‘It’s been a rough year’: Chiefs looking to return the special to their special teams
No getting around it. Special teams play for the Chiefs this season has been something less than special.
That’s not based on the Chiefs’ most recent snap, a final-play field goal attempt that ended their 35-32 loss at Tennessee last Sunday — although, if the notion needs a visual, that potential game-tying 52-yard attempt that had barely left kicker Harrison Butker’s right foot before being knocked down would suffice.
The Chiefs’ special teams, in general, have been inconsistent throughout the season.
“It’s been a rough year for us,” special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “It feel like it’s been up and down.”
That qualifies as stunning news for the Chiefs, who have been excellent in this phase of the game under Toub and head coach Andy Reid. The analytics website Football Outsiders combines the phases of special teams — kickoff and punt returns and coverage, field goals and extra points — to come up with a ranking that slots teams against the league average.
The site had the Chiefs ranked among the NFL’s top four in five of six years under Reid and Toub. Entering their Week 11 game on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City, the Chiefs rank 12th. This after averaging a 23th-place finish in the seven years before Reid and Toub arrived.
The Chiefs remain in the top half of the NFL but below Toub’s usual standards. Two botched field goal attempts in the final 90 seconds at Nashville brought last weekend’s game to a painful conclusion.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s probably the first time in my career I’ve had two things happen back to back, on the same phase,” Toub said. “I told the guys the offense and defense did enough to win the game. We have to finish it. We have to be perfect and get the job done. That’s our job. We didn’t get it done.”
But it’s not just that. Rookie return man Mecole Hardman twice has fumbled away kickoff returns this season and on Sunday was called for a fair catch on a punt to the Chiefs’ 4-yard line.
“He’s still developing,” Toub said. “We see him mistakes sometimes. He’s getting better. He wants to be great and he will be great.”
History suggests the Chiefs’ special teams unit will eventually produce points. Since 2013, they’ve returned a kickoff or a punt for touchdown in every year but one. Tyreek Hill has the team’s last five return touchdowns.
Although he’s returned the ball once this season, Hill had a impact on the team two weeks ago against Minnesota. His presence as the deep back prompted a short punt out of bounds that gave the Chiefs an easier path to Butker’s game-winning field goal.
And the Chiefs’ kick-coverage teams have been solid. Opponents are averaging 19.1 yards per kick return and 4.6 yards per punt return. Butker has made 85.1 percent of his field goals (23 of 27) and has missed just two extra points. Both are above the league average. And Dustin Colquitt continues to rank among NFL leaders at punts inside the 20.
Special teams successes and failures are felt throughout the position group room, Butker said.
“We take pride on the special team units we’re on, but I take pride on all the teams,” Butker said. “We’re all in the same meetings. We’re around each other. We don’t have as many plays as the offense and defense you have to execute at a high level.
“You don’t have room to have a bad pay and bounce back on the next one.”
Especially if it’s on the final play of the game.