Seahawks Special Teams Ranked as One of League’s Best This Season
The Seattle Seahawks gave fans plenty of things to feel excited about this season.
With the reemergence of quarterback Geno Smith, the quick impact of a handful of rookies and an unlikely run to the playoffs, Seattle drew attention for tons of reasons.
With all of this going on, the strength of the Seahawks special teams under coordinator Larry Izzo understandably fell further down the appreciation list. But the unit still ranked as arguably the league’s best this past season.
Per Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL Special Teams Rankings, the Seahawks ranked No. 2 behind the Houston Texans for best special-teams play. The rankings combine categories like average starting field position on both returns and coverage, and takeaways. Point values are then assigned based on these numbers.
The higher the point total a team has, the lower they will finish, as the Texans finished at No. 1 with 255 points while Seattle sat at No. 2 with 269.5 points.
The Seahawks were sparked in the third phase of the game by the late-season addition of dynamic returner Godwin Igwebuike. Though his return yardage total wasn't as high as others in the league due to appearing in just five games, he finished the regular season fourth in average yards per kickoff return (28) among qualified players.
As for newly-extended All-Pro Seahawks kicker Jason Myers, he finished tied for second in field goals made (34), fifth in field goal percentage (91.9) and fifth in PAT makes.
Seattle's success on special teams can also be attributed to the play of punter Michael Dickson, who finished eighth in average yards per punt (48.5) and second in net average yards per punt (44.4).
And thought it came in a forgettable loss, the Seahawks' best play on special teams during the season was Mike Jackson's 86-yard blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown in Week 2's 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen blocked the kick and helped give Seattle its only score of the afternoon.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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