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Badgers in the NFL: Conference championships preview

One former Badger remains as the NFL season moves to championship weekend.

NFL: AFC Divisional-Houston Texans at New England Patriots Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Four entered, one remains. As the NFL moves to championship weekend, here’s how former Wisconsin Badgers fared in the 2017 divisional round.

James White, New England Patriots running back

Despite only playing only 12 snaps, White leads things off here for a couple of reasons:

  1. He’s the last man standing. Of all the former Badgers that played for NFL teams this season, only White still has a Super Bowl ring in his sights.
  2. In just his third season, White will play in his third AFC Championship Game this Sunday (5:40 p.m. vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers on CBS.) In his 2014 rookie season, the running back didn’t record a statistic but the Patriots won the game (and went on to win the Super Bowl). Last season, he carried the ball five times for 11 yards. He also caught five passes for 45 yards and led the Patriots with 16 targets as they lost to the Denver Broncos.
  3. White made the most of his limited opportunities against the J.J. Watt-less Houston Texans this past weekend. In those 12 snaps, he caught just one pass for 19 yards; which was this touchdown on an impressive route and throw:

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback

Wilson’s quest for a second Super Bowl win came to an end on Saturday, as his team fell short at Atlanta. The Seattle offense had issues with the Falcons’ tough defense all day, as Wilson threw two picks and was downed in his own end zone for a safety:

Wilson was sacked a total of three times and led the team with 49 rushing yards, another sign of Seattle’s offensive struggles. Overall, the quarterback capped his fifth season by completing 17 of 30 passes for 225 and these two touchdowns:

Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys center

Frederick and his Dallas Cowboys saw their terrific 2017 season come to an end on Sunday. The All-Pro center helped Dallas gain 138 yards (5.8 per carry) on the ground in the 34-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Tanner McEvoy, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver

Wilson targeted McEvoy once in Seattle’s loss but was unable to reel the pass in: