There is guaranteed to be at least one NFL player with Utah ties with a Super Bowl ring at the end of the 2024 postseason.
Every one of the 14 playoff teams this season has a Utah tie on its roster heading into the postseason, and there are 34 players with Utah ties overall.
Whether you’re a fan of the University of Utah, BYU or Utah State, or even Weber State or Southern Utah — or perhaps even a certain high school — there are a myriad of reasons for Utah NFL fans to tune in to the next four weeks of playoff action that will culminate with the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
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What are the top names and storylines to watch in the 2024 NFL playoffs? Here’s an overview.
Garett Bolles makes his long-awaited playoff debut
Garett Bolles, the former Utes offensive tackle who also starred at Snow College and Westlake High, has been a Denver Bronco throughout his entire eight-year NFL career.
And now, the 2017 first-round pick who has started 116 games in his career is headed to the postseason for the first time.
“It’s been a long eight years, but I’m grateful for those last eight years, man. I think it’s just made me who I am today, made this organization who it is today. You know, sometimes when you’re in these type of moments, you look back and wonder how you got here, and it’s just by all these amazing people in this organization,” Bolles told reporters Sunday, according to 9News, after the Broncos clinched their playoff spot by beating Kansas City.
“I’ve gone through so many different coaches and so many different things and so many different quarterbacks, but to be in this moment, to take this franchise, to work back to where it belongs in the playoffs and and be one of the longest tenured Broncos … it’s the sweetest moment that I can think of, and I’m just extremely grateful.”
About a month ago, Bolles received a four-year contract extension worth a reported $82 million, with $42 million guaranteed.
Now, he is the blindside protector for star rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
“We have a relentless quarterback, No. 10, and he just puts the ball in our playmakers’ hands. This O-line that I’m a part of … I’m just extremely grateful for all of us,” Bolles said. “Let the let the doubters doubt, man, this team is just full of winners and full of dogs that have a mentality that just, we want to go do something great. And the more that we just stick together, the more that family we have is, great things are ahead of us.”
Bolles won’t be the only Utah tie to watch when the Broncos travel to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in the wild-card playoffs.
Denver has six players with Utah ties, among them five Utes. There’s linebacker Cody Barton (Utah and Brighton High), who’s making his first playoff appearance with the Broncos, as well as rookies Devaughn Vele (Utah), Jonah Elliss (Utah) and Thomas Yassmin (Utah), who’s on the practice squad.
Former BYU and Corner Canyon High quarterback Zach Wilson is there, too — the former New York Jet is a backup to Nix.
On the Bills side, former Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson is a regular playmaker for Buffalo and has had his share of postseason highlights in the past.
Two former Utes also suit up for the Bills in tight end Dalton Kincaid and safety Cole Bishop.
Puka Nacua has his second chance at playoff success
Former BYU and Orem High wide receiver Puka Nacua has quickly become a household name in the NFL, after he set multiple league rookie records last season.
When the Los Angeles Rams face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night in the wild-card round, he’ll have a second chance to try and help Los Angeles earn a playoff win.
The Rams made the postseason last year, and Nacua set a rookie record with 181 receiving yards on nine receptions in that matchup. He also caught a 50-yard touchdown in the first half.
Nacua bemoaned one missed opportunity, though — on Los Angeles’ final possession, he was the target on a third-and-14 pass that could have extended the drive. Instead, it fell incomplete and the Rams lost to the Detroit Lions 24-23.
“It’s going to sting for a while,” he told Rams Wire at the time. “Teammates count on me to make plays. Coaches counted on me, dialed up my number. Just wasn’t able to come down with it. It’ll be a nice motivator for the rest of the (offseason).”
Nacua’s second season has had its own challenges — he missed several weeks with a knee injury, though the former fifth-round draft pick has been one of the NFL’s top wide receivers since he returned to action in Week 8.
He ended the regular season with 79 receptions for 990 yards and three touchdowns.
While only playing 11 games this season due to injury — and resting with several other starters in Week 18 — he is averaging better numbers this season than his rookie campaign.
His averages of 7.8 catches and 90 receiving yards per game this year is better than 2023, when he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Can Kyle Van Noy and the Ravens make a Super Bowl run?
The Baltimore Ravens were the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC last season and they advanced to the AFC championship, where they hosted defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City.
The Chiefs, though, knocked off the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship, and the Chiefs went on to win their second straight Super Bowl.
