Patriots Hope Special Teams Rounds Corner vs. Chargers

The New England Patriots have three return touchdowns this season, and plenty of great plays on special teams en route to the playoffs.

And yet, they’ve still had constant struggles in that unit, especially when it comes to defending kickoffs and punts. In the last two weeks, rookie kicker Andy Borregales missed a field goal against the Jets and had another blocked against the Dolphins.

Cleaning these mistakes up are at the top of special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer’s checklist ahead of the Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“We’re in the playoffs now and every play matters,” Springer told reporters this week. “Little things like that are the difference between winning and losing. I always talk about that with our guys. Like, it’s only one play. That’s all we get. So, we always have to be on our cues. We can’t take any naps. When we take naps, negative things happen to us and that hurts the team and we’re not trying to hurt the team there.”

Patriots Can't Have Lapses in Playoffs

Taking naps has been a theme that the coaching staff has harped on all season. Head coach Mike Vrabel has talked about how the team can’t be willing to give a play up, or miss a chance to swing the tide of the game.

But there have been positives. Borregales’ season has been a bright spot, including his career-long 59-yard field goal from a week ago. Rookie long snapper Julian Ashby hasn’t sailed a snap, and the rotation of kick returners have helped flip field position.

Jan 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots placekicker Andy Borregales (36) kicks the extra point held by punter Bryce Baringer (17) against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

“You’re not trying to change what you’ve been doing all year from a routine standpoint. I think it’s got us here for a reason,” Springer said. “But at the same time, it’s just expressing to our guys how grateful we are to be in this position and then to embrace the preparation part of it and embrace the work that we’re putting in, embrace the details it’s going to take to win this game.”

Springer was on the Patriots' staff when the team lost to these Chargers 40-7 on home turf last season. While most of the coaches and players have changed, the mentality to excel on special teams continues to be the same.

Now in a do-or-die game coming up at Gillette Stadium, it’s all hands on deck for a unit hoping to make a difference.

“I think our guys understand that we’ve had clips this year of us doing great things and clips doing bad things,” Springer said. “And it’s all growth throughout the year and how you learn from it to show you at the end of the day in these kind of games on Sunday that if you make one of those mistakes, it could be costly. I think our guys understand that.”

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