LSU, Louisiana players in NFC Playoffs | Who to watch in each matchup

The NFL Playoffs kick off this weekend with six games over three days and a slew of LSU and Louisiana representation.

Nearly two dozen (22) players will represent the Tigers this postseason, with another two dozen-plus (25) Louisiana natives also in the tournament.

Here are notes, matchup-by-matchup, on who, what, when and where to watch and how those players have been performing thus far this season.

Check out the seven NFC teams below, or click here for more on the AFC.

Packers at Eagles — Sunday, 3:30 p.m.

No. 7 wild card (11-6) at No. 2 NFC East champion (14-3)

Broadcast: FOX

Betting line: PHI -5.5

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (Amite)

The 2020 Heisman is the lone Louisiana native on Philadelphia’s active roster. Despite missing four games, the fourth-year standout led the team in receptions with 68 for 833 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. Smith caught 81% of the targets his direction in a season Pro Football Focus graded as his best thus far.

Eagles RB Tyrion Davis-Price (Southern Lab, LSU)

The third-year back from Baton Rouge, in his first season in Philadelphia, is on the Eagles’ practice squad heading into the playoffs. Davis-Price played five snaps in Week 17 and carried three times for 7 yards.

Eagles S Andre Sam (Iowa, LSU)

Another LSU player and Louisiana native on the Philadelphia practice squad, the rookie safety played 12 special teams snaps in Week 14.

Eagles CB Parry Nickerson (West Jeff)

The former West Jeff and Tulane standout joined the Eagles this year as his seventh team in seven NFL seasons. The speedy corner has been on the practice squad since October.

Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper (Covington)

The rookie has been among Green Bay’s top defenders all season, particularly as he earned a starting role and increased playing time down the stretch. Cooper has played 14 games with four starts and totaled 87 tackles, 57 solo stops, 3.5 sacks, a team-high 13 tackles for loss, four passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Packers OL Zach Tom (Catholic-Baton Rouge)

The third-year lineman has started all 36 of Green Bay’s games the past two seasons at right tackle and, per Pro Football Focus grades, has improved notably each year in the league. Tom was the Packers’ highest-graded blockers this season and second-highest offensive player overall, allowing just three sacks and two hits the entire season.

Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks (Plaquemine)

The former Green Devils standout finished in the top five of all three major receiving categories for the Packers this season with 39 catches (No. 4) for 415 yards (No. 5) and five touchdowns (No. 3). Wicks played in all 17 games with five starts, including four starts in the past six weeks.

Packers CB Robert Rochell (Fair Park)

The speedy corner played 11 games, primarily on special teams, during his second season in Green Bay, during which moved back and forth between the practice squad and active roster. Rochell, in his fourth year overall after two seasons with the Rams, has been on the active roster since mid-November and has a pair of tackles and a fumble recovery.

Commanders at Buccaneers — Sunday, 7 p.m.

No. 6 wild card (12-5) at No. 3 NFC South champion (10-7)

Broadcast: NBC/Peacock

Betting line: TB -3

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (LSU)

The 2023 Heisman winner has been among the major storylines of the season with his record-breaking rookie campaign to help lead an eight-game turnaround by the Commanders from last year’s frustrating 4-13 experience. Daniels completed 331 of his 480 passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his debut. His 69.0% completion rate was No. 6 among starters, and he was one of just four quarterbacks with at least 25 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions. He finished No. 23 in the league overall with 891 rushing yards — the most ever by a rookie quarterback and second-most among quarterbacks this season behind only reigning MVP Lamar Jackson — and No. 24 with six touchdowns.

Commanders OL Cornelius Lucas (Edna Karr)

The Commanders’ top-graded offensive lineman this season, according to Pro Football Focus, has been a Louisiana native. The veteran Lucas, in his 11th NFL season and fifth with Washington, has played in 11 games with seven starts. He began the season at left tackle before swinging to the right side and has, per PFF, allowed just one sack, no other hits and 11 hurries in 464 snaps.

Commanders S Percy Butler (Plaquemine)

The third-year safety out of Louisiana (Lafayette) played in all 17 games this season with his most extensive playing time and best performance coming this past weekend. Butler matched a season-high seven tackles and notched the highest tackling grade of his career and fourth-highest of the weekend among all players from Pro Football Focus. He finished eighth on the team for the season with 49 tackles and 29 solo stops.

Commanders DE Andre Jones Jr. (Varnado)

The second-year defensive end out of Louisiana (Lafayette) played in two games earlier this season and heads into the playoffs as a member of Washington’s practice squad.

Buccaneers WR Trey Palmer (Kentwood)

The speedy second-year receiver hasn’t seen as many opportunities this season, but has been fairly efficient with the snaps and targets that have come his way. Palmer caught 57.1% of his passes — a similar percentage to his rookie campaign — and upped his average depth of target to a team-best 14.1 yards to finish the regular season with 12 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown with no drops.

