The Los Angeles Rams had the best special teams unit in the NFL two seasons ago, and it wasn’t close. They had Pro Bowlers at every position, from punter to return specialist. This season, it wasn’t as dominant an effort as it was in 2017.
They had just one Pro Bowler in Cory Littleton, while Greg Zuerlein missed time with an injury early in the year. However, the unit still played well as a whole, which is why the special teams received a positive grade on this report card.
Kicker
Greg Zuerlein: 27-for-31 on FGs, 35-for-36 on PATs
Zuerlein is one of the best kickers in the league and he didn’t miss a single field goal attempt under 40 yards. Two of his four missed field goals did come in close games, however. He missed a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter against the Bears in a 15-6 loss, while also missing a 51-yarder against the Saints in a 45-35 loss. The latter of those is forgivable, of course, given the distance.
There’s absolutely no reason to doubt Zuerlein’s ability because of those two missed field goals as he had a tremendous season. He has one of the strongest legs in football and neither those misses, nor his two in the playoffs should cause the Rams to lose any confidence in him.
Grade: A-
Punter
Johnny Hekker: 43 punts, 1,992 yards, 21 punts inside the 20, 2 touchbacks
This past season, Hekker was indeed “a weapon,” as Bill Belichick loves to call him. He consistently flipped field position with booming punts pinned inside the 20-yard line, while also keeping defenses on their heels because of his ability to throw the ball and pull off fake punts.
He wasn’t called upon as much as usual because the Rams offense was so good, but when asked to pin opponents deep, he did just that.
Grade: A
Return specialist
JoJo Natson: 26 punt returns, 280 yards | 6 kick returns, 108 yards
Blake Countess: 17 kick returns, 419 yards
Pharoh Cooper: 13 kick returns, 277 yards
This was a trouble spot for the Rams. Natson fumbled it twice on punt returns and while he had a few great returns, his ball security issues caused a slight lack of confidence. Countess took over for Cooper while the former All-Pro was injured and then cut, but he left plenty to be desired, though his opportunities were limited like most kick returners. With Natson being a free agent, the Rams could be looking for a new return specialist.
Grade: C-
Overall
The Rams’ special teams unit was once again solid in 2018, though not as elite as it was the year before. Still, there were great performances by the likes of Zuerlein, Hekker and Cory Littleton, who blocked two punts for the second straight year. Jake McQuaide never had any issues at long snapper and while penalties on punt coverage and returns hurt the Rams, it was an all-around strong effort from John Fassel’s unit.
Grade: A-
