Kansas State University Athletics
Wildcats in the NFL – Week 18
Jan 10, 2022 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Each week throughout the 2021 season, k-statesports.com recaps the action for the 16 former Kansas State football players currently in the NFL. For stats on each play, click on their bio link.
Deante Burton, DB – Dallas Cowboys
Concluding his fourth NFL regular season and third in Dallas, Burton is on the Cowboys' practice squad. Dallas picked up a 51-26 victory at Philadelphia on Saturday night to finish the regular season with a 12-5 record. The NFC East Champions are the No. 3 seed in the NFC for the playoffs and will host sixth-seeded San Francisco in the Wild Card Round on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., in a game televised by CBS and Nickelodeon.
B.J. Finney, OL – Pittsburgh Steelers
Placed on injured reserve on December 15, Finney has missed each of the last four games, the latest a 16-13 overtime win at Baltimore to claim the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Steelers, who won three of their last four games to finish the regular season with a 9-7-1 record, will travel to face No. 2 seed Kansas City in the Wild Card Round. The contest is slated for Sunday night at 7:15 p.m. in a game televised by NBC.
Wyatt Hubert, DE – Cincinnati Bengals
Hubert, a seventh-round draft pick by Cincinnati in this year's draft, was injured during the offseason and is on reserve. The Bengals lost at Cleveland, 21-16, as Cincinnati finished the regular season with a 10-7 record. Winners of the AFC North, Cincinnati will be the No. 4 seed in the AFC for the playoffs and will host Las Vegas on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. in a game televised by NBC.
Elijah Lee, LB – Cleveland Browns
Lee, who was on the Reserve/COVID-19 list the previous two weeks, made a tackle on kickoff coverage among his 22 special teams plays in Cleveland's 21-16 home victory over Cincinnati. Cleveland finished the season with an 8-9 record.
Tyler Lockett, WR – Seattle Seahawks
Lockett carded his 87th-career start and 16th of the season as he came away with five receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns along with one rush for two yards in Seattle's 38-30 win at Arizona. During the game, Lockett went over 1,110 yards on the season, the seventh player in franchise history to hit that mark. He finished his seventh NFL season ranking fifth in the league with a 16.1-yard average per catch, while his 1,175 receiving yards ranked ninth and his eight touchdowns tied for 16th. The Seahawks finished the year with a 7-10 record.
Cornelius Lucas, OL – Washington Football Team
Lucas was in for one offensive snap and four special teams plays as he helped Washington end its season with a 22-7 win at the New York Giants. On the year, Lucas made seven starts and was in 591 offensive snaps. The Football Team finished with a 7-10 record.
Briley Moore, TE – Tennessee Titans
A rookie free agent signee by the Titans this past offseason, Moore was hurt during training camp and placed on injured reserve. The Titans wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the conference's only bye in the playoffs thanks to a 28-25 win at Houston. Tennessee finished the regular season with a 12-5 record and will face the AFC's lowest remaining seed in the Divisional Round.
AJ Parker, DB – Detroit Lions
A rookie free agent signee, Parker made his seventh start of the season and tallied three tackles, a pass breakup and forced fumble in the Lions' 37-30 win at Green Bay. Detroit finished the season with a 3-13-1 record.
Byron Pringle, WR – Kansas City Chiefs
Pringle earned his eighth start of his career and fifth this season, coming away with five receptions for 56 yards in Kansas City's 28-24 win at Denver on Saturday. He concluded his third NFL regular season ranked fifth in the league with a 24.8-yard kickoff return average. The AFC West Champions finished the regular season with a 12-5 mark, and the second-seeded Chiefs will take on Pittsburgh in the AFC Wild Card Round on Sunday night at 7:15 p.m., in a game televised by NBC.
D.J. Reed Jr., DB – Seattle Seahawks
Reed recorded six tackles among his 76 defensive snaps as he helped Seattle pick up a 38-30 win at Arizona. Reed started 15 games in 2021 to push his career mark to 24. The Seahawks finished the year with a 7-10 record.
