Green Bay Packers: NFC Championship Game special teams recap
By Kenn Korb
The Coverage Units
Punts:
- 14 yard return (ATL 23)
- Fair Catch (ATL 25)
Kickoffs:
- 23 yard return (ATL 20)
- Touchback
- *Onside Kick* 9 yard return (GB 33)
- *Onside Kick* 0 yard return (50)
We end on the coverage units, who (as with the rest of the special teams unit) did not experience all that much in terms of game action. What time they did get to spend on the field turned into a relatively bland outing.
Though there’s two sections here, it’s actually more like three in a way for their six total plays: two punts, two regular kickoffs, and two onside kicks.
The punt coverage wasn’t especially notable — the return was caused by the low-hangtime punt and not coverage mishaps, while they were in position as expected to force the fair catch on the second — but no errors is always a positive.
Basically the same story for the two regular kickoffs, though slightly better. Nothing to do on the touchback really, but the quick sprint down the field by the group on the first kick let them bring down the returner before he exited touchback yardage; with that, the Packers picked up an extra 5 yards of field position. Obviously that made no difference in a game where the team gave up around 500, but it is the sort of good play which tends to go unnoticed but does have the ability to be more important — especially if that feat is copied numerous times in a game.
Here’s where the good performance was somewhat damaged, if only slightly. First off, neither of the two onside kicks were recovered by Green Bay; that cut the already-miniscule chances Green Bay had at a comeback down to nil. That first one was notably worse than that, however; Mohamed Sanu was able to not only pick the ball out of the air in full stride, but had it not been for a last-grasp attempt to stop him, he would’ve taken the ball right into the endzone, adding even more insult and embarrassment to this catastrophically abysmal outing by the Packers.
Next: Why the Packers lost at Atlanta
That didn’t end up coming to fruition, but it might as well have. It would’ve fit in so well with what the other aspects of this team brought to the game.