Special Teams Review: Jets-Patriots

We've been breaking down this week's game. We conclude our postgame analysis with a look at the special teams.

Let's review the key contributions...

Kicking game - Sandy comes in handy

In another disappointing performance for the Jets’ special teams unit, kicker Jason Sanders continues to provide at least one positive.

Sanders made all four of his field goals and one extra point on Sunday, but what was more encouraging was the nature of the kicks, as they were all right down the middle with plenty of distance.

His kickoffs were another matter as the only one of his five conventional kicks that had a return stopped inside the 30 was a short kick that only just landed in the landing zone and almost bounced out of bounds. Only one of his other four kickoffs was fielded inside the six-yard line.

Sanders also had an onside kick attempt which should have been a routine play for AJ Brown but he failed to make it and New England got lucky with the bounce.

Punter Austin McNamara only got to punt twice and New England tried to bring the pressure with Andre Cisco just about doing enough to enable him to get his first punt off cleanly and Jaden Keller allowing pressure on the other.

The first punt was a good one; 53 yards with a 10-yard return, and the other was shorter, with a fair catch.

Kick coverage - Panic! At the Cisco

Cisco had a big day in kick coverage as he was credited with three tackles, with Malachi Moore also credited with two and in on a third that he didn’t get credit for.

On the whole, though, the two safeties were mostly just cleaning up because of other players being unable to make plays.

As noted earlier, the Patriots’ kickoff return unit was effective, with two of the returns getting out to near the 40.

There was a huge lane on the first of these, albeit partly due to a missed block in the back by the officials. Isaiah Davis and Keller were among the players blocked out of their lanes on this one.

The other long return again saw Davis blocked off, along with Nate Lynn, Andrew Beck and Qwan’tez Stiggers.

On a more positive note, Stiggers and Will McDonald made good open field tackles and Beck drew a holding penalty.

Stiggers also forced a fair catch on a punt, but the other punt saw the return man get to the sideline for a 10-yard return. Davis missed a tackle, Trevin Wallace overpursued and Malik McClain got sealed off on that one.

McClain was also the closest Jet to recovering Sanders’ onside kick.

Return game - Kene Nwashedup?

Once again, the Jets’ kickoff return unit was disappointing as the blocking for Kene Nwangwu was poor and he was ineffective, although he did break a few tackles otherwise his numbers would have been even worse. Only one of his returns got out past the 30. In fact, four were stopped inside the 25.

Keller, Beck, Wallace and Jelani Woods all had multiple plays where they either missed a block or let their man get off a block to make a play.

On Nwangwu’s shortest return, he was absolutely lit up after Jeremy Ruckert failed to make his block and ended up on the ground. He was also stopped at the 20 on one that he could have just left for a touchback. Woods’ man almost blew that up at the 15, but missed his tackle.

The Jets had no success on punt returns either, as Isaiah Williams had one fair catch and let the other Patriots punt bounce where it was downed inside the five. D’Angelo Ponds was beaten by the gunner on the fair catch.

We'll be back with the 3-on-D and 3-on-O over the next few days...