Jay Harbaugh, Seahawks Putting ‘Special’ in Special Teams in NFC West Title Pursuit

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Seattle Seahawks place kicker Jason Myers (5) kicks a field goal against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images [/caption]

You hear coaches say they “want to play complementary football in all three phases” all the time. Of course, connecting those aforementioned phases on offense, defense, and special teams can be easier said than done in the NFL.

Special teams is often overlooked by the casual fan. They’ll spend three hours breaking down quarterback mechanics and defensive coverages, but the moment a punter trots onto the field, their brain hits the “skip intro” button. Meanwhile, the punter is basically out there doing physics experiments with his foot, trying to drop a football on the 1-yard line with the precision of a PGA Tour golfer with a pitching wedge.

And kickers? Casual fans don’t notice them at all, until the poor guy misses a 52-yarder into the wind at -10 degrees, and suddenly everyone with a recliner becomes a biomechanics expert who “could’ve made that.”

Kick returns used to be an opportunity for them to open another bag of Doritos and pop open another jar of French onion dip. With the new kickoff rules, that is no longer the case.

As for the Seattle Seahawks? They are putting the “special” in special teams. Special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh’s group is making Seattle’s special teams units must-see TV in a good way. After spending parts of nine seasons with the Michigan Wolverines coaching special teams, Harbaugh joined Mike Macdonald’s staff in Seattle last year. He is known as a special teams savant and that is now bearing fruit in Seattle after his first year on the job proved to be a challenge.

Per DVOA, Seattle has the No. 1-ranked special teams unit in the entire NFL. Pro Football Focus has Seattle’s unit as the third-best in the NFL. Either way, the Seahawks’ special teams is among the best in the entire league.

Jason Myers leads the NFL with 31 field goals made. He is fourth in the NFL in field goals made at 50 yards or longer. He is yet to miss an extra point this year. He is building a Pro Bowl-caliber season once again.

Michael Dickson ranks seventh in yards per punt this year. He also is the Seahawks’ franchise leader in that category over a career. He’s as solid of a punter as you will find around the NFL, helping the team win the field position battle when called upon.

And the more flashy parts of the special teams like the return game or attempting to block kicks? Sunday in Atlanta was the perfect microcosm of what Seattle has built with their special teams unit.

First, with the two teams trading mildly successful drives that stalled in the first half, the Falcons lined up for a field goal with the game at 3-3 in the second quarter. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori shot off the line like he got a Super Mario flower boost and, quite easily, blocked the field goal attempt. That stifled a scoring attempt for Atlanta and it felt like it shifted momentum back to the Seahawks for them to take control in the second half.

Myers made three field goals on the day, two of them in the first half.

Then, with Seahawks fans wringing their hands about being tied 6-6 at the half with an inferior team and a stalling offense, special teams stepped up to take control once again.

Seattle traded a fourth and fifth round pick to New Orleans to acquire Rashid Shaheed in late October for moments like this. The speedy weapon took the second half opening kickoff at the goal line and shifted into his top gear very quickly behind lead blocks from Brady Russell and Cody White among others, going untouched for 100 yards and a touchdown to give Seattle the 13-6 lead. That helped the entire team exhale and reach another gear to blowout the Falcons.

All in all, the Seahawks had three made field goals and four extra points from Myers without a miss, a blocked field goal, two punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and a momentum-shifting kick return touchdown, all in one game. Talk about an equalizer, particularly on the road in a game that was tied at halftime.

The Seahawks had about as perfect of a day on special teams as you will find. Harbaugh and crew treat the special teams as just as important as the offense or defense. And in Seattle, it’s a big reason why they are sitting at 10-3, on the cusp of making the postseason for the first time since the 2022 season while being in the mix for an NFC West title and the No. 1 seed.