Penn State Football well represented in NFC, AFC Championship Games

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to take on the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills on the NFL’s championship Sunday, the two title games will have a distinct Penn State Football feel.

Penn State Football is one of three programs in the nation with one or more alumni on the active roster for all four teams in the AFC Championship Game and the NFC Championship Game. That means at least one former Nittany Lion will be headed to Tampa Bay to play for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIV.

The Buccaneers might as well be Nittany Lions South, as wide receiver Chris Godwin, All-Pro offensive tackle Donovan Smith, and center A.Q. Shipley are all key contributors to Tampa’s high-flying offense.

Godwin will reunite opposite Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Adrian Amos, who had the most productive season of his career, producing a career-high 83 total tackles, a career-best two sacks, and intercepted two passes.

In a regular season meeting between the Packers and Buccaneers, a 38-10 Tampa Bay home win, Godwin caught five passes for 48 yards while Amos had three total tackles.

In the AFC Championship Game, offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski is playing for the chance to appear in his second consecutive Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, and win his third Super Bowl ring after being a stalwart along the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line in 2017.

Finally, Buffalo Bills center Ryan Bates has the chance to play in his first Super Bowl, if BillsMafia can pull off the upset of the defending champs in Arrowhead Stadium.

Smith, Bates, and Godwin are a testament to the increased talent that has rolled through the Penn State Football program since head coach James Franklin’s arrival in 2014, and there’s a chance at least one will get a chance to play on the game’s grandest stage next month.