The AFC Championship Game and the NFC Championship Game will be played on Sunday to determine who moves ahead to square off in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs will meet the red hot Tennessee Titans, while the NFC will feature a game between Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers and the team that passed on him in the 2005 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers.
Both games promise to be physical and entertaining, so no real sidebar is needed as far as rooting interest goes. But in case you were wondering, several former New York Giants will take the field on Sunday.
Here’s a quick look at each.
Kalif Raymond, WR, Tennessee Titans
Raymond entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Holy Cross, originally signing with the Denver Broncos in 2016.
After a brief cup of coffee with the New York Jets, Raymond would sign with the Giants in 2017 and then re-join the team in 2018. Ironically, he made a brief stop with the Titans between those two stints, again finding his way back to Tennessee in 2019.
Raymond appeared in six games for the Giants, primarily on special teams. He recorded one reception for 12 yards, lost one yard on one carry, while returning 13 punts for 61 yards and 11 kickoffs for 186 yards. He also recorded three special teams tackles.
B.J. Goodson, LB, Green Bay Packers
Goodson was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2016 NFL Draft and eventually became a starter on the inside. He spent three years in East Rutherford before being traded to the Packers as part of a seventh-round pick swap in September of last year.
In 37 games (20 starts) with the Giants, Goodson recorded 123 tackles (seven for a loss), three QB hits, 0.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Goodson’s best game came in Week 1 of the 2017 season when, in his first game as a starter, he recorded 18 tackles (14 solo) while taking 100 percent of the defensive snaps against Dallas. However, injuries prevented him from keeping that momentum going.
Robbie Gould, K, San Francisco 49ers
After a decade with the Chicago Bears, Gould signed with the Giants in 2016 after Josh Brown’s domestic violence suspension and spent just one season (10 games) in East Rutherford. But that season propelled him to a big contract with the 49ers in 2017.
Gould connected on all 10 of his field goal attempts that season, including going 4-for-4 from 40-49 yards. He did, however, miss three point after attempts, finishing the year 20-of-23.
For good measure, Gould also recorded a single touchdown-saving tackle that year.
Injured or not playing
There are several other Giants who will be on the sideline but not playing on Sunday due to injury or residence on the practice squad.
Here’s a quick look at those names:
- Weston Richburg, C, San Francisco 49ers (IR)
- Damontre Moore, DE, San Francisco 49ers (IR)
- Cameron Wake, OLB, Tennessee Titans (IR)
- Kenneth Durden , CB, Tennessee Titans (practice squad)
- Nigel Harris, OLB, Tennessee Titans (practice squad)
There are also two ex-Giants connections…
Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz is the brother of former Giants offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, and Chiefs quarterback Kyle Shurmur (practice squad) is the son of former Giants head coach Pat Shurmur.
