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AROUND THE SHIELD — One undrafted rookie from Provo advanced to the Super Bowl in his rookie season, where his team will meet an NFL coaching legend who has roots in the same Utah city.
Former Utah receiver Britain Covey had three fair catches in the Philadelphia Eagles' 31-7 win over the San Francisco 49ers, clinching the Eagles' first NFC championship since 2017.
After 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was knocked out early with an elbow injury, the Eagles poured on the run game to gash one of the best rush defenses in the NFL with 148 rushing yards and four touchdowns, including a 1-yard score by Jalen Hurts on a quarterback sneak.
Purdy finished with 23 passing yards after returning under duress when his backup, fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson, left with a head injury. But former BYU linebacker Fred Warner doesn't put the Niners' struggles on the rookie taken with the final pick of last April's NFL draft.
"He ain't got nothing to be sad about," said Warner, who had eight tackles and a tackle for loss on defense. "He's the reason we even got to this game. When Jimmy (Garoppolo) went down against the Dolphins, we didn't know what our season was going to be. He came in and did a heck of a job. He's the reason we're here right now.
"It's unfortunate what happened, him getting hurt and Josh getting hurt. We just couldn't do enough to find a way to win."
Covey, the 25-year-old former Timpview High quarterback, went undrafted after leading the University of Utah to the Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl berth in the 2021 season. He finished his collegiate career with 2,011 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, a program-record 1,092 punt-return yards and four touchdowns, 838 kickoff return yards with a score, 300 rushing yards, and 71 passing yards with two touchdowns in 47 career games.
Covey was quickly signed as a free agent by the Eagles, but waived Aug. 30 before being reclaimed as a member of the team's practice squad. A few weeks later, he was elevated to the Eagles' active roster for a game against the Lions (the same week as former Hunter High tight end Noah Togiai, who remains on the team's practice squad), and has remained ever since.
The shifty 5-foot-8, 173-pound receiver has found a home as a return specialist, though he hasn't returned a punt in the playoffs. He finished the regular season averaging 9.3 yards per punt return for 308 yards, and another 206 yards on kick returns in 17 games.
Covey, for his part, is just trying to do what he can to help his team as a rookie.
"You can plug me in at any position, and I'll know what to do," Covey said earlier in the season. "You'll trust me to know what to do. I'll show you my skills. But first and foremost, you know that I'm going to be on the right page.
"I do a lot of visualization to put myself in that mindset. So I'm not going to be wide-eyed. That's never the type of person I've been, and I hope that my teammates trust me enough. That's kind of what I've been working on. But I live for that moment. I'm excited for that moment."
The Eagles will face former coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. The Chiefs survived Cincinnati 23-20 after Harrison Butker kicked a 45-yard field goal just before time expired in the AFC championship game to lift Kansas City to its third Super Bowl appearance in four years.
With a win, Reid — who played collegiately at BYU and was briefly a graduate assistant under hall-of-fame coach LaVell Edwards — could cement himself as one of the top coaches in NFL history. A second Super Bowl title would add to Reid's career after he became the second-winningest coach in NFL postseason history this year after leading his second team to five-straight conference championships. His 21 career playoff victories currently trails only New England's Bill Belichick all-time.
Whether the Andy Reid Bowl or the Kelce Brother Bowl between Chiefs tight end Travis and Eagles center Jason, Reid is excited for Feb. 12.
"I'm happy for them, I'm happy for the city," Reid told Kansas City-area reporters after the game. "I can't wait until Kansas City and Philly clash. It's going to be awesome. What a great Super Bowl it will be."
NFC Championship Game
Philadelphia 31, San Francisco 7
Eagles (16-3)
- Britain Covey, WR/RS, Utah/Timpview: Totaled three fair catches on punt return
- Sua Opeta, OT, Weber State/Stansbury: Practice squad after being with the Eagles' organization since 2019
- Noah Togiai, TE, Hunter: Practice squad since signing with the Eagles in the middle of the 2021 season
49ers (15-5)
- Fred Warner, LB, BYU: Starting middle linebacker had eight tackles and a tackle for loss on defense
- Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah: Punted four times for 168 yards (42.0 yard average) with three punts downed inside the 20 on special teams
AFC Championship Game
Kansas City 23, Cincinnati 20
Chiefs (16-3)
- Andy Reid, HC, BYU: Advance to his fourth Super Bowl as a head coach
- Marcus Kemp, WR, Layton: Reserve receiver caught one pass for 13 yards, the first postseason reception in his career, on offense
- Zayne Anderson, DB, BYU/Stansbury: Practice squad since signing with the Chiefs two years ago
- Matt Bushman, TE, BYU: Practice squad after re-signing with the Chiefs in December following a preseason injury
Bengals (14-5)
- Jalen Davis, CB, Utah State: Inactive for AFC championship
- Jay Tufele, DT, Bingham: Inactive for AFC championship
