Cooper Kupp out, but three other former Eastern Washington standouts appear in NFL divisional playoff games

From staff and wire reports

Los Angeles Rams receiver and former Eastern Washington star Cooper Kupp missed Saturday’s NFC Divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the result of a knee injury he sustained in a first-round victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week.

The absence of Kupp, who missed the Rams’ 2018 run to the Super Bowl after tearing his ACL against the Seahawks during the regular season, was felt this weekend.

Green Bay held off Los Angeles 32-18, and the Rams managed only 174 yards passing without their leading receiver.

“The Rams certainly miss Kupp today,” FOX broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt said as the Rams struggled to move the ball on offense.

Kupp, who also missed the Rams’ regular-season finale against Arizona due to a positive COVID-19 test, finished the season with 92 receptions for 974 yards and three touchdowns.

Two other ex-EWU stars appeared in the game, though.

Former EWU receiver Nsimba Webster returned four kicks for 96 yards for the Rams, including a 38-yard return, his fourth straight game with a kick return of 20-plus yards. He also had one tackle.

Former Eastern Washington linebacker Samson Ebukam also recorded one tackle for the Rams.

Ex-EWU star to play in AFC championship

For the first time in his 10-year NFL career, Taiwan Jones is headed to a conference championship game.

The former Eastern Washington running back helped the Buffalo Bills beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 on Saturday, earning a date with either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Cleveland Browns in next week’s AFC title game.

Jones, who plays primarily on kickoff and punt coverage, didn’t register a statistic on Saturday. He was the Bills’ special teams captain in 2018.