Special Teams Review: Jets-Jaguars

We've been breaking down this week's game. We conclude today's postgame analysis with a look at the special teams.

Let's review the key contributions...

Kicking game - Carlson Shanks

Anders Carlson missed a field goal in this one - his first missed field goal of the season. The kick would have cut the Jags' lead to 22-20 and in retrospect the Jets probably should have gone for it.

He otherwise delivered with three extra points and a field goal and perhaps would have had a game-winner if the clock management had been handled differently at the end. On kickoffs, he continues to allow returns, as he had just four touchbacks in six kicks. However, one was a 20-yard line touchback as it bounced right near the goal line.

Punter Thomas Morstead was underwhelming again. One of his punts was a 54-yarder but with plenty of room for the return man. His others were a short 40-yarder with no return and a 31-yarder that was fair-caught at the 13. You'd like to see that one closer to the goal line.

The Jets also lined up to punt on their first drive but Ashtyn Davis took a direct snap and ran 21 yards for a first down. Davis tried to hurdle his man at the end of the run and lost the ball as he landed, which is of course how he fell out of favor as a potential return option when he was a rookie. He was out of bounds though.

The play succeeded despite Jeremy Ruckert doing an awful job of setting the edge. Davis bailed him out by being fast enough to get to the outside anyway. Thomas Hennessy deserves credit though, because his diagonal snap to Davis was well disguised and on point.

With Brandin Echols out, it fell upon Jarrick Bernard-Converse to try and get pressure on Jacksonville's placekicking attempts but he didn't really get close as they made all four field goals and an extra point.

Kick coverage - Watts the meaning of this?

The coverage units seem weakened by the absence of Irv Charles. Although the Jaguars didn't do too much damage, they were close to breaking long runbacks on both of their kickoff returns.

Both Isaiah Davis and Eric Watts had to make tackles in space to prevent much longer returns as Sam Eguavoen, Ashtyn Davis and Marcelino McCrary-Ball were blocked out of the play and Kenny Yeboah overpursued. Watts was flagged for moving early on the play where he made his tackle anyway, but the officials ignored a blatant block in the back on Chazz Surratt on the same play.

On punts, McCrary-Ball and Ashtyn Davis combined for the stop on a return where Surratt missed a tackle and Qwan'tez Stiggers was blocked to the ground. However, a personal foul on Jacksonville after the play meant the Jets got all of those yards back.

Stiggers also combined with Bernard-Converse to make the tackle on another punt, on which Stiggers initially seemed to let the return man go, as if he believed it was a fair catch. He also combined with McCrary-Ball to force a fair catch.

Despite being elevated, Brandon Smith did not see action on special teams.

Return game - Many crappy returns

The Jets got nothing at all from the return game this week as all six kickoffs were touchbacks, including one that bounced in the landing zone before being fielded by Isaiah Davis so that was a touchback out at the 20. On such plays, it's probably a higher percentage play to bring it out and try and get past the 20.

Xavier Gipson was back for just two punts but one was a fair catch and the other he allowed to bounce inside the five and it was downed at about the 10. Sauce Gardner was easily beaten on the fair catch as the Jets left their starting defense in because it was 4th-and-1.

We'll be back with the 3-on-D and 3-on-O over the next few days...