Colts mid-season grades: Special teams

We are at the halfway point of the Colts’ season, so it’s time to look at how the first half unfolded. Here is how special teams played in the first half.

Special teams are often over looked in the NFL. But they are often the difference between winning and losing close games. The Colts have had pretty solid special teams in recent years. But how has this unit performed over the first half of the season?

Adam Vinatieri is about the most reliable kicker you can have in this league. But he did miss two extra points against the Bills while he was playing hurt. He has still made 91% of his field goals this season, including a 54 yarder. He doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, and the bye week should help him nurse his groin injury.

Rigoberto Sanchez has been solid in his second year in the league. He has punted 27 times this year with an average of 46 yards. He has done a good job of pinning teams inside their own 20. Flipping the field is an important skill in this league, and Sanchez has done a decent job of that.

The new kickoff rules have pretty much negated kick off returns in the NFL. But the Colts have had some kickoff returns against them, but the longest return they’ve allowed is 28 yards. They have only had 12 punt returns against them and the longest return has been 15 yards. The coverage teams have been excellent for the Colts so far this season.

The solid special teams play for the Colts could be huge down the stretch. If they can keep that play up, it will be hard for teams to win in close games moving forward.