Dalton Risner, OL – Denver Broncos
Risner, who has made 47 career starts, was placed on injured reserve prior to the Broncos' regular-season finale, which was a 28-24 loss at the hands of Kansas City. Risner has seen time on 2,815 of the Broncos' 3,178 offensive snaps (88.6%) since he began his career in 2019. The Broncos finished the season with a 7-10 record.
Duke Shelley, DB – Chicago Bears
Shelley was inactive during Chicago's 31-17 loss at Minnesota. The Bears finished the year with a 6-11 record.
Elijah Sullivan, LB – Kansas City Chiefs
A rookie free agent who was with San Francisco the entire preseason, Sullivan was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad on September 11. Kansas City earned a 28-24 win at Denver on Saturday to finish the regular season with a 12-5 record. The Chiefs, who won the AFC West, are the No. 2 seed in the AFC for the playoffs and will host Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round on Sunday night in a 7:15 p.m. game that will be televised on NBC.
Kiondre Thomas, DB – Los Angeles Chargers
A rookie free agent who spent the entire preseason with Cleveland, Thomas was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad on September 6. The Chargers fell at Las Vegas, 35-32, on a field goal as time expired in overtime, eliminating them from the playoffs and finishing their season with a 9-8 record.
Cody Whitehair, OL – Chicago Bears
Whitehair made his 95th-career start and was in for all 82 offensive snaps in Chicago's 31-17 loss at Minnesota. Whitehair was in for all 1,122 offensive snaps this season. The Bears finished the season with a 6-11 record.
Jordan Willis, DE – San Francisco 49ers
Willis had one quarterback hurry among his 15 defensive snaps in San Francisco's 27-24 overtime win at the Los Angeles Rams, a victory that put the 49ers in the playoffs. San Francisco finished the year with a 10-7 record and will be the No. 5 seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The 49ers travel to take on Dallas in the Wild Card Round on Sunday in a 3:30 p.m. game that will be shown on CBS and Nickelodeon.
Deante Burton, DB – Dallas Cowboys
Concluding his fourth NFL regular season and third in Dallas, Burton is on the Cowboys' practice squad. Dallas picked up a 51-26 victory at Philadelphia on Saturday night to finish the regular season with a 12-5 record. The NFC East Champions are the No. 3 seed in the NFC for the playoffs and will host sixth-seeded San Francisco in the Wild Card Round on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., in a game televised by CBS and Nickelodeon.
B.J. Finney, OL – Pittsburgh Steelers
Placed on injured reserve on December 15, Finney has missed each of the last four games, the latest a 16-13 overtime win at Baltimore to claim the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Steelers, who won three of their last four games to finish the regular season with a 9-7-1 record, will travel to face No. 2 seed Kansas City in the Wild Card Round. The contest is slated for Sunday night at 7:15 p.m. in a game televised by NBC.
Wyatt Hubert, DE – Cincinnati Bengals
Hubert, a seventh-round draft pick by Cincinnati in this year's draft, was injured during the offseason and is on reserve. The Bengals lost at Cleveland, 21-16, as Cincinnati finished the regular season with a 10-7 record. Winners of the AFC North, Cincinnati will be the No. 4 seed in the AFC for the playoffs and will host Las Vegas on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. in a game televised by NBC.
Elijah Lee, LB – Cleveland Browns
Lee, who was on the Reserve/COVID-19 list the previous two weeks, made a tackle on kickoff coverage among his 22 special teams plays in Cleveland's 21-16 home victory over Cincinnati. Cleveland finished the season with an 8-9 record.
Tyler Lockett, WR – Seattle Seahawks
Lockett carded his 87th-career start and 16th of the season as he came away with five receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns along with one rush for two yards in Seattle's 38-30 win at Arizona. During the game, Lockett went over 1,110 yards on the season, the seventh player in franchise history to hit that mark. He finished his seventh NFL season ranking fifth in the league with a 16.1-yard average per catch, while his 1,175 receiving yards ranked ninth and his eight touchdowns tied for 16th. The Seahawks finished the year with a 7-10 record.
