A handful of former Michigan Wolverines took the field for the NFL’s Wild Card round, and six of the eight remaining teams have at least one former Wolverine on their roster.
Let’s take a look at the best
performances from last weekend, starting with a rookie who had an impressive playoff debut.
Colston Loveland sets rookie TE playoff record in Bears comeback win
Between the Bears’ win and the Cubs signing Alex Bregman, Chicago fans reading this article had one hell of a Saturday night.
Down 18 points at the half, the Bears came storming back to beat the Packers, 31-27, and rookie tight end Colston Loveland is a big reason why the comeback happened.
Loveland, who has become a go-to target for Caleb Williams, caught a team-high eight passes for 137 yards. He had the second-most yards out of any pass catcher last weekend behind only Christian Kirk with the Houston Texans (144).
Per NFL+, Loveland is the first rookie tight end to have eight or more receptions and 100 or more yards in a playoff game in NFL history.
NFL analysts often say tight end is the hardest position for rookies, as you have to both block and learn an entire playbook full of passing concepts. While he got off to a relatively slow start, Loveland finished the regular season with 58 catches, 713 yards and six touchdowns.
Under head coach Ben Johnson, Loveland is a key tool for the Bears. If he can continue to be the safety blanket for Williams, he’s going to have a long NFL career.
Other notable performances
-In a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins caught three passes for 21 yards. Collins, who was just named to his second Pro Bowl, left the game with a concussion. As of this writing, it is unclear if he will play in the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots.
This is Collins’ second concussion of the season, as he missed a game for his first concussion back in October. He’s an important part of the Houston passing attack, but after suffering his second concussion in three months, it feels unlikely he takes the field on Sunday.
In that same game, safety Jabrill Peppers recorded two tackles for the Steelers.
-In a win over the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum had 11 carries for 45 yards, and linebacker Josaiah Stewart had two tackles.
-In that Bears win, Rashan Gary had a tackle, a pass defensed and a quarterback hit for the Packers.
-In a win over Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers, guard Mike Onwenu was part of a New England offensive line that helped the team rush for 146 yards, but the group did allow Drake Maye to be sacked five times.
On PFF, Onwenu finished the regular season as a top-10 guard in offense grade (78.5, seventh of 81 qualifying guards) and in pass blocking (79.3, third of 80 qualifying guards).
Wolverines to watch in Divisional Round
Saturday, Jan. 17
- Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos, 4:30 p.m. on CBS — none for Bills or Broncos
- San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks, 8 p.m. on FOX — offensive lineman Drake Nugent for the 49ers, running back Zach Charbonnet, tight end A.J. Barner, offensive lineman Olu Oluwatimi, defensive lineman Mike Morris and head coach Mike Macdonald for the Seahawks
Sunday, Jan. 18
- Houston Texans vs New England Patriots, 3 p.m. on ESPN/ABC — wide receiver Nico Collins for the Texans (TBD with concussion), offensive lineman Mike Onwenu for the Patriots
- Los Angeles Rams vs Chicago Bears, 6:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock — running back Blake Corum, cornerback Josh Wallace and linebacker Josaiah Stewart for the Rams, tight end Colston Loveland for the Bears
