Packers Toward Bottom of Packer Central Special Teams Rankings

Packers special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton spoke enthusiastically about the trajectory of his group last week.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There are three certainties in life. Death, taxes and bad special teams play by the Green Bay Packers.

On Thursday, first-year special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton spoke enthusiastically of a unit that he saw trending in the right direction.

“We’re really close,” he said. “To the uninitiated, and what I mean by that is those who do not study special teams and understand it, they think it’s still the same old Packers. That’s not the case on some of these units. We’re really close, but if you don’t the trained eye to see where that’s really close, you’ll think we’re in the same spot. But we’re really close. The locker room is positive. Those guys are really positive, they’re upbeat. I just can’t wait to watch them rise. I want to see them do well, and they will.”

They did not do well against the Cincinnati Bengals. Kicker Mason Crosby missed four kicks, punter Corey Bojorquez shanked one of his two punts and the kickoff coverage unit allowed a 44-yard return.

Through five weeks, the Packers are tied for 24th in the Packer Central Special Teams Rankings. Our rankings consist of five categories, with the first four – starting field position after kickoffs (for and against) and net punting average (for and against) – focused on field position. After all, what’s better for the kickoff-return unit? A 28-yard return of a kickoff booted 5 yards deep into the end zone or a touchback? And what’s better, a 45-yard punt with a fair catch or a 55-yard punt with a 12-yard return. The fifth category is field-goal percentage.

With Crosby missing three field goals, the Packers are dinged heavily in that last category. That’s the flaw in these early-season rankings; a bad play or two can skew things greatly. As you can see from the chart below, the Packers are toward the bottom of the NFL in both phases of kickoffs and slightly better than average in both phases of punts.

Green Bay will be challenged this week by the Chicago Bears, who are 10th in the rankings. The Bears’ bolstered their return-game weaknesses last week by trading for Jakeem Grant. In last week’s debut, he had a 32-yard kickoff return and punt returns of 21 and 17 yards. The Packers, by contrast, haven’t had a 20-yard punt return since 2018.

For his part, Drayton is optimistic his units will keep improving and bury the team’s unbelievably ugly history. With a usually reliable kicker, an impressive punter and rookies Kylin Hill (kickoffs) and Amari Rodgers (punts) handling returns, the potential is there.

“We’re going take these baby steps and just keep going on it, making it bigger,” he said. “And by the end of the season, we’ll be where we need to be, when it really counts.”

NFL Special Teams Rankings Through Week 5

Key: KOR (average field position after a kickoff return). KO (opponent field position after a kickoff). Punt (net punting average). Opp Punt (net punting average for the opponent). FG (field-goal percentage)

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The #Packers are overcoming key injuries and winning games. Will any of this matter come January, though? A look at injuries and the only thing that matters in a place called Titletown.https://t.co/0woCeT6fPC

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 13, 2021