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BYU Football: Recapping former Cougars in NFL Week 1

By Shaun Gordon

PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 12: Fred Warner #4 of the Brigham Young Cougars signals to the crowd as he and his team take the field before their game against the Boise State Broncos at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 12, 2015 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 12: Fred Warner #4 of the Brigham Young Cougars signals to the crowd as he and his team take the field before their game against the Boise State Broncos at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 12, 2015 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) /
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Six of the eight former BYU Football players in the NFL saw action in Week 1 of the regular season, including a monster game from rookie Fred Warner.

After not one but two Monday Night Football games, NFL Week 1 is in the books. For the eight former BYU Football players on professional teams, it was their first chance in 2018 to record stats that count in games that count.

Six of the eight played this week. Four of the teams that former Cougars play for won (Chiefs, Dolphins, Packers, Patriots). One rookie in particular had a monster game, and a Pro Bowl veteran gave a rookie quarterback a rude introduction to the league.

Here’s a player-by-player look:

Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers)

Warner made a huge impression in his first NFL regular season game. Earning the start for San Francisco, the linebacker was all over the place. He finished with 12 tackles, 11 of them solo, and a tackle for loss.

Ezekiel Ansah (Detroit Lions)

When Detroit used their Franchise Tag on Ziggy, he became one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league. He started the season off with a bang, sacking rookie New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in the first quarter. He also had four tackles in the 48-17 loss.

Jamaal Williams (Green Bay Packers)

Green Bay had a rollercoaster first game, with Aaron Rodgers leaving with injury in the first half, then returning to lead a remarkable comeback over the Chicago Bears.

Williams rushed 15 times for 47 yards, but more importantly had some key blocks late in the game to give Rodgers the time he needed to engineer the comeback.

Kyle Van Noy (New England Patriots)

Van Noy had a statistically quiet game for the Patriots, finishing with three tackles, one for loss, in New England’s 27-20 win.

Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints)

Hill remains the third-string quarterback for New Orleans behind Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater, but he got plenty of special teams work. He was on the field for 29 special teams snaps in the Saints’ 48-40 loss.

John Denney (Miami Dolphins)

The veteran long snapper continued his role with Miami in his 14th NFL season. He snapped six of the Dolphins’ eight kick and punt attempts, but suffered a shoulder injury that has is Week 2 play in question.

If he misses next week’s game, it would be the first missed game in his career. He’s played 209 consecutive games.

Michael Davis (Los Angeles Chargers)

Davis didn’t play in the Chargers’ 38-28 loss to Kansas City.  All four players in Los Angeles’ starting secondary played every defensive snap.

Daniel Sorensen – (Kansas City Chiefs)

Sorensen is still out after knee surgery. The Chiefs hope to have him back sometime in the second half of the season.

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