Super Bowl Preview: Special Teams

Special teams are the most overlooked aspect of the National Football League. However, despite a lack of emphasis placed on them by the media, special teams will play a pivotal role in the Super Bowl.

Kicking:

The New England Patriots have kicked off a league high 112 times this year. Their surprisingly strong special teams is allowing only 22.1 yards per return which places them in the upper third of the league. Additionally, they are averaging 64.5 yards per kick. More impressive is that they only allowed one return for a touchdown despite kicking off so many times. The Patriots have been solid in kick returns. They are averaging 24.8 yards per return which puts them in the top five of the league. Ellis Hobbs and Wes Welker will be dangerous return men that the Giants will have difficulty containing.

The New York Giants kicking has been poor this year relative to the rest of the league. They are allowing a pedestrian 23.1 yards per return in 81 kick offs. While they have only allowed one touchdown, they are averaging 62.8 yards per kick. This is eighth worst in the National Football League. The Giants return game has been fantastic this year barely trailing the Patriots with 23.9 yards per return.

Advantage: New England

Punting:

The New England Patriots are averaging an abysmal 41.4 yards per punt which is a disappointing 26^th in the NFL. However, they only punted on 44 occasions which is a league low. It is eight punts fewer than the next closest team. This lack of punting is a testament to the juggernaut offense of the Patriots. The Patriots did have one punt blocked and this should be a small concern for them; however, it is unlikely to affect the game. The Patriots are allowing only 5.4 yards per punt return, which is second best in the league. 9.4 yards per punt return is good enough to make the Patriots eleventh best in the league in that statistical category.

The Giants punt returns have been lacking in quality, averaging only 7.4 yards which puts them in the lower tier of the league. These poor punt returns will not help the Giants battle for field position and will come back to haunt them. The Giants punting has been even worse than the return game as it is second worst in the league. They are averaging only 40.4 yards per punt. This ineffectiveness will harm them in the game as they will continually find themselves with bad field position.

Advantage: New England

Field Goals:

New England has converted on 87.5 percent of their field goals this season. This conversion rate is adequate and puts the Pats towards the top of the league. The Giants have not been so fortunate with new kicker Lawrence Tynes. The Giants have converted on only 85.2 percent of field goals. Additionally, Tynes has struggled greatly during the course of the playoffs. If the game comes down to field goals the Giants will be at a huge disadvantage with their subpar kicking. Tynes is too shaky and cannot be trusted in important situations.

Advantage: New England

Extra Points:

The Patriots converted on every one of their 74 extra point attempts this season. They converted on 21 more extra points then their nearest competitor. On the other hand, the Giants converted a league worst 95.2 percent of their extra points. These two teams are polar opposites in regard to extra points. The Patriots have as large of an edge as possible in this aspect of special teams.

Advantage: New England

Overall:

The Patriots have a clear edge in special teams for this super bowl. They hold a slight advantage in the kicking in punting aspects. However, it is field goals and extra points that truly separates them from New York. Look for New England to win the special teams battle. The Giants must find some answers or their special teams will cost them

Advantage: New England

Sources:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats;