Packers’ Special Teams: Not as Bad as You Think (Really!)

The numbers have been crunched in our eighth-annual NFL special-teams rankings.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – First, the obvious news regarding the Green Bay Packers’ special teams: They’re not very good, especially when compared to the NFC’s other playoff heavyweights.

Now, the surprising news: They’re not nearly as awful as you believe, despite the troublesome list of bad plays they’ve allowed this season.

In the eighth year of our special teams rankings, the Packers tied for 19th out of 32 teams overall and fourth out of seven NFC playoff teams.

Our five-category rankings include starting field position after kickoffs (for and against), net punting (for and against) and field-goal percentage.

With one punt blocked and two touchdowns allowed on punt returns, the Packers finished 30th in net punting average. With a feeble punt return that ranked 30th with a 4.8-yard average, they finished 26th in opponent net punting. With inconsistent coverage on kickoffs (long returns by Detroit and Philadelphia), they finished 24th in opponent starting field position after a kickoff.

“It has been different things popping up and I think that’s been the most frustrating part for us as coaches,” special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga said. “There hasn’t been a consistent pattern of anything that’s popped up. It’s frustrating. I don’t have a great answer for you. … It’s very frustrating.”

However, they tied for first in field-goal percentage, with Mason Crosby a perfect 16-of-16. And the surprise is kickoff return. Even though they ranked 31st with an 18.9-yard average on returns, their average starting position of the 25.7-yard line was 10th-best in the NFL. While they benefitted from the 40-yard starting point of three out-of-bounds kickoffs, they’ve only been buried inside the 20-yard line a league-low two times.

Tavon Austin’s fumbled punt return notwithstanding, Green Bay finished the regular season on an encouraging note. Against Chicago’s 10th-ranked special teams, punter JK Scott had a 43.5-yard net average and record-setting kickoff returner Cordarrelle Patterson got only one of Crosby’s kickoffs past the 25.

In the 15 games in which he’s punted, Scott’s net average topped 40 yards seven times. Three of those came in the last four games, with the exception being the Tennessee game in which he didn’t kick.

“Obviously, when you get a couple run back like we’ve had, his net punt’s not going to be where it needs to be, but I think he’s grown this year,” Mennenga said. “You would have to trust me on that just because I’ve seen it in practice and the things we’re asking him to do. I feel like he’s hitting the ball more solidly through these cold-weather games. He’s had some wind games he’s had to deal with and just a lot of adversity that I think he’s really handled.”

Entering the playoffs, a series of enormous gaffes is far more troubling than the lack of production from the return game. Starting with a blocked punt against Houston in Week 7, the Packers have given up eight big plays: a blocked punt (which went forward so not officially a block) at San Francisco, punt-return touchdowns against Jacksonville and Philadelphia, a fumbled kickoff return against Indianapolis, long kickoff returns against Philadelphia and Detroit, and Austin’s fumble against Chicago.

There were also dodged bullets with an onside kick ruled recovered out of bounds by Detroit, a blocked field goal against Tennessee that was eliminated by a questionable offside penalty and a punt that was almost blocked against Carolina.

For the Packers, the only playoff bye in the NFC is giving them a chance to regroup and start anew.

“I don’t care what numbers you put up, offense, defense, special teams,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “The bottom line is we’re all 0-0. It’s the playoffs.”

In the NFC postseason field, Seattle finished second in our rankings, New Orleans was fifth and Chicago was 10th. Tampa Bay was tied with Green Bay at 19th, followed by Washington at 24th and Los Angeles at 30th.

Whoever the Packers play next weekend and in a potential conference championship game, Mennenga believes his group will have the right mind-set.

“I don’t think there’s a confidence problem within our group,” Mennenga said. “We’re a young group, but we’ve been out there and played some older, veteran groups. We haven’t been bullied. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to play hard, we’re going to play physical. We haven’t been knocked around and things like that. There have been some plays that haven’t went our way that we’d love to have back, but I don’t think there’s a confidence issue within our group.”

The categories, from left: Net-punting Average (by JK Scott), Opponent Net Punting Average (result of Green Bay's punt-return unit), Field Goal Percentage (by Mason Crosby), KO Return (starting field position from the kickoff-return unit) and Kickoff (starting field position after a Green Bay kickoff)