Rick Gosselin’s 2016 NFL Special Teams Rankings
Second crown for Philadelphia's Dave Fipp in three seasons
(Published February 2017)
The election of placekicker Morten Andersen to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 was a monumental achievement for NFL special teams.
Football coaches will all tell you that special teams are a third of the game, but that mantra has never sold in Canton. Andersen became only the third pure special-teamer elected to the Hall of Fame, joining kicker Jan Stenerud and punter Ray Guy.
Andersen played more games and scored more points than any player in NFL history and was a rare two-time NFL all-decade selection (1980s and 1990s), yet it still took him five years and four trips to the finals to claim a bust. Guy, the only punter enshrined, had to wait 23 years for his bust and needed his candidacy resurrected by the Hall’s senior committee.
Quietly, though, special-teamers of today underscored their value both on the game and on the field this season. Three of the NFL’s Top 11 defenses qualified for the playoffs this past season. Six of the Top 11 offenses qualified for the playoffs. But seven of top 11 special teams qualified, including the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and division champs Dallas, Kansas City and Seattle.
The Patriots finished sixth in special teams according to rankings compiled annually by Rick Gosselin. The Chiefs finished third, the Seahawks 10th and the Cowboys 11th. In addition, wild-card qualifiers Detroit finished second, Miami seventh and Oakland ninth.
The league’s 32 teams are ranked in 22 categories and assigned points according to their standing – one for best, 32 for worst. The Philadelphia Eagles fielded the NFL’s best special teams with a composite score of 226.5 in the rankings compiled annually by Rick Gosselin. Dave Fipp’s special-teams units have now finished first in special teams in two of the last three seasons.
Kansas City was the best example of the impact of the kicking game on a team’s standing. The Chiefs finished 20th in the NFL in offense and 24th in defense but still won the AFC West with a 12-4 record thanks in large part to their special teams.
The Chiefs finished first in the NFL in punt returns and ninth in kickoff returns. They also finished second in the league in punts inside the 20 — three key elements of the kicking game that gave the Chiefs an edge in the weekly battle for field position.
More importantly, Kansas City finished first in special-teams scoring with 30 points on five touchdowns, including a 55-yard run on a fake punt that helped the Chiefs topple the NFC champion Falcons, 29-28.
Kansas City also led the NFL in takeaways on special teams with four, recovering two fumbled punts and two fumbled kickoffs. Demetrius Harris scooped up one of those fumbles and returned it 27 yards for a KC touchdown in 24-3 romp over the New York Jets.
Dallas was one of only a dozen teams that did not commit any turnovers on special teams and one of only 10 that did not allow any points in the kicking game. The Cowboys also were one of only five teams that converted 100 percent of their extra-point kicks.
| Rank | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 226.5 |
| 2 | Detroit | 253.5 |
| 3 | Kansas City | 264.5 |
| 4 | LA Rams | 270.5 |
| 5 | Baltimore | 279.5 |
| 6 | New England | 287.5 |
| 7 | Miami | 288 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 294 |
| 9 | Oakland | 302 |
| 10 | Seattle | 304.5 |
| 11 | Dallas | 323.5 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay | 337 |
| 13 | Cincinnati | 339.5 |
| 14 | Atlanta | 350.5 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 351 |
| 16 | San Francisco | 353.5 |
| 17 | Washington | 356 |
| 18 | NY Giants | 361 |
| 19 | Denver | 366.5 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | 394.5 |
| 21 | Carolina | 399 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 409 |
| 23 | Houston | 412.5 |
| 24 | Buffalo | 419.5 |
| 25 | New Orleans | 422.5 |
| 26 | Cleveland | 432 |
| 27 | Chicago | 444.5 |
| 28 | Jacksonville | 451 |
| 29 | Green Bay | 456.5 |
| 30 | NY Jets | 467 |
| 31 | Arizona | 485.5 |
| 32 | San Diego | 514 |
Here’s a breakdown of the 22 categories:
KICKOFF RETURNS
Best: Minnesota, 27.3 yards
Worst: Tampa Bay, 14.6 yards
PUNT RETURNS
Best: Kansas City, 14.8 yards
Worst: Jacksonville, 5.5 yards
KICKOFF COVERAGE
Best: Carolina, 18.1 yards
Worst: Green Bay, 26.3 yards
PUNT COVERAGE
Best: Los Angeles, 4.3 yards
Worst: Chicago, 12.8 yards
KICKOFF STARTING POINT
Best: Philadelphia, 27.2-yard line
Worst: Cleveland, 23.2-yard line
OPPONENT KICKOFF STARING POINT
Best: Philadelphia, 22.7-yard line
Worst: Green Bay, 26.6-yard line
PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 48.6 yards
Worst: Arizona, 40.9 yards
NET PUNTING
Best: Los Angeles, 46.0 yards
Worst: Arizona, 36.5 yards
INSIDE-THE-20 PUNTS
Best: Los Angeles, 51
Worst: Washington, 15
OPPONENT PUNTING
Best: Miami, 41.8 yards
Worst: Denver, 48.9 yards
OPPONENT NET PUNTING
Best: Kansas City, 34.2 yards
Worst: Carolina, 43.1 yards
FIELD GOALS
Best: Baltimore, 38
Worst: Miami, 16
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: Baltimore, 97.4 percent
Worst: Tampa Bay, 70.9 percent
OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: Cleveland, Seattle, 70.4 percent
Worst: Chicago, 94.3 percent
EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE
Best: Five teams tied at 100 percent
Worst: Minnesota, 78.7 percent
POINTS SCORED
Best: Kansas City, 30
Worst: 15 teams tied with 0
POINTS ALLOWED
Best: Ten teams tied with 0
Worst: NY Jets, 24
BLOCKED KICKS
Best: Baltimore, Miami, 4
Worst: 9 teams tied with 0
OPPONENT BLOCKED KICKS
Best: Five teams tied with 0
Worst: Seattle, 7
TAKEAWAYS
Best: Kansas City, 4
Worst: 13 teams tied with 0
GIVEAWAYS
Best: 12 teams tied with 0
Worst: San Francisco, 4
PENALTIES
Best: Houston, 9
Worst: Jacksonville, 32
