Red Raiders boast 11 alumni heading to NFL Playoffs
January 09, 2023 | Football
Kerry Hyder Jr. kicks off the NFL Playoffs Saturday afternoon with the San Francisco 49ers
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech football program will have 11 of its alumni featured on NFL Playoff rosters beginning this weekend with the start of the Wild Card round.
The NFL Playoffs kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT Saturday with the Seattle Seahawks playing at San Francisco, which will include Kerry Hyder Jr. on the 49ers' defensive front. Hyder, now in his eighth NFL season, totaled 19 tackles and a sack over 16 appearances during the regular season for a 49ers team that is the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Sam Eguavoen and Erik Ezukanma will both start Sunday's action as their Miami Dolphins travel to Buffalo for a 12 p.m. CT kick on CBS. It will be the first career playoff appearance for both Ezukanma and Eguavoen, who is wrapping his fourth season with the Dolphins. Ezukanma enters the playoffs coming off his NFL debut Sunday versus the Jets where he hauled in his first professional catch.
Sunday's action continues with Davis Webb and Jack Anderson and the New York Giants at Minnesota in a 3:30 p.m. start on FOX. Anderson has appeared in 11 games with two starts up front for the Giants so far this season, while Webb made his first NFL start on Sunday versus the Eagles where he completed 23-of-40 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing six times for 41 yards and another score.
Broderick Washington Jr. will conclude Sunday's triple header as his Baltimore Ravens travel to Cincinnati for a 7:15 p.m. CT kick on NBC. Washington, now in his third NFL season, put together his best performance of his professional career with the Ravens this year, totaling a career-best 49 tackles up front while starting in nine of his 17 games played.
The NFL Playoffs will be officially down to eight remaining teams Monday night after the Dallas Cowboys travel to Tampa Bay. Kaylon Geiger Sr. appeared in two games this year as a practice squad member for the Bucs after being signed as an undrafted free agent following his one year with the Red Raiders.
In addition to the nine Red Raiders on NFL Playoff rosters this weekend, two others will watch the action from home as Kansas City, featuring NFL MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes II, and the Philadelphia Eagles are the top seeds in both divisions. Zech McPhearson is in his second season with the Eagles where he was a Pro Bowl nominee as a special teams ace. McPhearson, who had 14 tackles over 17 games in the regular season, recorded his first career sack after snuffing out a fake field goal attempt Sunday versus the Giants.
Mahomes, meanwhile, is a favorite to collect NFL MVP honors for the second time in his career after he threw for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns this season, while also rushing for 358 yards and four more scores. It was the second 5,000-yard passing season of Mahomes' career as he is the youngest quarterback in history to do so. Mahomes set the NFL single-season record for most total yards by a quarterback against the Raiders on Saturday, snapping the previous mark by Drew Brees with his 5,614 total yards this season.
Two notable alumni will unfortunately miss out on the playoffs as Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks and Cowboys offensive lineman Terence Steele both suffered season-ending injuries late in the regular season.
RED RAIDERS ON NFL PLAYOFF ROSTERS
Jack Anderson (OL) – New York Giants
Jordyn Brooks (LB) – Seattle Seahawks
Sam Eguavoen (LB) – Miami Dolphins
Erik Ezukanma (WR) – Miami Dolphins
Kaylon Geiger Sr. (WR) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kerry Hyder Jr. (DL) – San Francisco 49ers
Patrick Mahomes II (QB) – Kansas City Chiefs
Zech McPhearson (DB) – Philadelphia Eagles
Terence Steele (OL) – Dallas Cowboys
Broderick Washington (Jr.) – Baltimore Ravens
Davis Webb (QB) – New York Giants
NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Saturday
Seattle at San Francisco – 3:30 p.m. CT (FOX)
Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville – 7:15 p.m. CT (NBC)
Sunday
Miami at Buffalo – 12 p.m. CT (CBS)
New York Giants at Minnesota – 3:30 p.m. CT (FOX)
Baltimore at Cincinnati – 7:15 p.m. CT (NBC)
Monday
Dallas at Tampa Bay – 7:15 p.m. CT (ESPN)