Chiefs earn mixed reviews for special teams play in 2019

Statistically, it was a good year all around. Harrison Butker finished the season 34 of 38 (89.5%) on field goals attempts and only missed 1 field goal from inside 50 yards. Chiefs Kingdom will never forget his game-tying 54-yard field goal against the Minnesota Vikings with under three minutes to play, or the game-winner that same afternoon, a 44-yard kick with just three seconds remaining.

Dustin Colquitt punted 48 times for an average of 44.3 yards. While he provided the same consistent, reliable play that he always has over his 15 NFL seasons, he was on the visible end of some frustrating plays that cost the Chiefs.

Entering January of 2019, Colquitt had only been blocked five times in over 1,000 career punts in the regular season and playoffs. Then he suffered one in the 2019 divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts and then two more this season—one at New England in Week 14 and another in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans that was returned for a touchdown.

The gaffes didn’t end there. Leading 32-27 in Week 10 at Tennessee with just 1:27 remaining, Butker lined up for a 46-yard field goal. But the errant snap from Winchester resulted in Colquitt abruptly throwing the ball away. The punter was charged with intentional grounding and the Titans regained possession at their own 39. Four plays later, Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill fired a strike to receiver Adam Humphries, and the Titans led 35-32 after the two-point conversion. The Chiefs were able to get into Butker’s range to attempt a game-tying kick with just seconds left. But the field goal was blocked and the Chiefs went home dejected.

In the kick return game, it was Hardman who flourished. The Georgia product returned 27 kicks on the season for 704 yards. One of Hardman’s brightest plays was his 104-yard touchdown in the Chiefs’ must-win against the Chargers in Week 17. The return was the longest kickoff return in the NFL since the Saints’ Alvin Kamara brought one back 106 yards in 2017. Hardman also delivered a clutch 58-yard return against the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. The latter occurred with the Chiefs losing 24-0, and sparked a furious rally in which Kansas City ripped off 28 points in just 10 minutes of game clock.

There were a few hiccups along the way, as Hardman also lost two fumbles on kick returns in 2019. Coincidentally, both of them occurred on the opening kick of the 2nd half of a tie game vs. an NFC North opponent. With the Chiefs and Lions knotted up at 13, Hardman put it on the ground in Week 4, and five weeks later, he did it again against the Vikings in a 10-10 game. Fortunately, the Chiefs would go on to win both games.

Overall, Hardman shined in his first season, finishing second in the NFL in total yardage (behind Miles Sanders of the Eagles) and providing the kind of spark that you want from a return specialist. Hardman was rewarded for his play with a Pro Bowl bid as a kick returner and being honored as the annual recipient of the Mack Lee Hill award as the Chiefs’ rookie of the year.

Here’s some odd trivia for you at the water cooler this morning: Hill, the single-most explosive return specialist in the NFL, actually accumulated zero yards on special teams this season. After returning one punt for zero yards in the first five minutes of the season in Week 1, Hill was injured on offense later that game. or the rest of 2019, he was used exclusively on offense.

Coverage was a bright area in 2019, as well. The Chiefs ranked first in the league in aggregate weighted special teams, according to Football Outsiders. Part of that is kick return coverage, in which the Chiefs placed third in the NFL.