The Falcons had an open competition for their kick return duties in the preseason and although there were some sexier options, veteran Kenjon Barner’s consistent play earned him the job.
Ten games into the season, Barner is averaging 25.0 yards per kick return and 10.7 yards per punt return. In Week 11, he finally got loose and returned a punt for a touchdown against the Panthers.
Watch below as Barner reads his blocking perfectly and goes 78 yards for the score:
Barner did enough to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance on Sunday. After the game, though, Atlanta’s do-it-all utility man was quick to credit wide receiver Christian Blake for a key block that set the whole return up.
Blake, No. 13, took a vicious hit to open up the cutback lane for Barner, which you can see below as tweeted out by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure:
It’s not surprising that Barner, who’s had to do the dirty work that fans rarely appreciate to stay in this league for seven seasons, would be eager to credit Blake for making a potentially game-changing block.
As the Falcons are without running backs Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith, Barner is likely to see an expanded role in the team’s Week 12 matchup with the Buccaneers.
