Canadian duo has Cowboys riding high

Northern content galore in NFL playoffs

Canadians Tyrone Crawford and Louis-Philippe Ladouceur will both be interested spectators when the NFL playoffs begin this weekend.

Crawford, a defensive lineman from Windsor, Ont., and Ladouceur a 35-year-old Montreal native in his 12th season as Dallas’s long snapper, helped the Cowboys clinch the top playoff seed in the NFC with a 13-3 record. That secured an opening-round bye and home-field advantage for the divisional contest Jan. 15.

Dallas will open the post-season facing either Green Bay, the New York Giants or Detroit. The Lions visit the Seattle Seahawks in one NFC wild-card contest Saturday, while the Packers and Giants square off in the other Sunday.

The Atlanta Falcons also have an opening-round bye in the NFC.

In the AFC, the Oakland Raiders face the Houston Texans Saturday, while the Miami Dolphins play the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday.

The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs have openinground byes.

The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Ladouceur is in the NFL playoffs for the sixth time with Dallas, while this will mark Crawford’s second postseason stint in his five-year career. The six-foot-four, 285-pound Crawford had 28 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 14 starts.

Here’s a look at other Canadians and notable former CFL players with NFL playoff squads:

Christian Covington. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive lineman from Vancouver is in his second season with Houston. Covington made five starts and registered 26 tackles and one sack.

Cameron Wake. The veteran defensive end began his pro career with the CFL’s B.C. Lions. Since joining Miami, Wake has been named to five Pro Bowls and this year had 11.5 sacks.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. The 6-foot-5, 321-pound native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., is in his third season with Kansas City and second as the starting right guard.

Brett Jones. The 25-year-old native of Weyburn, Sask., is a backup centre-guard with the Giants. Jones was the CFL’s top lineman in 2014 with the Calgary Stampeders.

Stefan Charles. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive lineman is in his first season with Detroit, but is currently on injured reserve. The 28-year-old Oshawa, Ont., native spent three seasons with Buffalo (2013-15) before joining the Lions.

Luke Willson and Jon Ryan. Willson, a tight end from LaSalle, Ont., and Ryan, a punter from Regina, have both made two Super Bowl appearances with Seattle, winning in 2013. The Canadian Press