Photo by: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
#FromStateToSundays: Conference Championship Update
January 31, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – Two Mississippi State players will for sure be sporting Super Bowl rings at season's end.
The Philadelphia Eagles will be taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona which means either Fletcher Cox and Darius Slay or Willie Gay Jr. and Chris Jones will be walking out of State Farm Stadium as winners.
Jones certainly did his part of ensure the Chiefs were back in the big game for the third time in four years. The All-Pro defensive tackle tallied four tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries in Kansas City's 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game.
Jones notched the first sack of his postseason career during the first quarter of the contest and added a second sack on third down with 41 seconds remaining in the game, which turned out to be the Bengals' final offensive play of the game.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), The Houston, Mississippi native recorded the highest defensive grade (92.3) of any player during the NFL Conference Championship Games.
Gay had one tackle and a quarterback hurry and was also responsible for a half-sack against Cincinnati. The linebacker from Starkville's sack came one play before Jones recorded his first so there were Bulldogs on back-to-back sacks during the AFC Championship Game.
Cox and Slay helped the Eagles stifle San Francisco's offense in a 31-7 win in the NFC Championship Game. Slay stacked up three tackles while Cox was also credited with a stop, holding the 49ers to just 164 yards of offense.
Elgton Jenkins of the Green Bay Packers was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career. Jenkins replaces Eagles' offensive guard Landon Dickerson and is the fourth MSU selected for this year's Pro Bowl joining Jones, Slay and Jeffery Simmons (Tennessee Titans).
Jones and Slay will be unable to participate in the Pro Bowl due to their Super Bowl appearances.
FLETCHER COX | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – DT | AT MSU: 2009-11
Career Postseason: 10 G, 10 GS, 21 TKL, 12 AST, 33 TT, 7.0 TFL, 2.0 SK, 9 QBH, 1 FF
Last Week: 1 GS, 1 AST, 1 TT vs. San Francisco 49ers (W, 31-7)
WILLIE GAY JR. | KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – LB | AT MSU: 2017-19
Career Postseason: 5 G, 5 GS, 7 TKL, 5 AST, 12 TT, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 SK, 2 QBH, 1 FF, 2 PD
Last Week: 1 GS, 1 AST, 1 TT, 0.5 SK, 1 QBH vs. Cincinnati Bengals (W, 23-20)
CHRIS JONES | KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – DT | AT MSU: 2013-15
Career Postseason: 14 G, 12 GS, 15 TKL, 12 AST, 27 TT, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 SK, 10 QBH, 9 PD
Last Week: 1 GS, 3 TKL, 1 AST, 4 TT, 2.0 SK, 3.0 TFL, 5 QBH vs. Cincinnati Bengals (W, 23-20)
DARIUS SLAY | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – CB | AT MSU: 2011-12
Career Postseason: 5 G, 5 GS, 9 TKL, 6 AST, 15 TT, 3 PD, 1 ST TKL
Last Week: 1 GS, 3 AST, 3 TT vs. San Francisco 49ers (W, 31-7)
The Philadelphia Eagles will be taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona which means either Fletcher Cox and Darius Slay or Willie Gay Jr. and Chris Jones will be walking out of State Farm Stadium as winners.
Jones certainly did his part of ensure the Chiefs were back in the big game for the third time in four years. The All-Pro defensive tackle tallied four tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries in Kansas City's 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game.
The @Chiefs defense has their third sack already! @StoneColdJones
— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2023
📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/fM5ertlhHi pic.twitter.com/lhSzm6KbtT
Jones notched the first sack of his postseason career during the first quarter of the contest and added a second sack on third down with 41 seconds remaining in the game, which turned out to be the Bengals' final offensive play of the game.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), The Houston, Mississippi native recorded the highest defensive grade (92.3) of any player during the NFL Conference Championship Games.
The #Chiefs blitz #Bengals QB Joe Burrow and LB Willie Gay gets to him for a sack on 2nd down. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/jhCYuYaKKi
— Devon Clements (@DevclemNFL) January 30, 2023
Gay had one tackle and a quarterback hurry and was also responsible for a half-sack against Cincinnati. The linebacker from Starkville's sack came one play before Jones recorded his first so there were Bulldogs on back-to-back sacks during the AFC Championship Game.
Cox and Slay helped the Eagles stifle San Francisco's offense in a 31-7 win in the NFC Championship Game. Slay stacked up three tackles while Cox was also credited with a stop, holding the 49ers to just 164 yards of offense.
