The NFL Playoffs begin this weekend with six games between Saturday and Monday with several Black quarterbacks and head coaches.
The games will have five Black quarterbacks: Dallas Cowboys MVP candidate Dak Prescott, talented Houston Texans rookie CJ Stroud, Kansas City superstar and reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia Eagles “Brotherly Shove” recipient Jalen Hurts, and Green Bay Packers’ first-year starter Jordan Love.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback and leading MVP candidate Lamar Jackson will have the weekend off due to being the top seed in the AFC after leading the Ravens to an NFL-best 13-4 record. Miami Dolphins signal caller Tua Tagovailoa is a Hawaiian native born in ʻEwa Beach.
The NFL playoffs will also feature several Black head coaches who have guided their teams to successful seasons.
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin became the first coach in NFL history to start his first 17 years in the league without a single losing season
The Super Bowl-winning coach has kept the injury-riddled Steelers together, turning the hot seat under him ice cold with a season-ending three-game winning streak to make the playoffs. Three quarterbacks have started at least four games for the Steelers this season, including third-stringer Mason Rudolph, who will likely start their playoff game Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
Houston Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans, who was drafted by the team as a linebacker in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, guided the Texans to a 10-7 record and a wild-card matchup against the Cleveland Browns in his first year in the league.
The coach has been so successful that there are rumors of him leaving the Texans to replace legendary University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who announced his retirement this week.
The other Black coach this weekend is former New York Jets head coach and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. The former Morehouse College and Grambling State University defensive coordinator and secondary coach has been on NFL sidelines since 2000 for several teams, including the Cowboys, Browns, and Dolphins. Bowles has been with the Buccaneers since 2019, when he was an assistant under former coach Bruce Arians, who stepped down after last season.
The Buccaneers will host the Eagles Monday night on ESPN in the last game of the Wild Card round.
To check out the weekend’s action, click here.