Buccaneers LB Deion Jones (Jesuit, LSU)

“Debo” signed with Tampa Bay last month, has played a few special teams snaps the past two weeks and enters the playoffs on the practice squad. Jones is in his ninth season in the league after six-plus years in Atlanta before stints in Cleveland, Carolina and Buffalo.

Vikings vs. Rams — Monday, 7 p.m.

No. 5 wild card (14-3) at No. 4 NFC West champion (10-7)

Broadcast: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+

Betting line: MIN -3

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (Destrehan, LSU)

The newly announced All-Pro, a unanimous selection, is the top receiver entering the playoffs after his former college teammate Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals missed the AFC cut. Jefferson finished the regular season with 103 catches for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns to surpass the 1,500-yard mark for the third season in the past four years. Minnesota had only had one 1,500-yard receiver — Randy Moss in 2003 — prior to Jefferson, who now only trails Jerry Rice’s record four 1,500-yard seasons in a career. Jefferson will participate in the second playoff game of his five-year career.

Vikings OL Ed Ingram (LSU)

The big right guard has started 42 games for Minnesota during his first three seasons, but has only played limited special teams snaps since Week 10 as veteran starter Dalton Risner, the team’s primary left guard in 2023, returned from injured reserve. Versatile fourth-year lineman Blake Brandel took advantage of his starting opportunity at left guard is Risner’s absence to maintain the role all season.

Vikings S Jay Ward (LSU)

The second-year safety has been a mainstay on Minnesota’s special teams units this season with more than 300 snaps and has also worked his way into some limited action on defense as a versatile player in the secondary with snaps at both safety spots and slot corner. Ward has six tackles and a pass breakup on the season.

Vikings DL Jerry Tillery (Evangel Christian)

The sixth-year defensive tackle played in all 17 games this season, his first in Minnesota, including 11 starts. Tillery has totaled 28 tackles, including one for loss, and deflected two passes and forced a fumble and has been credited by coaches and teammates as playing a bigger role, particularly in successful short-yardage stops, than his stat line might appear to indicate and has also been a top-graded performer on special teams, according to Pro Football Focus.

Vikings OL Cam Robinson (Ouachita/West Monroe)

Minnesota acquired the longtime Jacksonville left tackle a week before the trade deadline and plugged him immediately into the same role where he has played the second half of the season. Robinson has started the entirety of his eight-year career, aside from a season-ending knee injury in 2018. And, according to Pro Football Focus, has allowed three sacks and four quarterback hits in his first 10 games with the Vikings.

Rams LB Omar Speights (LSU)

The former Tigers’ linebacker has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the NFL’s rookie class. Speights signed with the Rams in the days after the 2024 NFL Draft and has played in all 17 games, including starting 10 of the past 11. He worked through a special teams role early in the season and has been one of the defense’s top performers during the second half of the season with 67 tackles, including 37 solo stops and two for loss, and two passes defended. His run defense and tackling grades from Pro Football Focus both rank in the team’s top four.

Rams OL Kevin Dotson (Plaquemine)

The fifth-year lineman has joined quarterback Matthew Stafford as the offense’s most consistent presences with 1,023 snaps each. And the former Plaquemine and Louisiana (Lafayette) standout has excelled in his opportunity as the second-highest graded player on the unit, according to Pro Football Focus. Dotson started the team’s first 16 games at right guard before resting in Week 18 and allowed just three sacks and six quarterback hits.

Detroit Lions (first-round bye)

No. 1 NFC North champion awaits lowest seed to advance.

Lions CB Amik Robertson (Thibodaux)

The former Thibodaux and Louisiana Tech star has been one of the hot names of the NFL week after his solid showing against Jefferson to earn one of the Lions’ game balls in their division- and bye-clinching Week 18 victory. Robertson has played in all 17 games, including starts in the past three and four starts total, in his first season in Detroit. He is the only player on the team with multiple forced fumbles (3) and is fifth on the team with eight passes defended and seventh in both tackles (50) and tackles for loss (4). The Lions’ first playoff game will mark the first postseason action of Robertson’s career. The Las Vegas Raiders reached the playoffs once in his four seasons, in 2021, but he did not play in the game.

Lions DL Mekhi Wingo (LSU)

The versatile defensive lineman was having a solid rookie season before being sidelined by a knee injury in Week 13. Wingo had played in 11 of Detroit’s first 12 games for a combined 177 snaps with nine tackles and a handful of quarterback hurries, but he has been on injured reserved since late November.

Lions LB Kwon Alexander (LSU)

Detroit signed the veteran linebacker off the practice squad of another eventual playoff team, Denver, in late November. Alexander started Week 14 and 15 games for the Lions after having played in three games and started two for the Broncos. The former Tigers leader, now in his 10th season with seven different teams, enters this postseason on the practice squad.