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Stanford in the NFL: Divisional Round Recap

Two former Cardinal advance to the Championship Round

STANFORD, Calif. — The NFL playoffs have delivered through two rounds, with nearly every game coming down to the final minutes. Stanford’s original batch of former players in the league has been whittled down to just two heading into Championship weekend, with Austin Hooper and Colby Parkinson reminding fans that Stanford is “Tight End U.” They will play for a spot in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on Sunday, Feb. 8.

At the same time, the season came to an end for Pro Bowlers like Christian McCaffrey and Drew Dalman, whose teams could not pull through and advance to their respective championship games.

Below is a breakdown of each performance by a former Cardinal in the Divisional Round:

Seattle Seahawks 41, San Francisco 49ers 6

  • Christian McCaffrey (SF): Carried the ball 11 times for 35 yards and added five receptions for 39 yards…tied for the most targets (6) and receptions for the 49ers…finishes his 2025 season with 450 total touches across 19 games, the most in his NFL career and the second most by an NFL player, including the postseason, since 2015…
  • Curtis Robinson (SF): Played 27 total snaps, including six at linebacker…recorded two assisted tackles on those six defensive snaps…is the 49ers team nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, announced during Super Bowl week.

New England Patriots 28, Houston Texans 16

    • Austin Hooper (NE): Caught one of two targets for 14 yards…lone reception came in the third quarter for a first down…was his first postseason reception since the Divisional Round following the 2020 regular season for the Cleveland Browns…reaches the Championship Round for the first time since the 2016 season with the Atlanta Falcons.
    • Dalton Schultz (HOU): Caught two passes for 47 yards in the first quarter before exiting the game with a calf injury…finished the season with 87 total receptions, a new career-high, and 836 receiving yards, with three touchdowns.
    • Davis Mills (HOU): Did not appear in the Divisional Round game.

Los Angeles Rams 20, Chicago Bears 17 (OT)

    • Colby Parkinson (LAR): Started at tight end and caught three passes for 56 yards, tying for the Rams’ lead in receiving yards…his seven targets for second on the team…caught a 35-yard pass in the fourth quarter that helped set up a go-ahead touchdown, putting the Rams ahead 17-10 at the time…reaches the Championship Round for the first time in his career.
    • Drew Dalman (CHI): Started at center and played all 81 snaps for the Bears…finishes the season as the seventh-best graded center in the NFL, per PFF (72.7), helping him earn his first Pro Bowl nod.

The schedule for the Championship Round, with both former Cardinal tight ends, is below:

Sunday

New England Patriots (Austin Hooper) at Denver Broncos – 12 p.m. PT on CBS

Los Angeles Rams (Colby Parkinson) at Seattle Seahawks – 3:30 p.m. PT on FOX