The first round of the NFL Playoffs is in the books, and there were plenty of former Florida players that took part in the Wild Card Round.
Jordan Reed and the Washington Redskins fell to the Green Bay Packers 35-18 at FedExField. Reed led the Redskins with nine catches for 120 yards and hauled in the lone passing touchdown from Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The former Florida tight end also made a highlight-reel one-handed catch in the second quarter on what could have been a pick-six by Green Bay cornerback Casey Hayward. Reed capped off the drive when he caught a 24-yard touchdown pass to put the Redskins up 11-0.
Former Gator wide receiver and now-converted Washington defensive back Quinton Dunbar had five tackles in the game as well.
However, both players’ efforts were for naught, as the Packers came back and eliminated the Redskins, ending Reed’s and Dunbar’s seasons.
Sharrif Floyd’s standout game overshadowed: Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd had an impressive game in his playoff debut.
After finishing the regular season with 34 tackles and 2.5 sacks, the 6-foot-3, 311-pound defensive lineman had three tackles, two of them for a loss, and one sack against the two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
The Vikings had control for most of the game, but after blowing a 9-0 lead, it came down to kicker Blair Walsh attempting a chip-shot field goal that would’ve sent Minnesota to face the Carolina Panthers. But Walsh missed the field goal wide left, ending Floyd’s and the Vikings’ season with a 10-9 loss.
Reggie Nelson has hair pulled on sidelines: In one of the most bizarre playoff games in recent history, former Florida safety and current Cincinnati Bengal Reggie Nelson was involved in a sideline dust-up with a coach.
In the first quarter of Pittsburgh’s 18-16 win, Nelson made a tackle on the sideline. Following the play, Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak appeared to pull Nelson’s hair. Nelson reacted by pushing Munchak, and the Pittsburgh assistant coach was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Pro-Bowl safety finished the game with three tackles and one sack. Along the defensive line, fellow Bengal Carlos Dunlap had one tackle and 0.5 sacks.
Pittsburgh offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert started and played every down, and the Steelers will be moving on to face the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.
Divisional Round matchups: The second round of the playoffs gets underway on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots. The Pats have just one active former Gator on their roster: linebacker Jon Bostic. The Packers will be taking on the Arizona Cardinals at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, and only Arizona offensive tackle D.J. Humphries has any ties to Florida.
On Sunday, the Seahawks will travel to Carolina to face the Panthers at 1:05 p.m., while the Broncos, with three former Gators on their roster (Andre Caldwell, Lerentee McCray and Max Garcia) host the Steelers at 4:40 p.m.
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed (86) pushes back Green Bay Packers free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (21) during the first half of an NFL wild card playoff football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
