Packers Looking for Special Teams to Be Special Again vs. Cowboys
Wild Card Weekend in the NFL provided a stern warning to the Green Bay Packers: Special teams absolutely matter in the postseason.
One bad punting sequence, one poor return decision or one disastrous penalty can be the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs, when the margin for error becomes razor thin. The proof is in the pudding, as three of the four games from the past weekend had at least one notable special teams mistake.
The Packers, ranked second-to-last in special teams by at least two publications, simply can't afford to continue making major blunders on special teams when the Dallas Cowboys arrive in Green Bay for the NFC Divisional Round.
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During the regular season, the mistake-prone Packers had seven kicks blocked—three field goals, two punts and two extra points—and otherwise struggled punting and returning kickoffs.
"All the things we needed to improve on, we've addressed," head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. "At the end of the day, it's about confidence. I think special teams will factor into the outcome of this game."
According to Packer Report's Bill Huber, who puts together an annual special teams ranking, the Packers finished the 2014 season ranked 31st out of 32 teams. Green Bay was in the bottom third of the NFL in net punting (31st), kickoff coverage (23rd), kick return (30th) and field-goal percentage (23rd).
| Net Punting | 37.0 | 30th |
| Kick Return Average | 19.1 | 31st |
| Punt Return Average | 11.5 | 5th |
| Blocked Kicks | 7 | 32nd |
| Punt Block Percentage | 3.92 | 32nd |
| Kick Block Percentage | 9.1 | 31st |
Football Outsiders also ranked the Packers 31st in weighted special teams DVOA.
Special teams are essentially the ugly duckling of football units. Offenses score points and defenses make big stops. Oftentimes, the best result on a special teams play is neutral. It's a transitional aspect of the game. Poor plays stick out like a sore thumb.
The best day for a special teams coordinator is generally not one with a big play, but one without a significant gaffe.
The past playoff weekend provided several examples of special teams mistakes turning a game.
In Carolina, early punts of 20 and 28 yards from Cardinals punter Drew Butler led to 10 first-quarter points for the Panthers. Carolina punt returner Brenton Bersin also mishandled an early punt, leading to Arizona's first touchdown and briefly swinging momentum.
In the second half, Cardinals returner Ted Ginn fumbled away a kickoff, giving the Panthers possession inside the 5-yard line and dooming Arizona's chances of a comeback. Carolina also had a failed fake punt attempt.
The Baltimore Ravens escaped Pittsburgh with a comfortable 13-point win, but things momentarily got interesting when Sam Koch's punt was blocked late in the fourth quarter. Had the Steelers recovered the loose ball in the end zone, Pittsburgh would have pulled within one score. Instead, the blocked punt went out the back of the end zone for a safety. The Steelers were then unable to take advantage of the provided opportunity to get back into the game.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts played a relatively clean game in terms of special teams, with kickers Mike Nugent and Adam Vinatieri both making kicks well over 50 yards. Vinatieri made all four of his attempts in a 26-10 win. Neither the punting nor the kickoff team had a notable error.
The final game of Wild Card Weekend provided more disasters.
The Dallas Cowboys were flagged for running into the punter on Detroit's second possession, giving the Lions a first down and a new lease on life. Detroit eventually scored a touchdown on the 99-yard drive to go up 14-0.
Special teams almost turned the game later in the first half, when Lions returner Jeremy Ross nearly fumbled away a punt inside his own 20-yard line. He was then dropped at the 5-yard line after a questionable eight-yard kick return in the fourth quarter.
Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey also missed a routine 41-yard field goal, squandering a takeaway from the Dallas defense.
The game eventually blew up on not just an admitted officiating error, but also Sam Martin's 10-yard shanked punt. Instead of pinning the Cowboys deep, Martin's kicking blunder gave Dallas possession at the 41-yard line. Just 59 yards later, the Cowboys were celebrating their first lead of the contest.
The overriding lesson here: Mess with special teams at your own peril.
The Packers haven't lost a game solely because of special teams this season, although allowing an early punt return for a touchdown in Buffalo didn't help that result. So far, the mistakes have been more of a hindrance to an otherwise dominant team, especially at home.
Then again, the Packers don't have to go back far—to January of 2013—to find a time when special teams hurt the club. It was in San Francisco in the divisional round that Ross, who struggled this past Sunday with Detroit, fumbled away a punt inside his 10-yard line with the score at 14-7. The 49ers scored a few plays later, tying the game and sapping away all momentum from Green Bay's side.
The Packers are rightfully taking no chances in January of 2015. According to McCarthy, his team spent extra time on special teams during the bye week, including punter Tim Masthay getting extended work with coordinator Shawn Slocum.
Masthay, who ranked 30th in the NFL in net punting average (37.0 yards) in 2014, became a liability late in the season.
The Packers also hope to clean up the protection mistakes that have plagued all aspects of the special teams this season. In the NFL, seven blocked kicks over just 16 games is a wholly unacceptable number, regardless of injury excuse.
McCarthy thinks he's found an answer.
"Those are more technical, fundamental problems," McCarthy said. "We had padded practice Saturday and a chance to go live, full speed, as far as the protection. We made some adjustments. I like the way it looks. I feel confident in that going forward."
Expect the Cowboys to give Green Bay's protection units all they can handle. Mistakes are made to be corrected, but such a breadth of mental and technical issues will be difficult to get cleaned up over just one off week.
The Packers' saving grace on special teams has been punt returning, where Micah Hyde has two returns for touchdowns. Only four teams had a higher punt-return average in 2014. Green Bay also replaced DuJuan Harris on kickoffs with Hyde and receiver Randall Cobb in hopes of providing a jolt for a unit that was spectacularly ho-hum all season long.
In the end, the Packers special teams will not be graded in this postseason on the number of big plays created, but the number of mistakes avoided. It took only four playoff games this past weekend to show that the absence of errors can be as valuable (or more) as the presence of impact plays.
Certainly, Desmond Howard and the 1996-97 Super Bowl team would argue that a strong special teams unit can be the stabilizing force for a championship club. There's certainly value in having an electric return game.
The 2014 Packers could probably use some special teams magic in these playoffs. But after a tumultuous season filled with mistakes, Green Bay would likely settle for nothing more than an uneventful day of special teams this Sunday against the Cowboys.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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