Kentucky football: former players set for NFL Wildcard weekend action
By Eric Thorne
Green Bay (1) BYE
Ok so to be fair it’s Wildcard Weekend for the rest but the player with probably the best shot of making it through will be watching this weekend in Za’Darius Smith. The Packers with the top seed in the NFC have the bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Smith had a stellar career at UK and has transitioned that to the NFL. He was signed by the Lions in the fourth round and subsequently traded to Baltimore in 2015. In 2019 the Packers signed him to a 4-year $66 million dollar deal that has paid dividends for Cheesehead fans.
In 2013-14 he racked up 119 tackles, 11 sacks, and three fumble recoveries for the Wildcats.
Smith noted what he loved about being at Kentucky.
"The coolest thing about being at UK is: the fans and the group of guys I’m around every day"
This year the 6-foot-4 272-pound defensive end has 35 solo tackles, 17 assists, and 23 quarterback hits. Against Atlanta, in week four’s 30-16 win he recorded eight tackles (4 for losses) with five quarterback hits.
The Packers 9/2 are the second favorite behind Kansas City 2/1 to win the Super Bowl according to Vegas Insider and that would be an intriguing matchup with Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes squaring off on the offensive side. Don’t think Smith wouldn’t love to be that Chiefs’ backfield all night long.
While I wouldn’t cash much of a ticket I’d take the Pack to be in Tampa.