Patriots Special Teams Play Key Role to Week 2 Victory

I saw Scotty O'Brien on the field nearly two hours before the start of the game, moving like a man fighting for his job. The New England Patriots special teams coordinator may have lost that fight with another uneven performance like his unit put up against the Miami Dolphins. Instead, the forgotten third of football—the kicking game—proved to be the deciding factor as the Patriots dispatched the Minnesota Vikings in convincing fashion.

A fumbled snap, a blocked punt, a handful of penalties and an abject lack of anything exciting in the return game squelched any chance of the Patriots triumphing over the superior offensive and defensive lines of the Dolphins in Week 1. O'Brien couldn't have been kind to his players in the film room. The viewing will be a more pleasurable experience this time around.

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It all started with Stephen Gostkowski, who neutralized the Vikings' most explosive weapon—kick returner and receiver Cordarrelle Patterson—with his booming kickoffs. Kicking with the wind, Gostkowski routinely put the ball five and six rows into the purple seats behind the end zone. Against the wind, he was able to hang the ball up in the air long enough to let his coverage team corral Patterson before he got loose.

After an offside penalty—one of the few special teams gaffes on the day—Gostkowski was able to dribble the ball down the field and keep it out of Patterson's hands.

Gostkowski wasn't limited to just helping on kickoffs. He was 3-of-3 on field-goal attempts, hitting from 27, 47 and 48 yards.

While one returner was held in check, another was electric. Julian Edelman showed off some slick moves on returns of 28 and 34 yards. Those long returns played a big role on a day that saw the Patriots offense start with the ball at midfield or better four times.

The Vikings didn't have as much success on their punt returns, due in large part to the efforts of second-year punter Ryan Allen. His 40-yard net punting average on the day doesn't do him justice, as four of his five punts ended up inside the 20-yard line. After a tough opening day, he was a weapon.

Chandler Jones, however, had the play of the day. His block and subsequent return of Blair Walsh's field-goal attempt in the waning moments of the first half flipped the script on the remainder of the contest. He turned a one-possession game into a three-possession game with one magical jaunt down the sideline at TCF Bank Stadium. Not only that, but all life was also instantly sucked out of the stadium. Viking horns fell silent, blonde braids became tangled in agony, and chants of "Skol Vikings" became few and far between.

Earning Bill Belichick's praise isn't easy, so the special teams standouts should take it while they can get it. "The other special teams did a real great job. Stephen (Gostkowski) kicking the ball; had a couple big returns. Obviously the blocked kick by Chandler (Jones)," stated Belichick in his postgame press conference, transcribed on Patriots.com.

O'Brien, Belichick and the rest of the Patriots coaching staff will now begin preparations for the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 3 and 4. They won't see Patterson-esque talent, but there will be a few players who will prompt some extra planning.

Latavius Murray and T.J. Carrie have speed for the Raiders. Oakland needs all of the help they can get moving the ball, so it wouldn't be shocking to see them pull out all the stops on special teams. Knile Davis and De'Anthony Thomas are proven speed merchants for the Chiefs. Gostkowski will want to place those kickoffs into Arrowhead Stadium's box seats.