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It will come as no surprise to any of you who have followed BYU alumni in the NFL this season that the standout in the final week of the season was Ziggy Ansah. Ansah created plenty of problems for opposing quarterback Jay Cutler and the Bears, picking up three tackles, a sack, three QB hits, and a pass deflection.
Ansah had the best season out of any other former Cougar in the league finishing with 47 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a pass deflection, and a selection to the NFL Pro Bowl. His 14.5 sacks were only a half a sack short of the franchise record for the Detroit Lions and put him at third in NFL to end the season.
#Lions DE Ziggy Ansah is one of 20 players in NFL history to have 30 sacks in his first three seasons. pic.twitter.com/K4mi7IL21g
— NFL Spin Zone (@NFLSpinZone) January 8, 2016
Two former Cougars will get the opportunity to continue their seasons in the playoffs. Daniel Sorensen and Kansas City will play Houston on Saturday at 2:20 p.m. Alani Fua and Arizona get a bye this week and will resume play in the divisional round next Saturday.
Here's how all the BYU alumni in the NFL performed for their respective teams in Week 17:
Dennis Pitta (Ravens) #88: Pitta is out for the season as he continues to recover from the hip injury he suffered last season.
Ziggy Ansah (Lions) #94: Ansah played 40 snaps, recording three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection, and three QB hits in Detroit's 24-20 victory over Chicago.
Kyle Van Noy (Lions) #53: Van Noy played 17 snaps, mostly on special teams, recording one tackle in Detroit's 24-20 win over Chicago.
John Denney (Dolphins) #92: Denney played 11 special teams snaps, handling the team's long snapping in Miami's 20-10 win over New England.
Uani 'Unga (Giants) #47: 'Unga played five special teams snaps, but ended up leaving with a concussion before recording any stats in New York's 30-35 loss to Philadelphia.
Dallas Reynolds (Giants) #61: Reynolds played 81 snaps, but did not record any stats in New York's 30-35 loss to Philadelphia.
Daniel Sorensen (Chiefs) #49: Sorensen played 62 snaps, recording two tackles and a QB hit in Kansas City's 23-17 win over Oakland.
Alani Fua (Cardinals) #59: Fua played 18 special teams snaps, but did not record any stats in Arizona's 6-36 loss to Seattle.
De'Ondre Wesley (Ravens) #77: Wesley played four special teams snaps, but did not record any stats in Baltimore's 16-24 loss to the Cincinnati.
Cougars currently on NFL practice squads: Rob Daniel (Packers), Paul Lasike (Bears), and Jordan Leslie (Falcons).