Concluding the second year of this series, UGASports highlights the top NFL performances by former Georgia players for the week.

There were 15 former Georgia players featured on the active NFL rosters of the eight teams playing in the divisional round. Of those Bulldogs, we reveal the top performances below and detail what former Georgia players will be on display in the two conference championship games this Sunday.

Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams on a fourth-quarter comeback at Philadelphia that just fell short by a 28-to-22 score. The veteran quarterback, who will turn 37 next month, completed 26 of 44 passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions for a passer rating of 97.2. In the game’s final minutes, he engineered a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive to pull the Rams within a touchdown, and then drove the team to as close as the Eagles’ 13-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. For Stafford, it marked his sixth 300-yard passing performance in 10 career playoff appearances.

Smith was one of Philadelphia’s standouts on defense in the Eagles’ win over the Rams. The outside starting linebacker totaled three tackles and a sack in the victory. Smith’s fourth-quarter sack of Stafford caused the Los Angeles quarterback to fumble, which was recovered by Philadelphia and led to a score. Worthy of mention, during pregame introductions, Smith had paid tribute to Nakobe Dean by running out with his fallen Georgia-turned-Eagles teammate’s jersey No. 17 held above his head. Dean remains likely out for the remainder of the playoffs with a knee injury he suffered versus Green Bay in the Wild Card round.

With Carter creating absolute havoc yesterday, it can certainly be argued the second-year defensive tackle is the primary reason for the Eagles’ win to move onto the NFC Championship Game. Against the Rams, he participated in 69 of 71 plays—a lofty total for a defensive tackle especially in those type of weather conditions (the second-most plays for a defensive tackle for either team was 45 by Los Angeles’ Kobie Turner). In the process, Carter totaled five tackles, two sacks, and three quarterback hits. In addition, he defensed one pass and forced a fumble, both resulting in the fourth quarter. Carter’s first sack of Stafford was reminiscent of his sack of Jayden Daniels in the 2022 SEC Championship Game when Daniels, then the quarterback at LSU, was picked up off the ground. Stafford was lifted by Carter, as well. The second sack, a 9-yard loss by Stafford, came with the Rams facing third and 2 from Philadelphia’s 13-yard line with just over one minute remaining.

As for other notable performances over the weekend, Buffalo’s Jame Cook rushed for 67 yards on 17 carries and caught three passes for 15 yards in the Bills’ 27-25 win over Baltimore. In defeat, the Ravens’ Roquan Smith made eight tackles, the second-most by anyone on either team.

In Houston’s 23-14 loss to Kansas City on Saturday, ending the Texans season, cornerback Kamari Lassiter totaled three tackles. For the Chiefs, defensive end Malik Herring did not play.

Finally, following Matthew Stafford’s top-notch performance in Philadelphia, there was a notion that the loss to the Eagles could be the 16-year veteran’s final game in the NFL. According to Stafford, he needed to “take some time to think about [his future],” although he felt like he “was playing some pretty good ball.”

(Each of this Sunday’s two championship games is listed below with the former Georgia players currently on the teams’ active roster. In parenthesis following the player is where he is currently slotted on his team’s depth chart.)

NFC—Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 3:00 ET—Eagles 5.5-point favorite): Commanders- none; Eagles- Jalen Carter (No. 1 DT), Lewis Cine (No. 3 SAF), Jordan Davis (No. 1 DT), Kelee Ringo (No. 2 CB), and Nolan Smith (No. 1 EDGE).

AFC—Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 6:30 ET—Chiefs 1.5-point favorite): Bills- James Cook (No. 1 RB) and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (No. 3 C); Chiefs- Malik Herring (No. 2 DE).

Notably, no matter the results of the two championship games, there will be at least one former Georgia player—and as many as seven—on the active rosters of Super Bowl LIX. It will mark the 24th consecutive season a former Georgia player has participated in the Super Bowl.