Pop, Drop, and @TDLockett12 😤
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 9, 2022
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX pic.twitter.com/irzSubblr0
These two strike again.@DangeRussWilson | @TDLockett12
— NFL (@NFL) January 9, 2022
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/Y6KoPCGNl6
A pair of TDs for @TDLockett12 in the #NFLSeasonFinale 👏 pic.twitter.com/LfppSQ4whN
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 10, 2022
.@Seahawks WR @TDLockett12 became the seventh player in franchise history to record a 1,100 receiving yard season. #GoHawks
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) January 9, 2022
Cornelius Lucas, OL – Washington Football Team
Lucas was in for one offensive snap and four special teams plays as he helped Washington end its season with a 22-7 win at the New York Giants. On the year, Lucas made seven starts and was in 591 offensive snaps. The Football Team finished with a 7-10 record.
Briley Moore, TE – Tennessee Titans
A rookie free agent signee by the Titans this past offseason, Moore was hurt during training camp and placed on injured reserve. The Titans wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the conference's only bye in the playoffs thanks to a 28-25 win at Houston. Tennessee finished the regular season with a 12-5 record and will face the AFC's lowest remaining seed in the Divisional Round.
AJ Parker, DB – Detroit Lions
A rookie free agent signee, Parker made his seventh start of the season and tallied three tackles, a pass breakup and forced fumble in the Lions' 37-30 win at Green Bay. Detroit finished the season with a 3-13-1 record.
.@parkersisland forced the fumble and @Ifeatu_Mel recovered!#Lions ball‼️#GBvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/zZpfBLVuAU
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 9, 2022
Byron Pringle, WR – Kansas City Chiefs
Pringle earned his eighth start of his career and fifth this season, coming away with five receptions for 56 yards in Kansas City's 28-24 win at Denver on Saturday. He concluded his third NFL regular season ranked fifth in the league with a 24.8-yard kickoff return average. The AFC West Champions finished the regular season with a 12-5 mark, and the second-seeded Chiefs will take on Pittsburgh in the AFC Wild Card Round on Sunday night at 7:15 p.m., in a game televised by NBC.
D.J. Reed Jr., DB – Seattle Seahawks
Reed recorded six tackles among his 76 defensive snaps as he helped Seattle pick up a 38-30 win at Arizona. Reed started 15 games in 2021 to push his career mark to 24. The Seahawks finished the year with a 7-10 record.
Dalton Risner, OL – Denver Broncos
Risner, who has made 47 career starts, was placed on injured reserve prior to the Broncos' regular-season finale, which was a 28-24 loss at the hands of Kansas City. Risner has seen time on 2,815 of the Broncos' 3,178 offensive snaps (88.6%) since he began his career in 2019. The Broncos finished the season with a 7-10 record.
Duke Shelley, DB – Chicago Bears
Shelley was inactive during Chicago's 31-17 loss at Minnesota. The Bears finished the year with a 6-11 record.
Elijah Sullivan, LB – Kansas City Chiefs
A rookie free agent who was with San Francisco the entire preseason, Sullivan was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad on September 11. Kansas City earned a 28-24 win at Denver on Saturday to finish the regular season with a 12-5 record. The Chiefs, who won the AFC West, are the No. 2 seed in the AFC for the playoffs and will host Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round on Sunday night in a 7:15 p.m. game that will be televised on NBC.
Kiondre Thomas, DB – Los Angeles Chargers
A rookie free agent who spent the entire preseason with Cleveland, Thomas was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad on September 6. The Chargers fell at Las Vegas, 35-32, on a field goal as time expired in overtime, eliminating them from the playoffs and finishing their season with a 9-8 record.
Cody Whitehair, OL – Chicago Bears
Whitehair made his 95th-career start and was in for all 82 offensive snaps in Chicago's 31-17 loss at Minnesota. Whitehair was in for all 1,122 offensive snaps this season. The Bears finished the season with a 6-11 record.
Jordan Willis, DE – San Francisco 49ers
Willis had one quarterback hurry among his 15 defensive snaps in San Francisco's 27-24 overtime win at the Los Angeles Rams, a victory that put the 49ers in the playoffs. San Francisco finished the year with a 10-7 record and will be the No. 5 seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The 49ers travel to take on Dallas in the Wild Card Round on Sunday in a 3:30 p.m. game that will be shown on CBS and Nickelodeon.
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