Badgers in the NFL, Week 17

The final week of the 2016 NFL regular season was a relatively mild one for the guys who used to rock the Motion W. If you’re looking for recaps of Weeks 1 through 16, look no further than here. ESPN keeps a tracker of active NFL rosters by college here.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback

Though Wilson and the Seahawks had already clinched a division title, they still had playoff seeding to worry about on Sunday. The game was closer than expected but the Seahawks clinched the No. 3 seed in the NFC and Wilson led the way. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown in the victory. The win was the quarterback’s 56th, tying him for the most in NFL history through five seasons. Seattle hosts DeAndre Levy and the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.

Wilson also lost a record over the weekend, one that he set during his lone season as a Badger:

Playoff-bound Badgers

In addition to Wilson, six former Badgers will be playing in the NFL playoffs:

• Wilson is joined by teammate Tanner McEvoy in the playoffs. McEvoy caught two of Wilson’s passes this past weekend, totaling 16 yards.
• Chasing Wilson down in Seattle will be Detroit linebacker DeAndre Levy. Levy and the Lions lost on Sunday to the Green Bay Packers, but were still able to gain a wild-card berth. Levy recorded three tackles in the loss.
• Jonathan Casillas (New York Giants) will take on the Green Bay Packers this Sunday night. The linebacker tallied six tackles in Week 17 as the Giants won and knocked the Washington Redskins out of playoff contention.
• The New England Patriots are headed to the playoffs for the eighth straight season, meaning James White will participate in the playoffs for his third straight season. White caught four passes for 21 yards and rushed twice for nine yards as the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. White and the Patriots earned a first-round bye in the playoffs.
• Travis Frederick’s Dallas Cowboys also earned a first round bye. They’ll play next on the night of Jan. 15.
• Dolphins center Kraig Urbik started against the Patriots and is headed to the playoffs for the first time in his seven-year career. They face the Steelers on Sunday.

Week 17 notes:

• JJ Watt’s Houston Texans are headed to the playoffs, but Watt has been on injured reserve and will not play. However, Watt continues to make a difference off the field:

• Brad Nortman ended his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars by landing three of four punts inside the 20-yard-line.
• Cincinnati Bengals return man Alex Erickson ended his rookie campaign rather quietly, returning a kick for 14 yards and a punt for no gain. Our friends over at Cincy Jungle wrote about Erickson’s climb from being undrafted to one of the top kick returners in the NFL.
• Joe Schobert got the starting nod in Week 17 and recorded two tackles for the Cleveland Browns.
• Los Angeles Rams tight end Lance Kendricks caught just two balls for 12 yards. Had he picked up that 13th yard, he would have gained an incentive bonus:

• Beau Allen wrapped up his third NFL season by recording two tackles in the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over Dallas.
• Ever wonder what Chris Maragos is up to? The folks at Badger of Honor published a piece that will allow you to catch up with the Eagles’ special-teamer.
• The San Diego Chargers held Melvin Gordon out of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it sure sounded like the second-year back was itching to play.