I’m not sure who deserves most of the credit. Coordinator Dave Fipp, I suppose. But the Eagles have been remarkably good on special teams. It’s hard to believe.
Over the past three years, the Eagles have scored more touchdowns on punt returns (4) than any other team. They have also scored more touchdowns on kickoff returns (4) than any other team. They also have scored more touchdowns on blocked kicks (4) than any other team.
It seems almost impossible. There are 31 other teams, so the probability of outperforming all of them in any of those categories is slight. I’m not a stat wiz, but I’m thinking about 3 percent (or even lower when you factor in the Eagles are not only No. 1 in each category but haven’t been tied by any other team). The probability of winning in all three is lottery like.
Only one other team has scored 3 TDs on blocked kicks in the last year (the Ravens, coached by Philadelphia’s former special teams coach, as luck would have it). And only one other team (the Vikings) have scored 3 TDs on kickoff returns.
Eagles also ranked No. 1 in covering kickoffs last year, with opponents on average starting on the 22-yard line.
This isn’t a case where the Eagles have fortunately stumbled onto an elite returner who’s simply better and faster than everyone else. The Eagles have gotten their punt return touchdowns by a back in his 30s (Darren Sproles). The 4 TDs on kickoffs have been scored by three different players (Josh Huff, Chris Polk and Wendell Smallwood).
I’m not sure how they’re doing this, but Dave Fipp and the Eagles seem to have figured out something that most other teams are missing.
| SPECIAL TEAMS TOUCHDOWNS SINCE 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Blocks | KOs | Punts | Total |
| Philadelphia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Baltimore | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Kansas City | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Miami | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Washington | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Buffalo | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| New England | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| NY Giants | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Seattle | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Arizona | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Chicago | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Detroit | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Green Bay | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Houston | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jacksonville | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New Orleans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carolina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dallas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Denver | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Indianapolis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Oakland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NY Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| San Diego | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| San Francisco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
—Ian Allan