Concluding our new series for this season, UGASports highlights the top NFL performances by former Georgia players for the week.

There were more than 20 Bulldogs featured during the league’s Wild Card Weekend (January 13 through January 15). We reveal the top three performances below and detail what former Georgia players will be on display in the four divisional playoff games this weekend.

Inside linebacker Quay Walker spearheaded a Green Bay defense, which kept a highly potent Dallas offense off the scoreboard until the final play of the first half, in the Packers’ 48-32 upset win over the Cowboys. Playing 67 of his team’s 90 defensive snaps, Walker totaled a game-high 11 tackles (while making a significant play or two that won’t appear on the stat sheet). For the two-year veteran, who led the Packers in tackles for the second consecutive year, it was his fifth double-digit tackle performance of this season.

James Cook, who finished the regular season ranking fourth in the league in rushing (1,122 yards), had his best rushing performance in a month, gaining 79 yards on 18 carries (4.4 yards per carry) in Buffalo’s 31-17 win over Pittsburgh. Cook entered having averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in his previous three games. He also made four receptions in the victory. Following the win, Cook said Buffalo “wanted to show we could run the ball and we’re physical too.”

From the same game, Cook’s former Georgia teammate and current Steeler George Pickens also had a “notable” (and quotable) performance. Pickens (five receptions for 50 yards in the loss) made an incredible catch of a ball thrown behind him, later threw his helmet on the sideline, and finally addressed what he indicated as bad officiating:

Perhaps the top performance by a former Georgia player during Wild Card Weekend actually came in a losing cause by quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams. In the 24-23 setback to the Detroit Lions, Stafford completed 25 of 36 passes for 367 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The 120.9 passer rating was his second-highest for a single game this season. The 367 yards were the most Stafford had passed for in seven playoff appearances since the 2011 season. He ended the 2023 season on a tear, completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,072 yards, 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions in his final seven games. Stafford will next appear in the Pro Bowl, along with former Georgia players Cook, D’Andre Swift of Philadelphia, and Roquan Smith of Baltimore.

(Each of this weekend’s four 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.)

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, 4:30 ET): Texans- none; Ravens- Ben Cleveland (No. 2 RG) and Roquan Smith (No. 1 MLB).

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers (Saturday, 8:15 ET): Packers- Quay Walker (No. 1 ILB) and Devonte Wyatt (No. 1 DE); 49ers- Robert Beal (No. 3 RDE), Chris Conley (No. 3 WR), and Charlie Woerner (No. 2 TE).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (Sunday, 3:00 ET): Buccaneers- Jake Camarda (No. 1 P, KO, and H); Lions- none.

Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 6:30 ET): Chiefs- Mecole Hardman (No. 2 WR) and Malik Herring (No. 3 DE); Bills- James Cook (No. 1 RB) and Leonard Floyd (No. 2 EDGE).

Finally, we want to recognize Roquan Smith for recently being named to the esteemed first-team Associated Press All-Pro squad—and for the second season in a row, a true rarity.

When it comes to former Georgia players, only six in NFL history have been recognized first-team AP All-Pro as many times as Smith’s two: Champ Bailey (3x), Richard Seymour (3x), Terrell Davis (3x), Geno Atkins (2x), Jake Scott (2x), and Todd Gurley (2x).