The Chiefs seem to be in a pattern where special teams will stand out one week — for better or worse — and then go quiet the next week. Week 15 was the latter.
In Kansas City’s 30-24 overtime win over the Houston Texans, the Chiefs’ special teams unit saw action but was quiet overall outside of the two missed field goals (one 51-yard field goal and one extra point) by kicker Harrison Butker.
Usually being quiet on special teams is a good thing because that means you didn’t make many mistakes. However, K.C.’s special teams unit didn’t do anything (ahem) special, either. Still, we’ll take a quick look at receiver Kadarius Toney’s reappearance on punt returns and see if anything is worth taking away from that.
Additionally, check out my special teams stats, snap counts and grades for individual players via Google Sheets for a deeper look into player performances. I added a “totals” column in the stats section this week as well.
Punt returns: Kadarius Toney needs better blocking
Looking at the box score, you’d think Toney wasn’t a particularly good punt returner. Against the Texans, he had two returns for eight yards, and on the season he has five returns for 24 yards (a meager 4.8-yard average).
But based on his early return film this season and his returns from Week 15, it’s clear that it’s not necessarily Toney as much as it is the rest of the Chiefs’ punt return squad. On Toney’s two returns, he simply didn’t have great blocking to make a play. In fact, he had to create yards himself.
Here’s Toney’s first return:
You’ll notice that cornerback Trent McDuffie (the Chiefs’ left-side jammer, No. 21) was beaten on the play. I talked about McDuffie’s struggles as a jammer last week, particularly his lack of aggression that often gets him beat. McDuffie actually had his best game as a jammer against the Texans but his lack of good blocking on the above play forced Toney to hesitate and eventually become crowded by too many defenders. Still, Toney managed to earn a three-yard gain.
Next up was Toney’s second return which went for a five-yard gain:
Toney was crowded quickly due to several Chiefs like safety Deon Bush (No. 26) and Bryan Cook (No. 6) and linebacker Leo Chenal (No. 54) not being able to get in front of defenders in time. Miraculously, Toney avoided being tackled at the 20-yard line and turned around, fighting for two more yards. Notice the block by CB Joshua Williams (No. 23) right after Toney’s turnaround that allowed him to gain an extra couple of yards.
To me, the above play encompasses Toney’s ability as a returner and even as a yards-after-catch receiver. He’s not the type to go down on first contact. He can also make defenders pay by using his speed to quickly separate after breaking a tackle. This play is why I’m excited for Toney as a receiver and as a returner moving forward, although I am a bit worried that the Chiefs’ blocking on punt returns isn’t good enough this year to allow for a huge play by Toney. We’ll see if they can find some sort of a rhythm with him, though.
More special teams notes
A few more notes to finish up Week 15:
- Continuing that note about Butker, former Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt claims that Butker has been missing because of punter Tommy Townsend’s holds. If that’s the case, it’s a bit strange that Townsend is struggling with holds considering he has been holding for Butker for three years now. Clearly, the two need to get on the same page before the playoffs begin.
- Another note on Butker: I have absolutely no idea if this is just a coincidence or if there’s something to it, but six of Butker’s eight misses this season have come from the left hash mark.
- There were no kick returns for the opposing squad in Week 15 —all five of Butker’s kickoffs bounced in the end zone for touchbacks. It’s worth noting that the Chiefs’ opponents hold a 24.22-yard line average when returning against K.C. this season, so the Chiefs’ kickoff coverage squad has fared a bit better than the automatic 25-yard line on touchbacks.
- Kick returns were not good at all for the Chiefs in Week 15. Running back/returner Isiah Pacheco finished with a 16-yard line average field position on his three returns. The poor average was mostly due to blocking and a penalty on tight end Noah Gray, but Pacheco wasn’t at his best as a returner, either.
- Punt coverage had a good day for K.C., forcing an opponent’s average field position of the 17.5-yard line. Safety Nazeeh Johnson also notched a punt coverage tackle for the second week in a row.
- I’ve noticed that when special teams coordinator Dave Toub anticipates a possible fake punt from the opposing squad, he’ll leave in LBs Willie Gay and Nick Bolton and defensive linemen Mike Danna, Derrick Nnadi and George Karlaftis on the punt return. He did that once against Houston, though it did not end up as a fake.
