Locals in the NFL Playoffs: Here are the former Utah stars off to championship weekend

AROUND THE SHIELD — The NFL's final four is set, and former Utah high school and college football standouts were everywhere in leading their respective teams within one game of a Super Bowl.

Here's a look at how former Utah locals fared in the divisional round.

Sunday games

New England 28, Houston 16

Khyiris Tonga was blunt when asked before his first active roster appearance with the New England Patriots in three weeks about their opponents top-rated defense in Houston.

"I like us," he said. "Always."

For good reason.

Tonga secured the first solo sack of his NFL career as the Patriots had six tackles for loss in a 28-16 win over the Houston Texans.

The former BYU and Granger High star's 8-yard sack of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter of Sunday's divisional round helped New England to its first AFC championship since 2018.

The Patriots converted just 3-of-14 third downs and averaged 3.9 yards per gain, but held the Texans to a 3.3-yard average and just 48 yards on the ground with five turnovers.

Next up: Sunday, Jan. 25 vs. Denver Broncos (1 p.m. MST, CBS)

Patriots (16-3)

• Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU/Granger High: Reserve defensive tackle had two tackles, two quarterback hits and his first career sack on defense
• Miles Battle, CB, Utah: Did not play (practice squad)

Texans (13-6)

• Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High (via Stanford): Reserve tight end caught two passes for 47 yards before exiting with injury (calf)
• Leki Fotu, DT, Utah/Herriman High: Elevated from practice squad to make one tackle on defense
• Ajani Carter, CB, Utah State: Did not play (injured reserve)
• Junior Tafuna, DT, Utah/Bingham High: Did not play (practice squad)

Los Angeles 20, Chicago 17

Former BYU star Puka Nacua caught five passes for 56 yards, and the Rams outlasted the second-seeded Bears 20-17 in overtime Sunday night in Chicago.

Kyren Williams ran for 87 yards on 21 carries, including touchdown runs of 4 yards and a 5-yarder that gave the Rams a 17-10 lead with 8:50 remaining.

But Caleb Williams threw a jaw-dropping 14-yard TD strike to Cole Kmet with 18 seconds left to force overtime.

Matthew Stafford completed 20-of-42 passes for 258 yards, targeting Nacua 10 times and finding Devante Adams twice for 24 yards, including a 12-yard toss in the extra session, that helped set up Harrison Mevis' 42-yard field goal to clinch the Rams' first NFC championship game appearance in four years.

The fifth-seeded Rams were the only road team to win in the NFL's divisional round.

Next up: Sunday, Jan. 25 at Seattle Seahawks (4:30 p.m. MST, FOX)

Rams (14-5)

• Puka Nacua, WR, BYU/Orem High: Starting receiver was targeted 10 times for five catches for 56 yards

Bears (12-7)

• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah: Starting defensive back notched three tackles on defense
• Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah/Murray High: Activated off injured reserve, but did not play
• Noah Sewell, LB, Orem High (via Oregon): Did not play (injured reserve)

Saturday games

Denver 33, Buffalo 30 (OT)

Buffalo didn't just have a path, but a wide-open freeway lane in front of the Bills headed toward the AFC championship game.

With no Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs or Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in the way, Josh Allen might have even had his best shot at a long-awaited Super Bowl appearance.

Allen found former Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 10-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter, and Matt Prater's 31-yard field goal with 4:11 remaining gave Buffalo a 27-23 lead over the top-seeded Denver Broncos.

But Allen committed four of the Bills' five turnovers, the Broncos converted them into 16 points, and Denver advanced to its first AFC championship game since 2015 with a 33-30 overtime victory at Mile High.

"Extremely difficult," an emotional Allen told reporters after the game, per the Associated Press. "I felt like I let my teammates down."

Quarterback Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in the overtime victory and will have surgery, so the Broncos' Super Bowl fate will rest on the shoulders of backup Jarrett Stidham (Denver also reportedly added veteran Ben DiNucci on Sunday) and an offensive line anchored by former Utah left tackle Garett Bolles.

But the former Westlake High and Snow College standout is confident in his team, because of the path the No. 1 seed already took to their first conference championship in a decade.

"Obviously, we played a really great team," Bolles told Denver's 9News in the locker room. "The Bills have one hell of a quarterback in 17, a great O-line and a great defense that battles.

"My respect goes out to the Bills organization," he added. "They've been to these games multiple times, and we had to knock off the big dogs. To be great, we had to beat the great — and that's what we did."

Next up: Sunday, Jan. 25 vs. New England Patriots (1 p.m. MST, CBS)

Broncos (13-6)

• Garett Bolles, OT, Utah/Snow/Westlake High: Starting left tackle played all 72 offensive snaps, made a tackle on an interception return
• Jonah Elliss, LB, Utah: Reserve linebacker had two tackles in 31 defensive snaps, one tackle in 24 snaps on special teams
• Caleb Lohner, TE, Utah: Actived from practice squad, but did not play
• Karene Reid, LB, Utah/Timpview High: Activated from injured reserve, but did not play
• Kyrese White, WR, Utah State/Utah/Roy High: Practice squad player was not elevated

Bills (15-3)

• Cole Bishop, S, Utah: Starting safety had team-high 12 tackles, two tackles for loss in 72 defensive snaps
• Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah: Starting tight end caught six passes for 83 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown, in 38 offensive snaps, and made a tackle on interception return
• Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah: Played 14 snaps on special teams, but did not punt
• Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State: Starting cornerback had six tackles and a tackle for loss in 64 defensive snaps
• Jackson Hawes, TE, Highland High (via Georgia Tech/Yale): Reserve tight end played 25 offensive snaps and 10 snaps on special teams

Seattle 41, San Francisco 6

Rashid Shaheed made sure the Seahawks started fast against divisional rival San Francisco in the NFC divisional round.

The former Weber State star knows a thing about fast.

Shaheed opened the game with a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown, and Seattle jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter en route to a 41-6 win over the 49ers.

"That was a crazy moment," Shaheed said after the game. "It just built momentum for the rest of the game. It was a crazy experience, and shout out to Jay Harbaugh for putting all 11 of us on the right page every week."

The midseason acquisition from New Orleans also ran for 27 yards on two carries, and was targeted twice on 22 offensive snaps as the Seahawks advanced to face the Rams/Bears in next week's NFC championship.

Next up: Sunday, Jan. 25 at Los Angeles Rams (4:30 p.m. MST, FOX)

Seahawks (15-3)

• Rashid Shaheed, WR/RS, Weber State: Reserve wide receiver was targeted twice, ran twice for 27 yards in 22 offensive snaps; and fielded on punt with two kickoff returns for 126 yards including a 95-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff
• Connor O'Toole, LB, Utah: Reserve linebacker played four defensive snaps, made one tackle in 17 snaps on special teams

49ers (13-6)

• Fred Warner, LB, BYU: Activated off injured reserve, but was not active
• Jakob Robinson, CB, BYU/Orem High: Did not play (injured reserve)

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