Utes in the Pros: Wildcard Weekend Preview, Week 18 Recap
SALT LAKE CITY – The regular season in the NFL has officially come to an end and Super Wild Card Weekend is on the horizon. Eight former Utes will be in action over the weekend, three of which can be seen under the lights on Monday Night Football.
Kicking off the weekend slate on Saturday is Jackson Barton and the Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) visiting the AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals (10-7). Following that matchup, Zack Moss, Star Lotulelei and the AFC East Champion Buffalos Bills (11-6) host the New England Patriots (10-7) in a division showdown. This is the third meeting between the two teams as they split the season series this year, each winning their game on the road.
On Sunday Afternoon, Francis Bernard and the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) welcome Mitch Wishnowsky and the San Francisco 49ers (10-7) into AT&T Stadium. Capping off the weekend full of fun will be Leki Fotu and the Arizona Cardinals (11-6) traveling to Los Angeles to take on Terrell Burgess, Matt Gay and the NFC West champion Rams (12-5).
Former Utah All-American safety and six-time Pro-Bowler, Eric Weddle, has come out of retirement and joined the Los Angeles Rams earlier this week. Weddle signed a one-year deal with the Rams that will allow him to play in the playoffs. Weddle retired in 2019 after registering 109 tackles and four passes defended while playing in all 16 games with the Rams.
How to watch your Utes in Wild Card Weekend (Active Players)
| Date | Game | Time (MT) | TV | Utes to Watch |
| Sat, Jan. 15 | Las Vegas at Cincinnati | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | #78 Jackson Barton (Las Vegas) |
| Sat, Jan. 15 | New England at Buffalo | 6:15 p.m. | CBS | #20 Zack Moss (Buffalo) |
| #98 Star Lotulelei (Buffalo) | ||||
| Sun, Jan. 16 | San Francisco at Dallas | 2:30 p.m. | CBS | #53 Francis Bernard (Dallas) |
| #18 Mitch Wishnowsky | ||||
| Mon, Jan. 17 | Arizona at LA Rams | 6:15 p.m. | ESPN/ABC | #95 Leki Fotu (Arizona) |
| #26 Terrell Burgess (LA Rams) | ||||
| #8 Matt Gay (LA Rams) |
NFL Week 18 Recap
Tyler Huntley, started his fourth game of his career on Sunday in place of an injured Lamar Jackson. In his four starts, Huntley is yet to find the win column and fell just shy of earning his first win on Sunday and putting the Ravens in a position to earn a playoff berth. In a gutsy performance against the Steelers, Huntley completed 16 of 31 pass attempts, totaling 141 yards. He continued to show how dangerous he can be outside of the pocket adding 72 yards on the ground.
Cody Barton started his first game of the season for Seattle and was a bright spot for the Seahawk defense. Barton collected a season high 11 tackles in the win over the Cardinals on the road.
Terrell Burgess played in his best game of the season in a tough overtime loss to the 49ers, totaling 5 tackles in the game.
NFL Week 18 Stats
| Player, Team | Game | Result | Stats |
| Cody Barton, Seattle | at Arizona | W, 38-30 | Started at MLB; 11 tackles |
| Garett Bolles, Denver | vs. Kansas City | L, 28-24 | Started at LT |
| Devontae Booker, NY Giants | vs. Washington | L, 22-7 | 8 rush, 14 yds, 2 rec, 12 yds |
| Terrell Burgess, LA Rams | vs. San Francisco | L, 27-24 | 5 tackles |
| Leki Fotu, Arizona | vs. Seattle | L, 38-30 | 1 tackles |
| Matt Gay, LA Rams | vs. San Francisco | L, 27-24 | 1-1 FG, LNG 43, 3-3 XP |
| Javelin Guidry, NY Jets | at Buffalo | L, 27-10 | Played at CB |
| Tyler Huntley, Baltimore | vs. Pittsburgh | L, 16-13 | Started at QB; 16-31, 141 yds, 12 rush, 72 yds |
| Jaylon Johnson, Chicago | at Minnesota | L, 31-17 | Started at CB; 2 tackles |
| Star Lotulelei, Buffalo | vs. NY Jets | W, 27-10 | 1 tackle |
| Zack Moss, Buffalo | vs. NY Jets | W, 27-10 | 5 rush, 8 yds, 2 rec, 6 yds |
| Tim Patrick, Denver | vs. Kansas City | L, 28-14 | Started at WR; 6 rec, 95 yds, LNG 31 yds |
| John Penisini, Detroit | vs. Green Bay | W, 37-30 | 1 QB hit |
| Eric Rowe, Miami | vs. New England | W, 33-24 | 1 tackle |
| Marcus Williams, New Orleans | at Atlanta | W, 30-20 | 2 tackles |
| Mitch Wishnowsky, San Francisco | at LA Rams | W, 27-24 | 2 punts, 85 yds (42.5 avg) |