia on September 4.
Jordan Stout, P (2019-21), Baltimore Ravens
- Fourth season with Baltimore (fourth in the NFL)
- Selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
- Played in all 17 games.
- Averaged 50.1 yards on 53 punts (2,657 total yards), ranking fifth in the league in punt average.
- Had a long punt of 74 yards and landed 24 inside the 20.
Mitchell Tinsley, WR (2022), Cincinnati Bengals
- First season with Cincinnati (third in the NFL)
- Made 17 appearances and four starts in 2025.
- Recorded eight catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
- Added a 10-yard punt return.
- Had two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown against New England on November 23.
Tyler Warren, TE (2020-24), Indianapolis Colts
- First season with Indianapolis (first in the NFL)
- Appeared in 17 games and made 12 starts in 2025.
- Caught 76 passes for 817 yards and four touchdowns.
- Added six carries for 8 yards and a touchdown.
- Tied for sixth-most receptions among NFL tight ends, while ranking fifth in receiving yards.
- Had a season-best eight catches for 99 yards against Atlanta on November 9.
Kevin Winston Jr., S (2022-24), Tennessee Titans
- First season with Tennessee (first in the NFL)
- Played in 10 games and made six starts in 2025.
- Recorded 34 tackles, 21 solo, four tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and four quarterback hits.
The 2025 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.