BYU Alums in the NFL Playoffs

Several former Cougars have set their sights on a Super Bowl title. The NFL’s “Super Wildcard Weekend” kickoffs off this weekend with two games on Saturday, three on Sunday and the NFL’s first ever Monday night playoff game.

BYU alums are littered all over the NFL playoff map. Here is a look at who is in the tournament for their respective teams.

Kyle Van Noy, LB, New England Patriots

Of course, the Patriots are in the playoffs for the 17th time in the last 19 years. Van Noy is looking for his third ring, all with New England. After making a stop in Miami in 2020, he rejoined his old team and is about to play in his 12th career playoff game.

He has 46 combined tackles and 5.5 sacks in his playoff career, winning Super Bowl LI and LIII under Bill Belichick. 16 games this season, at times in a reserve role, he collected 66 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.

The Patriots travel to play a familiar opponent, the No. 3 seed and AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. The forecast says it’s supposed to be single-digit temperatures in Buffalo around game time on Saturday at 8:15pm ET.

Fred Warner, LB, San Francisco 49ers

Despite being a Pro Bowl snub this season, Warner helped guide the 49ers into the playoffs with another stellar year on that stat sheet. This is Warner’s fourth season in San Francisco and it will be his second playoff appearance. He was part of the 49ers team that won the NFC and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers travel to Dallas to take on the NFC East champion Cowboys and they kick off on Sunday at 4:30pm ET.

Daniel Sorensen, S, Kansas City Chiefs

Zayne Anderson, S, Kansas City Chiefs

Matt Bushman, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (Practice Squad)

Andy Reid, Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs

If you are a BYU fan and are needing a team to latch on to for the NFL playoffs, the Chiefs are your team. Of course, the head man in KC is Andy Reid, a future Hall of Fame coach looking for his second Super Bowl win in three seasons. He graduated from BYU in 1981 and has become one of the most highly respected names in football.

Daniel Sorensen has had an up-and-down season, as has much of the Chiefs defense. This is Sorensen’s eighth season in the defensive secondary in Kansas City, and will play in his 13th career playoff game on Sunday night. He has 63 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and one interception in those postseason games.

Zayne Anderson was promoted from the practice squad earlier this season. Since his promotion, he has been strictly a special teams player, playing in 20 snaps against the Broncos last week in various situations. As of now, he is still on the active roster heading into the Wild Card game.

The Chiefs are the No. 2 seed with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. Of the teams who have BYU alums on the roster, the Chiefs should be the favorites to make it all the way to L.A. and win the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs start their quest by hosting Ben Roethlisberger and the No. 7-seed Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night at 8:15pm ET.