BYU Football: Recapping former Cougars in NFL Week 17

It’s now playoff time in the NFL, as Week 17 is in the books. Three former BYU Football stars found the endzone in their regular-season finales.

The final week of regular season football is over in the NFL.

12 teams are still alive, punching their tickets to the playoffs. Four former BYU Football players will play at least one more game, while the other five on active rosters are finished for the season.

Overall, it was a productive Sunday for the former Cougars, as three of them scored touchdowns and the defensive players combined for 28 tackles.

Here’s a breakdown of how each one fared:

Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints)

Even though Drew Brees sat out Week 17 with home field advantage already secure, Hill didn’t get an opportunity to play quarterback in their loss to Carolina.

He did catch a pass for three yards and run the ball three times for 11 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown.

The Saints have a bye in next week’s Wild Card round, so they’ll wait to see who they play the following weekend.

Kyle Van Noy (New England Patriots)

Van Noy wasn’t going to let the offense do all the scoring in the Patriots’ 38-3 win over the New York Jets. Along with three tackles and a quarterback hit, he scooped up a New York fumble and took it 46 yards for the score:

New England earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC, so they’ll also sit out next week’s Wild Card round and await the following week’s opponent.

Daniel Sorensen (Kansas City Chiefs)

Not to be outdone by Van Noy, Sorensen got in on the scoring action as well. He picked off a Derek Carr pass and took it 50 yards to the house.

He also added two tackles and a pass deflection in the 35-3 win over Oakland. The Chiefs have home field advantage through the AFC playoffs, and they’ll sit next week to await their next opponent.

Michael Davis (Los Angeles Chargers)

The Chargers will ride momentum into the playoffs, taking down division rival Denver 23-9 in Week 17. Davis had a monster game, finishing with nine tackles and two pass deflections.

Los Angeles gets the short straw, heading out on the road to play Baltimore next Sunday even though they finished the regular season with a 12-4 record.

Jamaal Williams (Green Bay Packers)

Green Bay looked lost offensively in their 31-0 loss to Detroit, and Williams had a poor outing. The former Cougar rushed it eight times for four yards, and caught three passes for 16 yards.

With the Packers’ season done, Williams finishes the 2018 season with 464 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, along with 210 yards through the air.

Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers)

Once again, Warner led the 49ers in tackles, tallying 14 in their 48-32 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

His rookie season is now complete, and he finishes the regular season 12th in the league in tackles (124). He also had six deflections, forced a fumble, and recovered one in 2018.

Bronson Kaufusi (New York Jets)

Kaufusi and the Jets were on the wrong end of a Patriot drubbing, ending their season on a sour note. The former Cougar got limited playing time and managed to deflect a Tom Brady Pass.

In total, Kaufusi saw game action three times for the Jets in 2018, and the pass deflection is his only recorded stat.

John Denney (Miami Dolphins)

Denney and the Dolphins are done for 2018, finishing with a 7-9 record after losing at Buffalo 42-17.

Denney’s league-leading streak of consecutive games played is still intact, but he’s now 40 years old, so it will be interesting to see if he’s back for a 15th season in 2019.

Ezekiel Ansah (Detroit Lions)

Ansah remained on Injured Reserve as the Lions decimated Green Bay in Week 17. He only saw action in seven games due to multiple shoulder injuries, and finished 2018 with seven tackles and four sacks.

It’s looking more and more likely that Ziggy will be wearing a different uniform in 2019.

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