Some weeks are more eventful than others when it comes to special teams.
For the Chiefs’ Week 13 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, it was the kick return squad that saw the most action. After having all three kick returns drop in the end zone for touchbacks in Week 12, the Chiefs’ kick return subunit fielded five of six kickoffs in Week 13.
The good news is that squad — which has had a rough season — ended up doing a pretty good job against the Bengals. We’ll go over that, plus touch on some other special teams notes afterward.
In addition to this review, be sure to check out my special teams stats, snap counts and grades for individual players via Google Sheets for a deeper dive into the Chiefs’ special teams performances.
Kick returns: Isiah Pacheco breaks a big one with help from Jerick McKinnon
Running back/kick returner Isiah Pacheco returned five kickoffs for 116 yards on Sunday for a 23.2-yard average. More importantly, the average field position of those returns was the 30.2-yard line. Pacheco’s returns went to the 27, 30, 23, 47 and 24-yard lines, respectively. Pacheco’s 44-yard return that he took to the 47-yard line was the big special teams play of the day.
Pacheco’s role on the Chiefs’ offense has increased as he has gained more confidence as the lead back — over the last four weeks, Pacheco has earned 357 yards and two touchdowns on 70 touches, or 5.1 yards per touch. Perhaps that success on offense has helped his kick return game as well because that 30.2-yard line average was his best of the season thus far.
Part of that success, both on offense and kick returns, can be attributed to Pacheco’s increased patience and overall field awareness. He has been doing a nice job of waiting for his blocks and picking the right holes instead of bursting through the first ones that he sees.
Of course, that success can be partially attributed to blocking as well. Pacheco hasn’t always received the best blocking on kick returns this season but it was solid in Week 13, especially from fellow running back Jerick McKinnon who, by my grading system, has been the Chiefs’ best blocker on kick returns in 2022.
On Pacheco’s first return of the day against the Bengals, McKinnon threw a nasty block on Bengals RB Trayveon Williams:
We give #Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon props for his pass blocking (rightfully so), but give my man some love for his blocking on kick returns. Check this block from Sunday against the Bengals: pic.twitter.com/1N4heNsgS1
— Wes Roesch (@WesleyRoesch) December 6, 2022
McKinnon brought that same energy during Pacheco’s 44-yard return. If not for McKinnon keeping his man at bay, Pacheco might not have been able to round the corner enough to bust such a big return:
It’s worth noting that linebacker Leo Chenal’s block helped Pacheco get around the edge as well.
This was a really good return for Pacheco, who really took his time to wait for all the blocks to get set. You’ll notice that Pacheco paused around the 10-yard line waiting for the best opportunity, and he saw defenders crashing inside the middle along with Bengals kicker Evan McPherson roaming free downfield waiting for him. Bouncing to the left allowed Pacheco to use his pure breakaway speed to pick up some extra yardage for his offense which scored a touchdown a few minutes later.
This was a promising return for Pacheco, and to me, it shows why special teams coordinator Dave Toub has kept Pacheco on kick returns. Sure, if Pacheco is the lead back next year then it may make sense to take him off returns to avoid injury. But right now he’s hitting his stride as both a running back and a returner, so it would be beneficial for his development as a rookie to allow him to continue to earn important reps.
More special teams notes
Just a few more special teams notes to finish up Week 13:
- Kicker Harrison Butker had a good streak going but finally missed another field goal — this one was a 55-yarder. However, the snap from long snapper James Winchester was a bad one, leading some to wonder whether the poor snap had a hand in causing the miss:
Have seen folks talk about this re: Harrison Butker's missed FG. Here's a closeup (sorry for poor quality).
Snap was bad, but seems like Tommy Townsend recovered with the hold. Unsure if the snap ultimately affected Butker's kick. https://t.co/yfDTSHAlOM pic.twitter.com/T5XL8s5Awn
— Wes Roesch (@WesleyRoesch) December 6, 2022
- It’s difficult to tell, but it probably doesn’t matter. The fact is Butker is having the worst season of his career right now. His 76.5 percent field goal percentage is the lowest by far of his six-year career while his 92 percent extra point percentage is his second lowest. There are still five games left for Butker to improve those percentages, but the fact is he needs to prove that 1. he’s still a reliable kicker and 2. he can be more reliable on kicks 50 yards or farther.
- Chenal and fullback Michael Burton each notched a solo tackle on kickoff coverage, which continues to be a good subunit for Kansas City.
- The Chiefs have now gone four-straight games without a special teams penalty. Hopefully, they keep that up down the stretch.
- Both the punt coverage and punt return subunits didn’t see much action in Week 13, with just one play each. It’s worth noting that receiver Justin Watson was the returner on the Chiefs’ sole punt return, though it was a fair catch so he didn’t get a chance to actually return it.
- On the Chiefs’ sole punt of the day, McKinnon notched his second punt coverage tackle of the season. Good day overall for him.
