Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 1-3-20

Sports
2020 NFL Playoff Schedule
Dolphins Star
Georgia Tech Signee
The NFL playoffs are fi- nally here, and there's a big surprise in this year's playoff schedule (list: the New Eng- land Patriots will be playing on Wild Card Weekend. That's right, after nine straight seasons of landing a first-round bye, that streak fi- nally game to an end this year.
The Ravens, Chiefs, Pack- ers and 49ers all earned a bye through the wild-card round, which means you won't be seeing them on the field this week.
The Packers will have the longest break of anyone, and that's because they'll be host- ing the final game of the divi- sional round on Jan. 12.
Here's the entire playoff schedule from the wild-card round to the Super Bowl.
Wild Card Weekend Saturday, Jan. 4
No. 5 Bills at No. 4 Texans, 4:35 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC/WatchESPN)
No. 6 Titans at No. 3 Patri- ots, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS, stream on CBS All Access)
Sunday, Jan. 5
No. 6 Vikings at No. 3 Saints, 1:05 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV)
No. 5 Seahawks at No. 4 Eagles, 4:40 p.m. ET (NBC, stream on fuboTV)
NFL Playoff Wild Card Starts Saturday
Divisional Round
Saturday, Jan. 11
Vikings/Seahawks/Eagles at No. 1 49ers, 4:35 p.m. ET (NBC)
Titans/Bills/Texans at No. 1 Ravens, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS)
Sunday, Jan. 12
Bills/Texans/Patriots at No. 2 Chiefs, 3:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
Seahawks/Eagles/Saints at No. 2 Packers, 6:40 p.m. ET (Fox)
Championship Sunday Sunday, Jan. 19
AFC Championship, 3:05 p.m. ET (CBS, stream on CBS All Access)
NFC Championship, 6:40 p.m. ET (Fox)
XAVIEN HOWARD
Xavien Howard, a cor- nerback for the Miami Dol- phins, was arrested late Sunday night on domestic battery charges.
The South Florida Sun- Sentinel reports that accord- ing to police, Howard and his fiancee engaged in a ver- bal argument over a purse Howard purchased that she was not aware of. The argu- ment turned physical when he grabbed both her arms, pushed her against a mir- rored glass and then let her go causing her to fall to the floor, hitting her right arm against his crutches.
When police arrived to the scene Howard’s fiancee had noticeable scratches and red- ness on her wrist and fore- arm. Howard, who spent the back half of the season on in- jured reserved, due a knee in- jury, complained of knee pain and was taken to the hospital before being booked at the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail.
On Monday during his end of season news conference Dolphins head coach Brian Flores addressed the arrest, telling reporters:
“We’re still gathering in- formation on that. We take situations like that very, very seriously."
Howard was signed in 2016 as a second round draft pick and has racked up 140 tackles, 35 pass breakups and 12 interceptions during his career. He signed a five-year contract $75.25 million ex- tension in May.
BRYCE GOWDY
with Tech on Dec. 18, was to enroll at Tech in coming days. Gowdy’s death was a tragic shock to communities at Deerfield Beach High and Tech.
Arrested for
Bryce Gowdy’s Death
Domestic
Ruled Suicide
Battery
The death of Georgia Tech signee Bryce Gowdy has been determined to be a sui- cide, the Broward County (Fla.) medical examiner's of- fice said, according to multi- ple reports.
Gowdy, a promising wide-receiver prospect from Deerfield Beach, Fla., died Monday after he was struck by a freight train in Deerfield Beach. After authorities ar- rived at the scene shortly after 4 a.m., Gowdy was trans- ported to a nearby hospital where he died. Gowdy re- portedly jumped in front of the train. He was 17. Gowdy, who signed a letter of intent
Ohio State Star CB
Jeff Okudah To
Enter NFL Draft
All-American cornerback Jeff Okudah of Ohio State declared for the NFL draft on Wednesday.
Okudah is ranked as the No. 5 overall player on Mel Kiper's latest Big Board and is the No. 1 cornerback.
In his announcement on Twitter, Okudah wrote, "As I embark on the next part of my journey, I leave feeling like there was still more to be accomplished by this team. However, I also leave know- ing that the competitive ex- cellence that makes Ohio State the best university in the country has been in place long before I arrived and will continue long after I leave."
He also wrote a letter to his late mother on The Play- ers' Tribune, describing how Ohio State helped him through her death, shortly after he enrolled as a fresh- man in 2017. He also credits former coach Urban Meyer, current coach Ryan Day and former defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley among many
JEFF OKUDAH
others for his development. Okudah emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in the country, not only earning unanimous All-American honors this past season but also making the All-Big Ten first team and becoming a fi- nalist for the Jim Thorpe
Award.
He played perhaps his
best game of the season in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, limiting Clem- son's explosive passing game and high-profile receivers in the 29-23 loss.
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