National Football League

Green Bay Packers: Week 7 special teams recap

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Ron Zook against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Packers 38-8. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

With a dismal effort in the books against the Dallas Cowboys to end Week 6, Green Bay didn’t have a long time to lament their shortcomings; instead, they had to prepare for a Thursday night contest against their rival Chicago Bears.

Though the offense still had to work through a ton of unsightly play in the first half, they eventually found their footing in the second half to put up 26 points.

The defense meanwhile knocked Bears’ QB Brian Hoyer out with a broken arm on their way to allowing just 3 points of their own and forcing a couple interceptions from his backup.

But still, I’m sure you are wondering: what impact did the special teams have?

Glad you asked; let’s look into that.

Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby (2) watches as his kick is good against the Oakland Raiders during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Kicker

Kickoffs:

Scoring:

It finally happened: Crosby had a bad game!

That may be overstating things somewhat, but based on the way he’s played for the past four seasons it is notable when this man misses anything — and he missed twice!

The first miss was a late extra point kick, preventing the team from going up three scores late. The second was a 31 yard try on the following drive which was blocked — his first missed field goal since late last season.

Ultimately, neither of these misses matters much in the contest of the game; this matchup was long decided at that point. Beyond this one it shouldn’t make much difference either. Even as kickers have jumped up in efficiency overall in recent years, even the best will end up with a few misses here and there.

Crosby himself has given us little reason to doubt him at this point, so we shouldn’t be too quick to jump on him for a couple bad attempts in a game long decided.

The only thing I would watch for is the level of blocking on these plays. Blocked kicks became a major problem back in 2014, and if those guys on the line start letting up at times again it could become an issue again.

Oct 9, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers punter Jacob Schum (10) during the game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Punter

Punts:

Another week, another game with a single punt for Schum.

While I wouldn’t exactly call it a stellar effort like his previous one, it was at least respectable.

He got an okay amount of yardage behind it (something which has been a constant problem for him most of the season so far) and also put enough hangtime on it to prevent a possible return opportunity (also an issue he’s struggled with).

I think keeping Schum’s usage low probably is the best option for Green Bay (beyond it meaning the offense is most likely doing well, it also lessens the odds of him having a negative impact on a game by keeping him off the field), but the Packers must be careful here.

If you’ll remember, Tim Masthay also saw little action during stretches of that 2014 season, and then struggled to consistently perform when he have to kick the ball.

It could be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks, should the offense have more outings akin to the production we saw from them in the second half.

Sep 25, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Trevor Davis (11) during warmups prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Return Units

Punts:

Kickoffs:

After a week where this facet of the special teams actually had a surprisingly productive outing, they back down to earth here.

In fact, it was a bit further of a drop than we might have hoped.

Two of the three kickoffs were brought out of the endzone, but failed to get beyond the Green Bay 15; this effectively took away 20 yards combined from the team between those two efforts. Something like that won’t show up on the stat sheet, but it ends up further pinning back an offense which has struggled mightily at finding and holding a rhythm.

The punt return units wasn’t much better. Three of the four punts were fair caught inside the Green Bay 15; a good play overall in each case, though more attempted returns could make the unit feel like an actual threat out there. Or maybe not, seeing as on the only return that was attempted, the returner fumbled the ball. Luckily, Green Bay managed to recover it, but they may not come out so lucky in the future.

All in all, the unit didn’t do a terrible job, but they need to cut out a few mistakes and poor decisions. The Bears couldn’t make them pay, but more explosive teams might.

Sep 1, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Deveron Carr (1) breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers defensive back Kentrell Brice (29) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 17-7. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Coverage Units

Punts:

Kickoffs:

With Crosby having his kicking troubles late, the coverage units are the ones who led the way for the special teams in this game.

They were on top of the returner during the only Packers punt, preventing a possible return attempt.

They were also excellent in the kick coverage aspect of things, giving no headway for the Bears’ returners.

Their efforts helped Crosby garner his three touchbacks (their quick descent down the field prevented any chance of a run-out being a smart decision), while also bottling up the two shorter kicks by Crosby before either could reach what would have been touchback yardage.

It may be Crosby who usually gets the most praise in this space, but this part of the unit is proving to be almost as reliable in its own way each game.