Special Teams Review: Jets-Bucs

We've been breaking down this week's game against the Bucs. We wrap up today's analysis with a look at the special teams.

Let's review the key contributions...

Kicking game - You could hear a Piniero drop

Eddy Piniero still hasn't missed a field goal since taking over the Jets' job. He made his only attempt on Sunday, right before halftime from 51 yards. That's the longest field goal by a Jets kicker all season. Piniero also made all three of his extra point attempts.

Braden Mann had one disappointing punt from his own end zone that didn't even reach midfield, but he landed two at the 10-yard line and his other punt had a short return. After a shaky start, he's definitely been better than last year. Hopefully he can keep ascending.

On kickoffs, once again, Mann did a solid job with four touchbacks on five kickoffs. His other kick landed on the goal line and was blown up at the 10 right before half time. Mann is improved at this aspect too, with a much higher touchback percentage than last year.

Kick coverage - Are you the nail or the Hamsah?

The coverage units didn't get much work in this game with just one kickoff and one punt that got returned.

On the punt, DJ Montgomery lined up as a gunner and got downfield first. Although he missed his tackle, Ty Johnson and Justin Hardee stretched the return out wide and Thomas Hennessy and Hamsah Nasirildeen blew up the return man before he could turn it upfield.

The kickoff saw the Jets rallying to the ball as a unit in similar fashion. After Mann's kick landed near the goal line, Lamar Jackson and Kai Nacua almost blew it up but eventually Hardee and Del'Shawn Phillips wrapped up the return man at the 10-yard line.

That was fitting that Hardee and Phillips combined on that stop because it leaves them tied with 10 special teams tackles each on the season as we enter the final week of the season.

Jeff Smith also got downfield well to force the return man to make a fair catch.

Return game - Lump of Cole

Teams have become wary of Braxton Berrios and continue to try and kick away from him. He did field two returns, on which he got decent yardage, bouncing off a tackler on one.

Instead, Keelan Cole ended up with more returns than him as he fielded three. Two were pretty decent returns and he almost broke one, only to be upended by the punter. However, one was blown up at the 17 as he was indecisive.

On these returns, Hardee, Nasirildeen and Nick Bawden had good blocks but Phillips whiffed on a block in space and Bryce Huff got pushed into the path of the return man.

Berrios definitely isn't going to end up with enough returns on the year to qualify for the official leaderboard on punt returns. He needed seven over the last two games but had to fair catch all three of his return chances on Sunday. Rachad Wildgoose got shoved back into Berrios' lap on one of these.

That wraps up today's analysis from the game, but we'll be back with more over the next few days...