Rick Gosselin’s 2012 NFL Special Teams Rankings
First crown for Minnesota special teams coach Mike Priefer
(Published February 2013)
The Minnesota Vikings fielded an average defense and the NFC’s worst passing attack this NFL season.
But the Vikings advanced to the playoffs because of the swift, powerful legs of Adrian Peterson and the best special teams in the NFL, according to rankings compiled annually by Rick Gosselin.
The league’s 32 teams are ranked in 22 categories and assigned points according to their standing – one for best, 32 for worst. The Vikings finished first in special teams with a composite score of 253.5 — 22.5 points better than the runnerup Cincinnati Bengals.
Minnesota finished 31st in the NFL in passing and 16th on defense but Peterson led the league in rushing with a staggering 2,097 yards and the Vikings were dominant on the kicking downs.
Minnesota booted the most field goals, committed the fewest turnovers and allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season on special teams. The Vikings finished in the Top 5 in seven other categories and the Top 10 in four more.
Rookie kicker Blair Walsh was spectacular for Minnesota, converting 35 of his 38 field goal attempts, including all 10 of his tries from beyond 50 yards – an NFL single-season record. Walsh scored 141 points and will join Peterson at the Pro Bowl.
The Vikings were led by a second generation special-teams coach in Mike Priefer, whose father Chuck spent 10 years with San Diego and Detroit from 1987-96. His father’s best finish in special teams was second with the Lions in 1992.
Under Priefer’s direction, Minnesota vaulted from 29th in 2011 to the top spot this season. It was the greatest one season improvement in the 33-year history of these rankings.
The AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens also showed marked improvement, climbing 21 spots in the rankings from 24th in 2011 to third this season. Chicago finished ninth in the rankings _ a league-best seventh consecutive Top 10 finish for the Bears units coached by Dave Toub.
Four playoff teams finished in the Top 5 in special teams and four more finished in the Top 15, including the Ravens and New England Patriots, who will meet in the AFC title game this weekend. San Francisco and Atlanta will play in the NFC title game. The Patriots finished 13th, the 49ers 15th and the Falcons 18th in special teams.
| Rank | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 253.5 |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 276 |
| 3 | Baltimore | 277 |
| 4 | Miami | 296 |
| 5 | Seattle | 302 |
| 6 | San Diego | 305.5 |
| 7 | NY Giants | 310.5 |
| 8 | Buffalo | 319 |
| 9 | Chicago | 320 |
| 10 | Arizona | 335 |
| 11 | Denver | 335.5 |
| 12 | Green Bay | 337 |
| 13 | New England | 338.5 |
| 14 | Cleveland | 341 |
| 15 | San Francisco | 344.5 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 358.5 |
| 17 | Dallas | 360 |
| 18 | Atlanta | 362 |
| 19 | NY Jets | 373 |
| 20 | New Orleans | 382 |
| 21 | Tampa Bay | 396 |
| 22 | Pittsburgh | 396.5 |
| 23 | Kansas City | 399 |
| 24 | Houston | 402 |
| 25 | St. Louis | 412.5 |
| 26 | Jacksonville | 418 |
| 27 | Indianapolis | 423 |
| 28 | Philadelphia | 427.5 |
| 29 | Oakland | 430.5 |
| 30 | Detroit | 441.5 |
| 31 | Washington | 457 |
| 32 | Carolina | 486 |
Here’s a breakdown of the 22 categories:
KICKOFF RETURNS
Best: Baltimore, 27.3 yards
Worst: Chicago, 19.8 yards
PUNT RETURNS
Best: Buffalo, 17.1 yards
Worst: Oakland, 5.1 yards
KICKOFF COVERAGE
Best: Carolina, 18.9 yards
Worst: Oakland, 28.9 yards
PUNT COVERAGE
Best: Chicago, 3.4 yards
Worst: Buffalo, 14.8 yards
KICKOFF STARTING POINT
Best: NY Giants, 25.2-yard line
Worst: Cowboys, 20.2-yard line
OPPONENT STARTING POINT
Best: Chicago, Cleveland at 19.9-yard line
Worst: Houston, 25.6-yard line
PUNTING
Best: New Orleans, 50.1 yards
Worst: Detroit, 41.4 yards
NET PUNTING
Best: San Francisco, 43.2 yards
Worst: Carolina, 36.5 yards
INSIDE-THE-20 PUNTS
Best: Arizona, 46
Worst: Philadelphia, 15
OPPONENT PUNTING
Best: Chicago, 43.6 yards
Worst: New England, 50.3 yards
OPPONENT NET PUNTING
Best: Tennessee, 36.1 yards
Worst: Oakland, 42.9 yards
FIELD GOALS
Best: Minnesota, 35
Worst: Carolina, 16
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: Cleveland, Cowboys at 93.5 percent
Worst: Green Bay, 63.6 percent
OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: Tampa Bay, 67.8 percent
Worst: Baltimore, 94.8 percent
EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE
Best: 27 teams tied with 100 %
Worst: Jacksonville, 94.7 percent
POINTS SCORED
Best: Seattle, Tennessee, 24 apiece
Worst: 6 teams tied with 0
POINTS ALLOWED
Best: 7 teams tied with 0
Worst: Detroit, NY Jets, 24 each
BLOCKED KICKS
Best: Buffalo, 5
Worst: 8 tied with 0
BLOCKED KICKS ALLOWED
Best: 8 teams tied with 0
Worst: NY Jets, 5
TAKEAWAYS
Best: NY Giants, 5
Worst: 9 teams tied with 0
GIVEAWAYS
Best: 0 by seven teams
Worst: Philadelphia, 4
PENALTIES
Best: Atlanta, 7
Worst: Houston, 28
