Photo by: Donald Page/Tennessee Titans
#FromStatetoSundays: Wild Card Weekend Update
January 07, 2020 | Football
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – A pair of Mississippi State defensive legends went head-to-head in the first round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday night as K.J. Wright's Seattle Seahawks defeated Fletcher Cox's Philadelphia Eagles.
Cox was outstanding, both as a pass rusher and against the run. He was Pro Football Focus' top-graded defender across all four Wild Card games with a 93.2 overall grade. Cox exploded into the game, forcing a fumble on the second snap. The Pro Bowler went on to record four pressures and six total tackles, including two for a loss.
With his 12th career postseason start, Wright moved into a tie for 18th among active players. He then recorded the first sack of his postseason career in the third quarter. Wright was Seattle's second-highest graded pass rusher and ranked seventh in the NFL over the weekend.
A dominant performance from Bernardrick McKinney propelled the Houston Texans into the Divisional Round. McKinney led the team with 10 tackles, becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to record double-digit tackles in a postseason game. He was joined by tight end Jordan Thomas as the Texans defeated the Buffalo Bills in overtime.
Rookie defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons also caught attention as the Tennessee Titans upset the New England Patriots, handing the franchise its first first-round loss since 2009. Simmons was especially disruptive in the red zone, making first contact two yards behind the line of scrimmage on a crucial goal line stand from the half-yard line just before halftime. The Titans held the Patriots outside the Tennessee 47-yard line for the entire second half.
The New Orleans Saints and Second Team All-Pro special teamer J.T. Gray suffered a first-round exit in overtime at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. Gray led the NFL in special teams grade in 2019 according to Pro Football Focus, and his 91.6 grade was the fourth-highest since the metric began in 2013.
Hunter Bradley, Elgton Jenkins, Will Redmond and Preston Smith earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC with the Green Bay Packers and had a first-round bye this week. Chris Jones also earned a bye with the No. 2-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
The Packers will play Seattle in the second round, while the Chiefs will host Houston.
Below is a list of former Mississippi State student-athletes in the NFL Playoffs. Please use the link to view season and career statistics from NFL.com.
HUNTER BRADLEY | GREEN BAY PACKERS – LS | AT MSU: 2012-17
Career Postseason: First appearance
Last Week: First-round bye
FLETCHER COX | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – DT | AT MSU: 2009-11
Career Postseason: 7 G, 7 GS, 20 TKL, 9 AST, 29 TT, 5.0 TFL, 8 QBH, 1.0 SK, 1 FF
Last Week: 1 GS, 3 TKL, 3 AST, 6 TT, 2.0 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 FF vs. Seattle Seahawks (L, 17-9)
Career Postseason: 1 G
Last Week: 1 G vs. Minnesota Vikings (L, 26-20 – OT)
ELGTON JENKINS | GREEN BAY PACKERS – OG | AT MSU: 2014-18
Career Postseason: First appearance
Last Week: First-round bye
CHRIS JONES | KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – DT | AT MSU: 2013-15
Career Postseason: 4 G, 3 GS, 2 TKL, 2 AST, 4 TT, 1 QBH, 6 PD
Last Week: First-round bye
BENARDRICK MCKINNEY | HOUSTON TEXANS – LB | AT MSU: 2011-14
Career Postseason: 5 G, 5 GS, 21 TKL, 19 AST, 40 TT, 2 PD, 1 QBH
Last Week: 1 GS, 6 TKL, 4 AST, 10 TT, 1 QBH vs. Buffalo Bills (W, 22-19 – OT)
Career Postseason: First appearance
Last Week: First-round bye
JEFFERY SIMMONS | TENNESSEE TITANS – DL | AT MSU: 2016-18
Career Postseason: 1 G, 1 TKL, 1 TT, 1 QBH
Last Week: 1 G, 1 TKL, 1 TT, 1 QBH at New England Patriots (W, 20-13)
Career Postseason: 1 G, 2 TKL, 1 AST, 3 TT, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 SK, 1 QBH, 1 Safety
Last Week: First-round bye
JORDAN THOMAS | HOUSTON TEXANS – TE | AT MSU: 2016-17
Career Postseason: 2 G, 1 GS
Last Week: 1 G vs. Buffalo Bills (W, 22-19 – OT)
K.J. WRIGHT | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – LB | AT MSU: 2007-10
Career Postseason: 13 G, 12 GS, 60 TKL, 38 AST, 98 TT, 6.0 TFL, 1.0 SK, 1 INT, 4 PD, 3 QBH
Last Week: 1 GS, 4 TKL, 1 AST, 5 TT, 1.0 SK, 1.0 TFL, 1 QBH at Philadelphia Eagles (W, 17-9)
STARKVILLE – A pair of Mississippi State defensive legends went head-to-head in the first round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday night as K.J. Wright's Seattle Seahawks defeated Fletcher Cox's Philadelphia Eagles.
