Rashid Shaheed’s trade from the New Orleans Saints to the Seattle Seahawks this season has him one step away from the Super Bowl.
Seahawks fans can thank him for sparking the victory that got them a victory away from the NFL’s title game.
Shaheed took the opening kickoff against the San Francisco 49ers 95 yards for a touchdown Saturday night, giving Seattle a 7-0 lead just 13 seconds into its eventual 41-6 win in their NFC divisional round playoff game.
That play kickstarted a 17-0 first-quarter run for Seattle. Then after San Francisco added a couple of second-quarter field goals, the Seahawks scored the game’s final 24 points.
Shaheed was traded to Seattle on Nov. 4, and he has provided an instant spark on the Seahawks’ special teams.
In a Week 16 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, Shaheed returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. That score, with a subsequent two-point conversion, cut the Seahawks’ deficit from 30-14 to 30-22, and Seattle eventually won the game 38-37 in overtime.
That victory played a key role in the Seahawks earning the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC.
In addition to Shaheed, former Utah defensive end Connor O’Toole, an undrafted free agent rookie, had a special teams tackle for the Seahawks on Saturday.
Seattle will host the winner of Sunday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Rams in the NFC championship game on Jan. 25.
Broncos 33, Bills 30 (OT)
Dalton Kincaid’s top career playoff game came in a losing effort, as the Buffalo Bills tight end caught six passes for a team-high 83 yards and a touchdown.
The former University of Utah standout caught a 14-yard touchdown in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to give the Bills a 24-23 lead, but the game was far from over.
Buffalo took a 27-23 before the Broncos rallied and scored on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left to go ahead 30-27 before the Bills’ Matt Prater nailed a 50-yard field goal to force overtime.
In the extra session, Denver prevailed after driving 75 yards to set up a Will Lutz 23-yard field goal. The drive was costly, though, as quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle on the drive and will be sidelined the remainder of the playoffs.
Kincaid wasn’t the only former Ute who starred for Buffalo. Safety Cole Bishop had a team-high 12 tackles for the Bills, and that included a pair of tackles for loss.
Former Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson had six tackles and a pass deflection for Buffalo, while former Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky did not punt for the Bills but handled kickoff duties.
Former Highland High tight end Jackson Hawes, a rookie with Buffalo, played but did not record any statistics.
On Denver’s side, former Utah, Snow College and Westlake High offensive tackle Garett Bolles moved one victory away from the Super Bowl, as the Pro Bowler started at left tackle for the Broncos.
Meanwhile, former Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss had three tackles — two on defense and one on special teams — for Denver.
Former Utah and Timpview High linebacker Karene Reid was not active for Denver.
Neither was Caleb Lohner, the former Utah tight end and basketball player at Utah, BYU and Baylor who was promoted from the practice squad ahead of the divisional round playoff game.