Special Teams Review: Jets-Miami

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 - Joseph and the amazing technicolor field goal

Greg Joseph got his chance to be the fifth Jets kicker of the season but didn't really impress even though he made all four of his kicks. Three of these were extra points and one was a chip shot field goal.

It was on kickoffs where he was really poor. One landed short of the landing zone, giving Miami the ball at the 40, only one was a touchback and of the four that were returned, one was a 67-yard runback into Jets' territory.

Punter Thomas Morstead was also underwhelming again. Three of his four punts were less than 40 yards despite not landing inside the 20. The other was a 49 yarder with a short return.

Qwan'tez Stiggers got pressure on one extra point attempt.

Return game - Xave the date

Return specialist Xavier Gipson didn't have much success either. His only kickoff return was stopped shy of the 25 as Jeremy Ruckert missed his block and he was credited with a muff as he failed to catch a punt that was shanked towards the sideline.

Even on his lone good return, an 11-yard punt runback, he kind of hesitated despite having plenty of room. Kendall Sheffield did a good job against the gunner on that one. He also had a fair catch, on which Stiggers was beaten downfield by the gunner.

In the final reckoning, Gipson was 8th in the NFL for punt return average, with only 11 qualifiers. For the record, Brandon Codrington was 4th.

On kickoffs, he improved his average from 23 yards per return to 29 but did not return enough to qualify (despite leading the NFL for the second straight year in combined punt and kickoff return attempts). Only two players qualified this year (like last year, when Gipson was in second place). He would have been ahead of one, but behind the league leader who averaged 33.5.

Kick coverage - Jarius Monster

Undrafted rookie Jarius Monroe has flashed on special teams in limited opportunities but especially on Sunday where he stood out with three tackles on kickoff coverage. These weren't routine plays either. He had a huge hit on Raheem Mostert at the 20, tripped the return man in space at the 25 and chased back to make a saving tackle on Malik Washington's long return.

On that long return, Chazz Surratt missed the key tackle and Stiggers and Sheffield were blocked out of the action. Despite this, Surratt ends up as the Jets' leading special teams tackler.

The only kickoff return on which Monroe didn't make the tackle saw Braelon Allen miss the tackle at about the 20 before Sheffield and Isaiah Oliver cleaned up near the 30.

On punts, Ruckert got credit for a tackle as he was the closest man when Tyreek Hill ran out of bounds on a short return. Stiggers got downfield well to slow him up, but Isaiah Davis let Hill beat him to the edge.

Also on punts Sam Eguavoen smartly downed one which had just taken a Dolphins bounce while Davis and Sheffield both forced fair catches. Sheffield arguably should have been called for fair catch interference though.

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