Four James Madison football alums will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl.
On Sunday, former Dukes offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie, one of three former JMU O-Linemen with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, started for the first time in his NFL career in the fifth-seeded Bucs’ 30-20 NFC Divisional Playoff win over the No. 2-seed New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
From start to finish, Stinnie, who earned All-American honors at JMU, was lined up at right guard. He earned the start in place of injured regular Alex Cappa.
Tampa Bay’s offensive line paved the way for the Bucs to rack up 127 rushing yards and a score on the ground while also protecting quarterback Tom Brady, who was only sacked once.
After the game, Bucs coach Bruce Arians told reporters: “Aaron Stinnie played his tail off. Knew he would.”
Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion, threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
“He’s a great guy, great leader,” Stinnie told the DN-R last week about playing with Brady. “He helps out a lot with teaching a lot of guys things. It’s an amazing thing to be part of.”
Following Brady’s 1-yard quarterback sneak run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, he was shown on the FOX broadcast celebrating with Stinnie and other offensive linemen.
Backup offensive tackle Josh Wells was also active for the Buccaneers. Veteran offensive lineman Earl Watford, signed by Tampa Bay last week after the injury to Cappa, was inactive.
It was the sixth straight win for the Bucs dating back to the regular season. They’ll face the top-seeded Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin.
“We have a great group of guys and we’ve been rolling in the right direction,” Wells said ahead of the win in New Orleans, “so it’s just about playing well now so we can keep it going.”
Green Bay beat the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. Former JMU safety Raven Greene had been productive with the Packers during the regular season – racking up 40 tackles, five pass breakups and interception – but he was forced to go on injured reserve in December with a shoulder injury.
In the AFC, the second-seeded Buffalo Bills eliminated the fifth-seeded Baltimore Ravens with a 17-3 win in the Divisional Playoff on Saturday in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Ex-Dukes safety Dean Marlowe played 16 snaps on special teams for the Bills. They’ll face the No. 1-seed Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl Champions, next Sunday evening at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game.
