Badgers in the NFL: Divisional Round preview

• Past notes, highlights and stories on former Badgers in the NFL
• A complete list of former Badgers currently on active NFL roster

As we covered last week, five former Wisconsin Badgers took the field in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. Two moved on to the divisional round, while three played their last game of the season. Here’s how they fared:

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback

Wilson got plenty of help on Saturday night against the Detroit Lions as Seattle’s running game totaled 177 yards and its defense held the Lions under 250 total yards, but he played quite well in his team’s 26-6 win. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.

When he wasn’t completing passes, Wilson was helping the run game by blocking downfield:

The win is just the latest in Wilson’s extreme postseason success, marking the eighth of the quarterback’s career, more than eight other franchises have in their entire history. It also gave Wilson more total wins than any other quarterback in NFL history through five seasons:

Jonathan Casillas, New York Giants linebacker

The Giants took a trip to Green Bay and came back with a disappointing 38-13 loss to the Packers. Casillas, on the other hand, had a nice day statistically—he led the team with 11 tackles.

DeAndre Levy, Detroit Lions linebacker

Levy’s season also came to and end as the Lions lost to the Seahawks. He entered the game listed as questionable, but played and recorded three tackles. Levy remains winless in his postseason career, 0-3.

Kraig Urbik, Miami Dolphins center

Urbik played in the first playoff game of his career as the Dolphins lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-12 on Sunday. It was an interesting trip to Pittsburgh for Urbik—the Steelers selected him in the 3rd round in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Bye week and non-playoff notes

• The Dallas Cowboys earned a first-round bye in the playoffs and will face Green Bay on Sunday afternoon. Travis Frederick and four of his teammates earned first-team All-Pro honors during the off-week:

This is Frederick’s first All-Pro selection.

• Running back James White and the New England Patriots take on the Houston Texans this Saturday. During the team’s off-week, Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com named White one of New England’s most-improved players this season.
• J.J. Watt will not take the field for the Texans on Saturday, but he was on the sideline to cheer his team on. Teammate Jadeveon Clowney joined Watt as the only defensive lineman to record a postseason interception in Texans history. Here’s Watt’s interception, in case you needed a reminder:

• In non-playoffs news, former Badgers and Packers receiver Jared Abbrederis announced he’s signed with the Detroit Lions: