Georgia football will be on full display on Saturday.
The NFL playoffs get underway on Saturday when the Houston Texans take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the first game of the wild card round. The Texans have been limping into the playoffs and playing some of their worst football lately, while the Chargers have improved drastically in their first season under Jim Harbaugh.
Like many teams around the league, both the Chargers and Texans are boosted by some top contributors out of Georgia, which has become one of the biggest NFL factories in college football since Kirby Smart took over as the head coach. Two of the best from the Bulldogs will be going head to head on Saturday when Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter and Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey square off.
Before the marquee matchup, Lassiter talked about the journey that he and McConkey have taken to get to this point, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
“Ladd is a great person,” Lassiter said, per Wilson. “I got nothing but good things to say. That's my brother. We go way back, since 2021 and even whenever we train together. … Ladd is one of my good friends, but he's an even better football player. He came up from nothing, really. He was a walk-on, paved his own way, started on scout team and got drafted second round. So, that speaks for itself.”
“Everything is coming full circle,” Lassiter later added. “Just excited to see him at this level and see myself at this level. That's something we dreamed of.”
Kamari Lassiter and Ladd McConkey will help decide Texans-Chargers
Not only are Kamari Lassiter and Ladd McConkey two key contributors for their respective teams, but the two rookies will play a huge role in deciding who comes out on top in Saturday's wild card battle.
Lassiter has played much of this season in the shadow of Derek Stingley Jr., who has a strong case to be a First Team All-Pro at cornerback this season. However, Lassiter has been a big part of why the Texans have had one of the best defenses in the NFL this season. Even as the offense has struggled the defense has carried them through the schedule.
On the other side, McConkey has been a revelation for the Chargers offense in a year where rookies have made a huge impact all over the league on that side of the ball. He is clearly already the No. 1 option for Justin Herbert in the passing game and is effective working from any position on the field at all three levels of the passing game.
McConkey has just about everything you want in a slot receiver. He destroys man coverage, he has reliable hands, he can make plays after the catch and he is already someone that Herbert clearly trusts.
The two former Georgia football stars will be two of the most important players on the field on Saturday, and they will go a long way in deciding who advances to the divisional round of the playoffs.
