Another Super Wild Card Weekend is in the books, folks.

Many Nittany Lions saw action and showed up with huge performances to help their respective teams advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Saquon Barkley stood out among the group by scoring two touchdowns during his playoff debut in the New York Giants’ matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

From outstanding playoff debuts to dominant wins, here’s a closer look at how Penn State’s NFL stars performed in the first round of the postseason.

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

Saquon Barkley had quite the playoff debut in the New York Giants’ 31-24 upset win on the road over the Minnesota Vikings.

Saquon? More like Sagone pic.twitter.com/ID8qeSaZY2

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 15, 2023

Scoring twice in the win, Barkley also ran for 53 yards on nine carries and grabbed five passes for 56 yards. While the stat sheet wasn’t the craziest, Barkley played a huge part in the Giants’ win, and New York will need to rely on him heavily if it wants any chance of advancing in the playoffs.

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

While the game didn’t end the way Mike Gesicki hoped it would, the former Penn State tight end caught his first career postseason touchdown in the Dolphins’ 34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

A playoff touchdown calls for a Big Mike Griddy
pic.twitter.com/LqvMCGA9gQ

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 15, 2023

Along with the touchdown, Gesicki had two receptions for 15 yards in his first-ever playoff game. It was an up-and-down season for the fifth-year tight end, but Gesicki becomes a free agent this spring and could be calling a new city home next season.

Odafe Oweh, Baltimore Ravens

Odafe Oweh was another Nittany Lion making his playoff debut this past weekend. Oweh grabbed his first postseason sack as well as two tackles, but it wasn’t enough, as the Ravens were defeated by the Cincinnati Bengals 24-17.

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

After having a strong first half of the season, Micah Parsons slowed down in terms of statistical numbers as the season progressed. While it didn’t show up on the stat sheet, Parsons turned in a dominant performance.

He only had two tackles, but he pressured Tom Brady nine times, which is the most any player has pressured the Hall of Famer over the last five years.

Micah Parsons made a difference for the Cowboys defense.

Parsons had nine pressures, the most anyone has had against Tom Brady in the last 5 seasons. Brady went 2-of-8 with a sack on those dropbacks. pic.twitter.com/v716l8ikyl

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 17, 2023

The Cowboys will travel to San Francisco next week for a matchup against the 49ers for a chance at the NFC Championship Game.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Also playing in Monday night’s game was Chris Godwin, who had himself a great night despite a poor offensive performance from the Bucs. Godwin totaled 10 catches for 85 yards in the Buccaneers’ blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers

When it comes to postseason kicking, Robbie Gould is Mr. Perfect. In his 18-year career, Gould has never missed a kick in a playoff game. That continued this past Saturday in the 49ers’ blowout 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Gould made all three PATs and went 4-for-4 on field goals, hitting from 31, 33, 34, and 46 yards.

Other Notables

• Punter Jordan Stout finished his impressive rookie campaign on Sunday night in the Ravens’ 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Stout had three punts in the game totaling 142 yards, with two of them landing inside 20.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Carl Nassib totaled two tackles, one being a tackle for loss, in a 31-6 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.