Special Teams Review: Jets-Jaguars

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

Let's review the key contributions...

Kicking game - Bad, Bad Mann

Kicker Greg Zuerlein did his entire day's work in the first 3:19 as he kicked a touchback, a 37-yard field goal and another kickoff that was fielded at the goal line and returned to the 25.

Punter Braden Mann had another rough day. Called upon to punt five times, he started well as his punt was out of bounds inside the five. That was despite a running into the kicker penalty after pressure snuck through between Jamien Sherwood and Micheal Clemons.

He had three other punts that were pretty good; a 51-yarder with no return, a 48-yarder with no return and a 32-yarder that was fair-caught at the 12-yard line. However, he undermined all of that when he shanked a 27-yarder out of bounds that ended up as a 12-yard net due to a penalty.

The Jaguars missed one field goal but there was no pressure on the kick and they made their other four.

Finally, Clemons was also hit with a false start penalty on one fourth-and-short punt.

Kick coverage - Goin' Ham

Hamsah Nasirildeen and Kenny Yeboah were the only players credited with a special teams tackle this week, although Sherwood and Tony Adams were also in on these plays. The Nasirildeen tackle stopped a kickoff at the 25 and Yeboah forced the punt returner out after a short return.

Adams also downed one punt and made a tackle after the Jags return man muffed a fair catch. However, once you recover a muffed fair catch, you cannot advance the ball so it is dead and therefore Adams, who forced the fair catch in the first place by beating his man downfield, doesn't get any credit.

New pro bowler Justin Hardee was constantly doubled as usual, including on one play where he was blatantly shoved over from behind with no call. He then was flagged himself for unnecessary roughness on another tough call as he was reacting to the opposing player grabbing his facemask.

Return game - Brax On, Brax Off

Braxton Berrios returned three kickoffs yesterday, with mixed results. He took one up the sideline to the 33, got blown up near the 15 and was tripped up at about the 25.

He also had a heads-up play on a kickoff to field the ball with one foot out of bounds to ensure the illegal kick penalty pushed the ball out to the 40. On Jacksonville's two punts, however, they both landed out of bounds. Berrios has now amassed enough returns to qualify for the league leaders in kickoff return average, but has dropped to 8th place over the past few games.

Nasirildeen and Jermaine Johnson had good blocks on his best return but Ty Johnson and Bryce Huff missed their blocks on the other two.

That wraps up today's analysis but we'll be back with the 3-on-D and the 3-on-O over the weekend...