The six former Cardinal who made it out of “Super Wild Card Weekend” all made contributions in the Divisional Round as their teams played for conference championship game appearances.

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11 former Cardinal were on active rosters when the NFL regular season came to a close, but “Super Wild Card Weekend” trimmed the list to six.

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The final week of the NFL season saw multiple former Cardinal earn opportunities to contribute.

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The second-to-last week of the regular season featured multiple standout performances from former Cardinal with their teams’ playoff hopes on the line.

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Sports Illustrated declared Stanford “Tight End U” earlier this year, and that reality was evident in Week 15.

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After three straight wins on the road, Stanford is headed for the bounceback year many expected in 2020. Stanford will practice in Santa Barbara to prepare for Saturday’s game against UCLA. The Daily’s Jibriel Taha, Sofia Scekic and Ells Boone gathered for one last time to tie up loose ends.

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It has been quite the journey for Colby Parkinson ’20 to notch his first NFL reception. On Sunday afternoon in Seattle, Parkinson recorded his first two NFL receptions, both from backup quarterback Geno Smith in the fourth quarter.

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Safety Michael Thomas ’12 of the Houston Texans and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips ’18 of the Buffalo Bills are two of the 32 nominees for the NFL’s most prestigious award.

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Stanford will travel to Oregon State with a chance to move above .500 for the first time since 2018. The Daily’s Sofia Scekic, Jacob Neidig, Ells Boone and Jibriel Taha huddle up to discuss signal callers, Stanford’s trajectory and their thoughts on “whatever it takes.”

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Sunday marked the second straight day the Cardinal emerged victorious in Seattle, but this time it was on the professional side.

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Stanford did just enough to leave Berkeley with a win and The Axe. Meanwhile, Washington has looked like the class of the Pac-12 North. On Saturday, the Cardinal and the Huskies will meet in Seattle.

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San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman ’10 made his long-awaited return to action this week. The five-time Pro Bowler turned in an impact performance on Sunday afternoon, recording seven tackles and an interception in his first appearance since Week 1 as the 49ers took down the division-leading Rams 23-20 in Los Angeles.

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For the first time ever, winless Stanford is playing winless Cal in the Big Game. For the first time since 2010 (when the freshman class was in the third grade), Stanford is coming into the rivalry game without the Stanford Axe on its side.

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After tight end Blake Jarwin was lost for the year in Week 1, Dalton Schultz ’18 was thrust into the starting role for the Dallas Cowboys. While Schultz recorded his best game statistically in Week 2, he made his biggest play this week: he caught the game-winning touchdown in a Cowboys 31-28 road victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

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After a stellar performance in his return from a high ankle sprain last week, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is set to spend more time on the sidelines, a major blow to the 3-7 Panthers’ playoff hopes.

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After two unimpressive showings, Stanford is 0-2 and facing a Washington State team it has not beaten since 2015. What was once a promising season is now anything but. Of course, all of that can change in an instant.

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As expected, Stanford lost its season opener to the defending Rose Bowl champs, 35-14. Less expected was Colorado hanging on for a 48-42 win over UCLA. Before Stanford meets Colorado on Saturday, The Daily’s Cybele Zhang, Jibriel Taha, Ells Boone and Jacob Neidig talk quarterbacks, a safety at quarterback and kicking.

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It didn’t take long for Christian McCaffrey to remind the NFL (and fantasy owners) why he is the highest-paid running back in the league.

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Before the Cardinal kicks off its 2020 football season, we took a look at the numbers behind the last and most successful decade of Stanford football.

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Last season, Stanford went 4-8 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time under head coach David Shaw ’95. No. 12 Oregon, the first opponent of the all Pac-12 season, won its first and only game of 2020 in the Rose Bowl. But the Cardinal just two seasons ago made a furious comeback and shocked Oregon in Autzen Stadium.

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A slew of injuries hampered many former Cardinal on the offensive side of the ball, but that could change soon as running back Christian McCaffrey could return this week.

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Familiar names to Stanford fans have been left off this weekly recap in recent weeks, but it appears that some players are nearing a return to action.

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With a team-high 14 tackles in a nail-biting 20-19 victory over the Washington Football Team, Blake Martinez '16 continues to solidify himself as one of the game's premier linebackers, ranking eighth overall this year according to Pro Football Focus. The 2016 fourth-round pick, who signed a three-year, $30 millon deal with the Giants last summer, also sits at third in the league in total tackles.

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The Indianapolis Colts fell short of a victory on Sunday, but that didn’t stop former Cardinal linebacker Bobby Okereke ’18 from recording a standout performance.

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