CHRIS JONES: CEO OF SACK NATION
— PFF (@PFF) January 30, 2023
pic.twitter.com/khUoXis6in
Elgton Jenkins of the Green Bay Packers was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career. Jenkins replaces Eagles' offensive guard Landon Dickerson and is the fourth MSU selected for this year's Pro Bowl joining Jones, Slay and Jeffery Simmons (Tennessee Titans).
Jones and Slay will be unable to participate in the Pro Bowl due to their Super Bowl appearances.
Fletcher Cox is a boss, and on his way to another Super Bowl. With me here on his formidable defense… (can't lie, I love Fletch, and this one was special)… pic.twitter.com/p5CMus8pAm
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 30, 2023
FLETCHER COX | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – DT | AT MSU: 2009-11
Career Postseason: 10 G, 10 GS, 21 TKL, 12 AST, 33 TT, 7.0 TFL, 2.0 SK, 9 QBH, 1 FF
Last Week: 1 GS, 1 AST, 1 TT vs. San Francisco 49ers (W, 31-7)
- Part of team that is fourth NFL franchise to reach three Super Bowls dating back to 2004
- Part of team that is also fourth franchise to appear in multiple Super Bowls since 2017
- Part of defense that is first NFL team to allow 7-or-fewer points multiple times in the same postseason since Baltimore in 2000
- Will make his second appearance in a Super Bowl (2017)
Here's #Chiefs Willie Gay. pic.twitter.com/D3OnZZGjRz
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) January 30, 2023
WILLIE GAY JR. | KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – LB | AT MSU: 2017-19
Career Postseason: 5 G, 5 GS, 7 TKL, 5 AST, 12 TT, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 SK, 2 QBH, 1 FF, 2 PD
Last Week: 1 GS, 1 AST, 1 TT, 0.5 SK, 1 QBH vs. Cincinnati Bengals (W, 23-20)
- Recorded the first sack of his postseason career in a sack split in the first quarter
- Contributed to a four-sack first half, which is tied for second most sacks in the first half of a postseason game in franchise history and tied for fourth-most in a single postseason game in franchise history
- Part of defense that recorded five sacks, tying for the second-most sacks in a single postseason game in franchise history
- Will make his first appearance in a Super Bowl (Was injured in 2020)
"Don't you ever, ever, ever, and I'm going to look right into the camera when I say this, disrespect Arrowhead." - Chris Jones@StoneColdJones went off!!!!! pic.twitter.com/d0yXTATBsj
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 30, 2023
CHRIS JONES | KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – DT | AT MSU: 2013-15
Career Postseason: 14 G, 12 GS, 15 TKL, 12 AST, 27 TT, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 SK, 10 QBH, 9 PD
Last Week: 1 GS, 3 TKL, 1 AST, 4 TT, 2.0 SK, 3.0 TFL, 5 QBH vs. Cincinnati Bengals (W, 23-20)
- Record the first sack of his postseason career in the first quarter
- Contributed to a four-sack first half, which is tied for second-most sacks in the first half of a postseason game in franchise history and tied for fourth-most in a single postseason game in franchise history
- Added another sack in the game's closing minute to force a fourth-and-15 Cincinnati punt
- His two sacks are tied for the third-most sacks in a single postseason game in franchise history
- Part of defense that recorded five sacks, tying for the second-most sacks in a single postseason game in franchise history
- Recorded the highest overall defensive grade (92.3) and the third-highest pass rushing grade (90.9) during the conference championship week per PFF
- Part of team that secured third Lamar Hunt Trophy in the last four seasons and marks the third Super Bowl trip in the last four years
- Will make his third appearance in a Super Bowl (2019,2020)
Darius Slay is going to the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/hvyC1qc406
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 29, 2023
DARIUS SLAY | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – CB | AT MSU: 2011-12
Career Postseason: 5 G, 5 GS, 9 TKL, 6 AST, 15 TT, 3 PD, 1 ST TKL
Last Week: 1 GS, 3 AST, 3 TT vs. San Francisco 49ers (W, 31-7)
- Part of team that is fourth NFL franchise to reach three Super Bowls dating back to 2004
- Part of team that is also fourth franchise to appear in multiple Super Bowls since 2017
- Part of defense that is first NFL team to allow 7-or-fewer points multiple times in the same postseason since Baltimore in 2000
- Will make his first appearance in a Super Bowl
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