Demarcus Robinson picked a good time to score his first NFL touchdown.
With the clock winding down in the first half of Saturday’s wild card playoff game, Robinson caught a first-down pass from Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith a few yards short of the goal line, sidestepped a defender and danced into the end zone for the first time in his career. The 14-yard reception gave Kansas City a 21-3 lead over Tennessee with just three seconds before halftime.
The second-year wide receiver, who was a fourth-round draft pick out of Florida, had one of the best games of his career on the big stage. In addition to his touchdown grab, Robinson had three other receptions, racking up 57 yards on the day, the second most of his career. All of his catches came on the Chiefs’ final drive of the second quarter.
Robinson was taken off the field late in the game and did not return. He was later placed under concussion protocol. Kansas City eventually blew its big lead and lost by one point, 22-21.
The man who led Tennessee to that improbable comeback was coach Mike Mularkey, who played tight end at Florida from 1980 to 1982. The win was a long time coming for Mularkey, who coached 89 regular season games before coaching his first playoff game on Saturday. Despite leading the franchise to its first playoff win in 14 years, there were still rumors surrounding his job status before and after the game.
Responding to a question at his postgame press conference asking if he felt his job status was secure, Mularkey said, “No, I haven’t had any support to say that I was [secure]. No, I just assumed the worst.”
That comment, and the rumors that preceded it, prompted an official statement from Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.
“Mike Mularkey is our head coach and will be our head coach moving forward” she said.
Elsewhere, former Gators Keanu Neal and Bryan Poole had solid performances in Atlanta’s win over Los Angeles. Neal, a strong safety, recorded eight tackles, and Poole, a cornerback, had four. Other former Gators who saw playoff action include Bryan Cox Jr., Dante Fowler Jr., Lerentee McCray and Deonte Thompson.
Former Gators like Trey Burton, Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey and Joe Haden should all be in action this weekend after having a week off because of the bye.
Follow Sam Campisano on Twitter @samcampisano and contact him at scampisano@alligator.org.
Former Gators tight end Mike Mularkey coached the Tennessee Titans to a one-point victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
