NFL Conference Championship Games Short On Buffalo Bills Ties

Only four former Buffalo Bills players will be participating in today's AFC and NFC championship games for a berth in Super Bowl XLV today. Actually, you can probably cut that number down to two, because two of those four players are very likely to be inactive this afternoon.

Let's start in the NFC championship game, where Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Tim Toone - who spent the latter part of the 2011 season on Buffalo's practice squad - won't suit up. That leaves San Francisco 49ers strong safety Donte Whitner as the only former Bill of significance to be playing this weekend. In two seasons with the 49ers since leaving Buffalo as a free agent, Whitner - a starter this season - has recorded 144 tackles and three interceptions on one of the league's best defenses.

Over in the AFC championship game, there are two New England Patriots players that came from Buffalo's roster - long snapper Danny Aiken, a second-year player who lost out on a roster spot to Garrison Sanborn last summer, and wide receiver Kamar Aiken, who isn't likely to suit up. There are no former Bills players on the Baltimore Ravens' active roster.

There aren't even any former Bills coaches involved this weekend; it's just these four players. If things go well for New England and San Francisco today, we may very well see Donte Whitner and Danny Aiken in the Super Bowl, too.