Once again, Dave Toub’s work with the Kansas City Chiefs special teams is honored among the NFL’s best.
Great special teams play has been a hallmark of the Kansas City Chiefs since Andy Reid first hired Dave Toub away from the Chicago Bears back in 2013, and this season was no different. Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings are out, and the Chiefs come in at No. 3 overall in the NFL in total performance on the year.
Per Gosselin, the Chiefs finished with the most special teams touchdowns on the season, best in punt return average and second best in punts inside the 20-yard line. Those are irotegories that will alter a game’s outcome, and the Chiefs 12-4 record is certainly a testament to their special teams success.
While it doesn’t hurt to have a truly special athlete like Tyreek Hill returning kicks and punts on your team, the reality is that it’s hard to tell how much of his success should also be attributed to the flawless execution on most plays from Toub’s unit. Linebacker D.J. Alexander was a Pro Bowl player alongside Hill, and the kicking game is in great hands with Cairo Santos and Dustin Colquitt.
Interestingly enough, the Philadelphia Eagles were ranked No. 1 overall by Gosselin, so it seems that former Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson was keen to emphasize strong, special teams play as well in his new role. In between the Eagles and Chiefs were the Detroit Lions at No. 2.
It’s interesting to see that top tier special teams play does not necessarily correlate to making the playoffs, as illustrated by Philly’s placement up top, but it does seem that horrible special teams play will keep a team out of it. Only two of the bottom 12 teams in the rankings made the playoffs: the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans.