Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Chicago Bears' season ended with a heartbreaking 20-17 over- time loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 18 in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Former Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker was one of the standout per- formers for the Bears, finishing with a team-high 14 tackles including a sack, and adding a pass breakup. It was an- other strong showing by a player who has developed into one of the team's defensive standouts, and the season's abrupt end hit him hard. "It hurts so bad," Brisker told report- ers afterward. "I gave my all. I know my teammates did, too. We worked so hard for this, just to get here and earn a home game in Chicago. It stung. We took them to overtime and got that stop. I felt like that was going to change the game, but it didn't." The Bears had sent the game to over- time on a miracle pass from Caleb Wil- liams to Cole Kmet in the final seconds. It went in the books as a 14-yard touch- down, but Williams had been forced to backtrack to near midfield and heaved an off-balance throw into the end zone that somehow landed in Kmet's arms to tie the score at 17-17. The Bears then forced a three-and- out on Los Angeles' first overtime pos- session, giving the ball back to Williams. But the drive ended with an intercep- tion, and the Rams kicked a 42-yard field goal to end Chicago's season. The Bears had enjoyed their best campaign in years, winning a divisional crown, earning the second seed in the NFC and putting together a 31-27 come- back victory over rival Green Bay in the wild-card round to set up the clash with L.A. But to Brisker, that just made the end result even harder to swallow. "When the field goal went through the uprights, that was tough," he said. "This group is not going to be here again. The team will look different, and that's sad, because this was a special group. I really care about my teammates and my coaches. I care about this city. Who knows what will come next?" Brisker is a free agent, and after mak- ing 93 tackles during the regular season and adding 23 during Chicago's two- game playoff run, he's expected to have plenty of options in the coming months. As much as he may appreciate Chicago, which drafted him in the second round in 2022, he could be one of the Bears who won't be back in 2026. FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL As of Jan. 19 Saquon Barkley (Played at Penn State from 2015-17), RB, Philadelphia Eagles: Part of an often-dysfunctional Eagles offense, Bark- ley finished with 280 carries for 1,140 yards and 7 touchdowns while adding 50 receiving yards and 2 scores. He had 106 yards on 26 carries in Philly's 23-19 loss to San Francisco in the wild-card round. Ryan Bates (2016-18), OL, Chicago Bears: Bates logged just 87 snaps in 2025, all of which came as part of the Bears' field goal unit. Ji'Ayir Brown (2020-22), S, San Francisco 49ers: Brown suffered a hamstring injury during the 49ers' win over Philadelphia and missed their 41-6 loss to Seattle in the divi- sional round. He finished the year with 80 tackles, a forced fumble and 2 interceptions. Abdul Carter (2022-24), DE, New York Gi- ants: Carter started six games as a rookie and finished with 43 tackles including 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Tariq Castro-Fields (2017-21), CB, Phila- delphia Eagles: Castro-Fields signed a fu- ture/reserve contract with the Eagles in early January, which keeps him with the franchise during the offseason. He was with the team throughout 2025, though he never left the practice squad. Sean Clifford (2017-21), QB, Cincinnati Bengals: Clifford spent the second half of the season on the Bengals' roster after being cut by Green Bay. He was on the practice squad with Cincinnati, save for the three weeks when he served as the team's emergency third quarterback on game days. Jahan Dotson (2018-21), WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Dotson played in every Eagles game this season, drawing 10 starts and totaling 637 snaps. He finished with 18 receptions for 262 yards and a touchdown. Arnold Ebiketie (2021), LB, Atlanta Falcons: For Jaquan Brisker, A Tough End To A Valiant Season G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS Brisker finished with 93 tackles and an interception in his fourth season with the Bears. PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO BEARS