We’ve been breaking down this week’s game against the Falcons. We continue the postgame analysis with a look at the special teams.
Let’s review the key contributions…
Kicking game – Ain’t too proud to Greg
Kicker Greg Zuerlein wasn’t particularly busy on Sunday but he got the Jets’ offense on the board with two field goals and kicked three touchbacks. He almost missed from 27 after Thomas Hennessy‘s snap was a bit off the mark.
Punter Thomas Morstead arguably outkicked his coverage a few times but the Jets rallied to the football well. His directional kicking was excellent with two kicks fair caught near the 10-yard line and one downed at the one to set up a safety. He dealt well with Hennessy’s bad snap too.
In punt protection, Micheal Clemons allowed a pressure.
Kick coverage – Un-Irvin some new talent
Pro bowler Justin Hardee made his return on Sunday and the impact was immediate as the Jets had their best game in punt coverage for quite some time.
Interestingly, Irvin Charles played really well, having mostly struggled with Hardee out. This probably confirms our suspicions that the opposing teams were either doubling or putting their best vice on him with Hardee out and now he has an easier task of getting downfield.
Charles was the one to down Morstead’s punt at the goal line, with both Chazz Surratt and Hardee helping to ensure the ball didn’t go into the end zone. Charles also forced two fair catches and was the first man down on another punt where he missed the tackle.
Surratt had a solid day with two tackles cleaning up and Ashtyn Davis also had a good open field tackle in clean-up. Surratt was also called for a personal foul though (on a terrible call).
Hardee was the first man down multiple times, slowing up the runner on one return and making the tackle despite a holding penalty on another.
Return game – Gip Service
Xavier Gipson, who had a career day on offense, also had his best game as a return man since the opener. He had a 25-yard free kick return and four punt returns for 45 yards, setting up the Jets with good field position (which they then wasted) on multiple occasions.
He had punt returns of 17 and 16 yards, which are his second and third longest returns since the opener (his longest being 18 in week three).
Once again, Hardee’s return was a major factor in this, as he did a good job assisting Brandin Echols in slowing down Khaderel Hodge (Atlanta’s best gunner) and made a good block on one of Gipson’s best returns.
Echols was beaten multiple times by the gunner but Jarrick Bernard-Converse was only beaten once.
Hardee did get called for a hold on one punt return but again this was an awful call.
All three Falcons kickoffs went for a touchback but the free kick return counts as a kickoff return.
We’ll be back with the 3-on-D and 3-on-O over the next few days…