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Week 17 of the NFL is almost over, and with it, is the dream of a Super Bowl for 20 teams. Ohio State has a good number of representatives in the postseason run, with a few being favored to make it to the big game. Finishing out the regular season was a dream lost for some, who were sidelined earlier this season with a wide array of injuries.
There is still a chance that a former Buckeye walks away from the 2015 season with a shiny new Super Bowl Championship ring.
Playoff picture is set
Fourteen former Buckeyes have earned a spot in the NFL postseason, with the stacked Steelers narrowly making the playoff with a win Sunday over the Browns and a Jets loss. Despite one loss, the Panthers -- and the four Buckeyes on roster -- are still the team to beat on the way to the Super Bowl.
| Carolina Panthers | Cincinnati Bengals | Denver Broncos | Green Bay Packers | Houston Texans | New England Patriots | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Brown, Corey | Hawk, A.J. | Roby, Bradley | Linsley, Corey | Simon, John | Ebner, Nate | Allen, Will |
| Coleman, Kurt* | Nugent, Mike | Grant, Doran | ||||
| Ginn Jr, Ted* | Heyward, Cameron | |||||
| Norwell, Andrew | Shazier, Ryan | |||||
| *Both Coleman (foot) and Ginn (knee) sat out in Week 17 after having already clinched a playoff spot | ||||||
Buckeyes fill IR lists
This has been a tough season for a lot of former Ohio State players, with almost a quarter of them finishing the season on their team's injured reserve list. Almost all of these players should have plenty of time to rehab during the offseason, and come back ready to go in 2016.
| PLAYER | TEAM | POSITION | INJURY |
| Adams, Mike* | Pittsburgh Steelers | Offensive Tackle | Back |
| Boone, Alex | San Francisco 49ers | Guard | Knee |
| Hankins, Johnathan | New York Giants | Defensive Tackle | Torn Pectoral Muscle |
| Hartline, Brian | Cleveland Browns | Wide Receiver | Broken Clavicle |
| Heuerman, Jeff | Denver Broncos | Tight End | Knee |
| Howard, Travis | Atlanta Falcons | Cornerback | Shoulder |
| Hyde, Carlos | San Francisco 49ers | Running Back | Foot |
| Smith, Devin | New York Jets | Wide Receiver | Torn ACL |
| *Adams has been on PUP since 9/2/15 | |||
Play of the week
Terrelle Pryor
Pryor made his first career reception as a wide receiver on Sunday against the Steelers -- and several guys he used to call teammates -- and it was a beautifully fought-for 42-yard grab. He was also listed on the depth chart at quarterback, and took a good number of reps with the first team during last week's practice.
Terrelle Pryor with his first catch as a Brown! #PITvsCLE https://t.co/ahEbE5RQtH
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 3, 2016
The Browns have already made big changes, including firing head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer, and there are A LOT of rumors about quaterback Johnny Manziel heading anywhere else this offseason. With a good final showing, Pryor may have done enough to earn a spot in Cleveland next year.
Other note
With the NFL regular season coming to a close, the draft order for 2016 is pretty much set. With up to five Buckeyes expected to go in the first round, here are the first ten teams that will get their choice among Ohio State's elite.
Top 10 picks in the 2016 NFL Draft: 1. Titans 2. Browns 3. Chargers 4. Cowboys 5. Jaguars 6. Ravens 7. 49ers 8. Dolphins 9. Bucs 10. Giants
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 4, 2016