Ravens Special Teams Ranked Among Best in the League

Baltimore thrived this past season.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens had a mix of steely veterans and young playmakers on special teams this season that proved to be a perfect mix for success. 

Baltimore had the sixth-best special teams unit in the NFL, according to Sports Illustrated's Rick Gosselin's annual analysis.  

It was a major improvement from last season when the Ravens were ranked 27th. 

Baltimore has three of the league's top veteran performers with kicker Justin Tucker, punter San Koch and long-snapper Morgan Cox, an All-Pro selection this past season. The Ravens have a pair of rookies — Devin Duvernay and James Proche — performing at a high level as returners. Proche has been inactive the past two games and Duvernay has handled returns for both punts and kickoffs. 

Special teams coach Chris Horton has been lauded by his peers for Baltimore's consistency on special teams, especially with avoiding big plays and cutting down on penalties. 

The league’s 32 teams are ranked in 22 kicking-game categories and assigned points according to their standing – one for best, 32 for worst. 

The top 10 overall rankings were:

1. New England 214

2. Seattle 222.5

3. Detroit 235.5

4. Indianapolis 244.5

5. New Orleans 260.5

6. Baltimore 263.5

7. Miami 281.5

8. Buffalo 287

9. Chicago 292

10. Arizona 311

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32. LA Chargers 519

KICKOFF RETURNS

1. Buffalo, 27.6 yards

2. Baltimore, 26.7

3. Dallas, 26.1

4. Kansas City, 25.84

5. Indianapolis, 25.83

Worst: Green Bay, 18.9

PUNT COVERAGE

1. New Orleans, 2.3 yards

2. Atlanta, 5.46

3. Detroit, 5.52

4. Baltimore, 5.7

5. Washington, 5.8

Worst: Green Bay, 17.1

KICKOFF STARTING POINT

1. Baltimore, 27.3-yard line

2. Buffalo, 27.0

3. Chicago, 26.9

4. Dallas. 26.6

5. Indianapolis, 26.4

Cincinnati, 26.4

Worst: Denver, 23.6

EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE

1. Miami, 100 percent

2. New Orleans, 98.2

3. Baltimore, 98.1

4. Arizona, 97.8

5. Chicago, 97.2

Worst: Denver, NY Jets, 83.3

EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE

1. Miami, 100 percent

2. New Orleans, 98.2

3. Baltimore, 98.1

4. Arizona, 97.8

5. Chicago, 97.2

Worst: Denver, NY Jets, 83.3

OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

1. Baltimore, 66.6 percent

2. Kansas City, 69.2

3. Miami, 73.9

4. Jacksonville, 79.4

5. Detroit, 80.0

Worst: Carolina, 93.5

"I think it just comes to us in how we execute that play, how we want to get off the ball, and things like that," Horton said "There are all kinds of pressure you can apply. You might not block a kick; it could be mental pressure. It can be when you do block kicks, but that’s a testament to everything – wind-related, how hard our guys are working on that phase. Again, just turn on the tape – our guys are giving it all to try to block kicks.”