Cox was outstanding, both as a pass rusher and against the run. He was Pro Football Focus' top-graded defender across all four Wild Card games with a 93.2 overall grade. Cox exploded into the game, forcing a fumble on the second snap. The Pro Bowler went on to record four pressures and six total tackles, including two for a loss.
With his 12th career postseason start, Wright moved into a tie for 18th among active players. He then recorded the first sack of his postseason career in the third quarter. Wright was Seattle's second-highest graded pass rusher and ranked seventh in the NFL over the weekend.
A dominant performance from Bernardrick McKinney propelled the Houston Texans into the Divisional Round. McKinney led the team with 10 tackles, becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to record double-digit tackles in a postseason game. He was joined by tight end Jordan Thomas as the Texans defeated the Buffalo Bills in overtime.
Rookie defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons also caught attention as the Tennessee Titans upset the New England Patriots, handing the franchise its first first-round loss since 2009. Simmons was especially disruptive in the red zone, making first contact two yards behind the line of scrimmage on a crucial goal line stand from the half-yard line just before halftime. The Titans held the Patriots outside the Tennessee 47-yard line for the entire second half.
The New Orleans Saints and Second Team All-Pro special teamer J.T. Gray suffered a first-round exit in overtime at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. Gray led the NFL in special teams grade in 2019 according to Pro Football Focus, and his 91.6 grade was the fourth-highest since the metric began in 2013.
Hunter Bradley, Elgton Jenkins, Will Redmond and Preston Smith earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC with the Green Bay Packers and had a first-round bye this week. Chris Jones also earned a bye with the No. 2-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
The Packers will play Seattle in the second round, while the Chiefs will host Houston.
Below is a list of former Mississippi State student-athletes in the NFL Playoffs. Please use the link to view season and career statistics from NFL.com.
HUNTER BRADLEY | GREEN BAY PACKERS – LS | AT MSU: 2012-17
Career Postseason: First appearance
Last Week: First-round bye
FLETCHER COX | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – DT | AT MSU: 2009-11
Career Postseason: 7 G, 7 GS, 20 TKL, 9 AST, 29 TT, 5.0 TFL, 8 QBH, 1.0 SK, 1 FF
Last Week: 1 GS, 3 TKL, 3 AST, 6 TT, 2.0 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 FF vs. Seattle Seahawks (L, 17-9)
- Was the top-graded defender across all Wild Card games with an overall grade of 93.2 according to Pro Football Focus
- Also boasted the top run defense grade at 94.9
- Posted four total pressures
- Forced a fumble on the second play of the game
Career Postseason: 1 G
Last Week: 1 G vs. Minnesota Vikings (L, 26-20 – OT)
ELGTON JENKINS | GREEN BAY PACKERS – OG | AT MSU: 2014-18
Career Postseason: First appearance
Last Week: First-round bye
CHRIS JONES | KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – DT | AT MSU: 2013-15
Career Postseason: 4 G, 3 GS, 2 TKL, 2 AST, 4 TT, 1 QBH, 6 PD
Last Week: First-round bye
BENARDRICK MCKINNEY | HOUSTON TEXANS – LB | AT MSU: 2011-14
Career Postseason: 5 G, 5 GS, 21 TKL, 19 AST, 40 TT, 2 PD, 1 QBH
Last Week: 1 GS, 6 TKL, 4 AST, 10 TT, 1 QBH vs. Buffalo Bills (W, 22-19 – OT)
- Led the Texans with 10 total tackles, a postseason career high
- Became the fifth player in franchise history with double-digit tackles in a playoff game
- Recorded two pressures and three "stops," which is a tackle that constitutes a failure for the offense, according to Pro Football Focus
Career Postseason: First appearance
Last Week: First-round bye
JEFFERY SIMMONS | TENNESSEE TITANS – DL | AT MSU: 2016-18
Career Postseason: 1 G, 1 TKL, 1 TT, 1 QBH
Last Week: 1 G, 1 TKL, 1 TT, 1 QBH at New England Patriots (W, 20-13)
- Tennessee's top-graded pass rusher according to Pro Football Focus
Career Postseason: 1 G, 2 TKL, 1 AST, 3 TT, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 SK, 1 QBH, 1 Safety
Last Week: First-round bye
JORDAN THOMAS | HOUSTON TEXANS – TE | AT MSU: 2016-17
Career Postseason: 2 G, 1 GS
Last Week: 1 G vs. Buffalo Bills (W, 22-19 – OT)
K.J. WRIGHT | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – LB | AT MSU: 2007-10
Career Postseason: 13 G, 12 GS, 60 TKL, 38 AST, 98 TT, 6.0 TFL, 1.0 SK, 1 INT, 4 PD, 3 QBH
Last Week: 1 GS, 4 TKL, 1 AST, 5 TT, 1.0 SK, 1.0 TFL, 1 QBH at Philadelphia Eagles (W, 17-9)
- Moved into a tie for 18th among active players with 12 career postseason starts
- Picked up his first career postseason sack in the third quarter
- Recorded Seattle's second-highest pass rush grade (79.3) according to Pro Football Focus
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