For former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy, former Utah safety Marcus Williams and Baltimore, that was a bitter pill to swallow.
While the Chiefs ran away with the No. 1 AFC seed this season, the Ravens are coming on strong heading into the postseason. Baltimore has won four straight and will host AFC North rival Pittsburgh in the wild-card round Saturday.
For Van Noy, this has been a particularly impressive season.
The 11-year veteran is playing some of the best ball of his career, and during the regular season, he finished with 41 tackles, a career-best 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
His 12.5 sacks was fourth-most in the NFL.
In the playoffs, the two-time Super Bowl champion will again have a shot to win an NFL championship. His previous two Super Bowl wins came with the New England Patriots, though it’s been more than five years since the last one.
Van Noy has played in 15 previous postseason games, and he had 56 career tackles, 5.5 sacks, nine QB hits and four pass deflections in the playoffs.
“The AFC North, I think, is the toughest division, and to come out champs, it’s awesome, and we’re grateful to celebrate that tonight,” Van Noy said after Baltimore clinched the AFC North crown and the No. 3 seed after beating Cleveland on Saturday, according to the team website.
“But we have bigger and better things to worry about, which is the wild-card weekend.”
Jordan Love leads the Packers into the postseason again
Former Utah State star quarterback Jordan Love had an impressive first run through the playoffs last season with the Green Bay Packers — he threw for 466 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in a pair of postseason games, as Green Bay reached the divisional round.
The Packers knocked off Dallas during wild-card weekend, and Love had Green Bay ahead of San Francisco 21-14 in the divisional round before the 49ers rallied.
This year’s playoffs start off Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 7 seed Packers.
Can Love deliver another strong performance in the postseason?
He suffered an elbow injury in Green Bay’s Week 18 loss against the Chicago Bears, though Packers coach Mike LeFleur believes that Love and backup Malik Willis, who was also banged up, will be fine for the playoffs.
“I talked to both of those guys. They seem to be doing alright,” LaFleur said Monday, according to NBC Sports. “But as far as their limits — I think they’re going to be OK, but we’ll find out over the next two days.”
The Packers are on a two-game losing streak headed into the playoffs, but Love is confident that Green Bay can respond well, knowing what’s on the line.
“Guys are gonna be ready, I have no doubt about that,” Love told reporters Monday. “Everything that we want is still out in front of us — the Super Bowl is still out in front of us. We’ve got to go win games and win to advance. We can control our destiny, and we’ve just got to be great and come out here, have a good game plan for Philly and go out there and play a good game.”
Can Penei Sewell and the Detroit Lions capitalize on their No. 1 seed and reach the Super Bowl?
One of the best storylines from the 2024 NFL season is that of the Detroit Lions.
The much-maligned franchise is one of only four NFL franchises who’ve never reached the Super Bowl, but last Sunday, Detroit helped their cause greatly this postseason by beating Minnesota and clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Not only do the Lions now have a first-round bye, they’ll have homefield advantage for as long as their postseason run lasts.
Can Detroit cash in, after a 15-2 regular season?
The Lions reached the NFC championship last year and led the 49ers 24-7 at halftime, but San Francisco rallied to end Detroit’s season in heartbreaking fashion.
If Detroit is able to make the franchise’s first Super Bowl, several Utah ties could play a role.
Former Utah wide receiver Tim Patrick joined the team this season after several years in Denver, and he’s been a nice complementary piece in the Lions’ passing game this season.
Former Utah running back Sione Vaki, a rookie, and former Weber State defensive lineman Jonah Williams are also in their first year in Detroit, too.
The biggest, and most impactful, Utah tie is Penei Sewell, though. The former Desert Hills High offensive tackle is one of the NFL’s best young linemen, and the 24-year-old is already a three-time Pro Bowler.
Dan Campbell has also shown his willingness to be creative in getting Sewell involved in the offense, from throwing passes to catching them.
What tricks could be coming during the playoffs?
No matter what, Sewell will be a key factor in how Detroit’s playoff run fares this year.
Sewell had a message for the doubters a few weeks back.
“The real fans, they gonna stick down with whatever, man. That’s why I don’t really concern myself with the talk,” Sewell told MLive. “Because the real ones know we’re gonna find a way at the end of the day. And if you want to keep questioning, then go ahead and just hop off. You’ll see what happens.”
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