If your league awards points for touchdowns scored on special teams, there are four NFL teams should have an eye on. Nobody else seems to have much potential in this area.
If your league awards points for touchdowns scored on special teams, there are four NFL teams should have an eye on. Nobody else seems to have much potential in this area.
Philadelphia: Dave Fipp, their special teams coordinator, apparently has something figured out that the rest of the league is missing. Over the last three years, the Eagles have scored a league-high 4 TDs on kickoff returns, a league-high 4 TDs on punt returns, and a league-high 4 TDs on blocked kicks. And they’ve scored these touchdowns with different guys (that is, it’s coaching and scheme rather than simply have a dynamic kick returner).
Minnesota: They’re the only team that’s scored 2-plus touchdowns on special teams four years in a row. Worry is that they’ve had some uber-elite kickoff returners in the past (Percy Harvin and Cordarrelle Patterson). They don’t have a talent like that now. (Patterson signed with Oakland.)
Kansas City: KC has been good in the past, and Tyreek Hill was the league’s best returner at the end of last year, with 3 TDs in his final six games. My only worry is that they plan to make Hill their No. 1 receiver this year. With him playing more on offense, they might relieve him of some of his special teams.
Baltimore: With 7 TDs in the last four years (an average of one every 9 games), the Ravens are a step back from the Big Three, but none of the league’s other 28 teams have scored more than 4. Baltimore is one of only two teams (Vikings) that’s scored at least one touchdown on special teams four years in a row. Head coach John Harbaugh, of course, in the past was a special teams coach with the Eagles.
As of right now, there are only two teams that get my attention for scoring potential. Philadelphia and Kansas City, I think, have a good chance of scoring 2-plus touchdowns on special teams plays. I can’t say that about anyone else. Maybe somebody else catches my eye in the preseason (it was apparent in the preseason last year that Tyreek Hill would be a good returner) but I’m not ready to commit to anyone right now.
Over the last four years, the other 28 teams have averaged just over a half touchdown per season.
Teams that have gone four straight years without scoring a touchdown on special teams: Titans, Bucs, 49ers, Chargers.
| SPECIAL TEAMS TOUCHDOWNS (last four years) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | Tot |
| Philadelphia | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| Kansas City | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Baltimore | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Denver | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Detroit | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| LA Rams | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Miami | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| NY Giants | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Washington | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Buffalo | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Chicago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Green Bay | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Houston | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| New England | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Seattle | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Arizona | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Dallas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Indianapolis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jacksonville | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New Orleans | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| NY Jets | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Oakland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carolina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| San Diego | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| San Francisco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
—Ian Allan