Which former Iowa Hawkeyes to watch in first round of NFL playoffs

IOWA CITY — The NFL’s “Super Wild Card Weekend” will have no shortage of former Iowa football players.

Eleven Hawkeyes will be playing in the six games spanning from Saturday afternoon to Monday night. (Others have first-round byes). Here’s your guide for watching all of them this weekend:

Saturday

No. 5 Las Vegas Raiders at No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals

Time: 3:30 p.m.

TV: NBC

At first, it seemed like Iowa fans could skip this game. As of Thursday, no active Hawkeyes were on either active roster. Then the Bengals elevated defensive tackle Mike Daniels from the practice squad to the active roster Friday.

Daniels also suited up for the Bengals in Week 18 although he has spent most of the season on the practice squad.

No. 6 New England Patriots at No. 3 Buffalo Bills

Time: 7:15 p.m.

TV: CBS

Saturday’s nightcap will feature three former Hawkeyes, including one relatively recent Iowa star.

Defensive end A.J. Epenesa, the 2019 Holiday Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player, is in his second season with the Bills. He came off the bench in 14 games in the regular season and had 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Behind Epenesa in the Bills’ secondary, another former Iowa standout is expected to play a more prominent role. Safety Micah Hyde, who did not miss a game in his four years at Iowa, has missed just one regular-season start in his last three NFL seasons.

On the other sideline, defensive tackle Carl Davis played in all 17 games for the Patriots in 2021 and had four starts.

This game almost had a fourth Hawk in action. Ike Boettger also is on the Bills, but the offensive lineman suffered a season-ending injury last month.

Sunday

No. 7 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Time: Noon

TV: Fox

A couple former Hawkeyes with Super Bowl rings will begin their quest for a second ring in the first of three games on Sunday. Mount Vernon’s Tristan Wirfs has continued to start on the Buccaneers’ offensive line while earning high praise from his teammates.

“He’s a great player. He’s a great person. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great worker,” star quarterback Tom Brady said in a news conference this week. “He’s obviously got a very bright future. … He’s proven to everybody that he can be counted on.”

Linebacker Anthony Nelson, who was a defensive end at Iowa from 2015-18, played in all 17 regular-season games for the Buccaneers and recorded a career-high five sacks in 2021.

Nelson was a limited participant in practice this week, though, per the NFL’s official injury report.

No. 6 San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 Dallas Cowboys

Time: 3:30 p.m.

TV: CBS

The 49ers’ George Kittle will be representing “Tight End U” in a playoff game for the fourth time in his five-year NFL career. Iowa fans likely will get more than just a glimpse of Kittle, who caught at least four passes in 14 of the 49ers’ 17 games this season.

Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston, on the other hand, will be making his playoff debut. The rookie has played in 15 games for Dallas, which posted its best regular-season record since 2016.

No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs

Time: 7:15 p.m.

TV: NBC

No NFL team playing this weekend has more former Iowa players on its active roster than the Kansas City Chiefs.

Linebacker Ben Niemann, now in his fourth year in the NFL, played in all 17 games for the Chiefs and made five starts. Had the Los Angeles Chargers not given up a game-clinching field goal at the end of overtime in Week 18, his brother Nick would’ve also been in the playoffs.

A fan doesn’t have to look far from Niemann to spot another former Hawkeye. Fellow linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who was at Iowa from 2010-13, also has played in and started 15 of the Chiefs’ 17 games.

On the other side of the ball, Austin Blythe has been serving as the Chiefs’ backup center. Blythe appeared in four games in 2021 after starting all but one game from 2018-20 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts.

Monday

No. 5 Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams

Time: 7:15 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Offensive lineman Alaric Jackson and defensive back Jack Gervase are on the Rams’ active roster although they’re both in reserve roles.

Jackson appeared in four games for Los Angeles, including three of the last five games, as a rookie. Gervase, in his third season in the NFL, played in two games.

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