Utes in the NFL: NFC Championship Game Preview

The University of Utah certainly made its mark throughout the course of the NFL regular season, with over twenty players representing and a plethora making an impact week in and out for their respective teams. This week marks the third of the postseason, and the NFC Championship Game features two former Utah Football players, making this weekend one to not miss.

Mitch Wishnowsky, San Francisco 49ers: A strong defensive effort lifted the 49ers over the Cowboys in what was the most entertaining game of the Divisional Round. Now, the 49ers will travel across the country with hopes of knocking off a well-rounded Eagles team in order to advance to the Super Bowl. A three-time All PAC-12 First Team selection and Ray Guy Award winner at Utah, punter Mitch Wishnowsky had had an exceptional campaign up to this point. He has punted 66 times, totaling 2,897 yards, averaging just under 44 yards per attempt. 35 of his 66 punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line, that 53% rate is considerably above his prior career best, which was 44%. Returners have had trouble finding success fielding Wishnowsky’s punts, as since week 15, no returner has recorded more than twenty yards, and on the season, returners have returned just 18 punts, recording just over 150 yards. However what might be most impressive, is that returners have not garnered a single yard against Wishnowsky during the playoffs. With a strong 2022-23 season, Wishnowsky has cemented his name among the NFL’s elite punters. He has been playing some of his best football as of late and will have to continue that in Philadelphia. The game is on Sunday, kicking off at 1:00 PM MST and can be watched on FOX.

Britain Covey, Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles continued to showcase their dominance as they beat the New York Giants 38-7 in the divisional round. As the number one seed, they maintain their home field advantage and look to advance to the Super Bowl with a win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship. Rookie Britain Covey has had a solid debut season and will be fielding punts from his former teammate, Mitch Wishnowsky, who he crossed paths with in 2018, when the two contributed to Utah’s first trip to the PAC-12 Championship Game. In his first career playoff game last week, Covey had no punt returns, electing to fair catch four times. On the season, Covey has returned 33 punts for 308 yards, averaging 9.3 yards per return. His best performance came in week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, where Covey returned six punts for 105 yards. This week presents a tough challenge for Covey, as Mitch Wishnowsky is one of the most powerful and accurate punters in the NFL. However, in a game between two teams that are elite on both offense and defense, Covey’s ability to make defenders miss in open space could be a difference maker. The game is on Sunday, kicking off at 1:00 PM MST and can be watched on FOX.