Week 6 Recap
Historical comparisonS
The number of kick returns per game continues to lag behind historical averages since kickoffs were moved up to the 35 yard line. Punt returns are occurring at historical rates, but continue to trail previous season averages by a full yard per return.
| Year | KR/game | KR yds/game | KR yds/ret | PR/game | PR yds/game | PR yds/ret |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2.7 | 63.8 | 23.8 | 2.3 | 22.7 | 9.9 |
| 2012 | 2.7 | 64.2 | 23.6 | 2.2 | 21.6 | 9.7 |
| 2013 | 2.0 | 48.5 | 24.0 | 2.2 | 19.3 | 8.7 |
TOP PERFORMERS
The Chargers touchback percentage of 15% on kickoffs continues to be a boon to kick returners playing against them. David Reed of Indianapolis was the recipient this week and returned 5 kicks for 124 yards. Darius Reynaud, Dwayne Harris, Brandon Tate and Jacoby Jones all joined Reed in breaking the century mark in kickoff return yards. Devin Hester of the Bears only had 3 returns for 73 yards, but that was still enough to keep him as the season leader with 575 kickoff return yards on 19 returns.
Though Washington only allowed a pair of punt returns, Dwayne Harris took one to the house and scored the only return touchdown of the week. The 109 punt return yards combined with Harris's 113 kick return yards made him the overall return yardage leader for the week. Micah Hyde of the Packers was second in punt return yards with 5 returns for 68 yards.
Job Changes
Week 6 was a wild week as injuries and benchings resulted in a large number of job changes amongst the returner ranks.
In San Diego, Lavelle Hawkins took over the kick return duties from Danny Woodhead. Woodhead had himself only recently taken the job when Fozzy Whittaker was released by the team.
Washington benched Chris Thompson, leaving him inactive and turning to Josh Morgan to handle most all the return duties. Morgan did not particularly stand out with 1 kickoff return for 20 yards and 4 punt returns for 17 yards total. Depending on either individual returner in Week 7 is a risky proposition as Washington could stick with Morgan or go back to Thompson.
Another healthy scratch was LaMichael James of the 49ers, who was replaced by Kyle Williams. If this continues, Williams will join the small group of returners who handle both kickoffs and punts.
Ravens standout returner Jacoby Jones returned from injury and immediately stepped back into his role as kickoff returner. Jones was eased back into the punt returns, however, as Tandon Doss handled five out of six.
Another player returning from injury was Buffalo's Marquise Goodwin. Goodwin returned 4 kickoffs for 94 yards and looks to be back atop the variety of kick return options for the Bills.
With Falcons elite receiver Julio Jones suffering a major injury, the team will be turning to Robert Alford to handle punt returns. Atlanta previously was using Harry Douglas in the role, but will look to him to focus on filling in as the team's number two wide receiver.
Tennessee has a fine returner in Darius Reynaud, enough so that they felt comfortable releasing his backup, Michael Preston. With Preston gone, the Titans will look to Damian Williams as Reynaud's new backup.
INJURIES OF NOTE
Randall Cobb suffered a major injury to his knee and will sit on Injured Reserve until at least week 15 when he will be eligible to return. Micah Hyde took over punts while Johnathan Franklin was the deep man on kickoff returns, though Franklin was not able to return any of the kicks that came his way. Expect them both to continue in the job unless the team signs another player.
Houston's Keshawn Martin has been one of the season leaders in kick return yards, but an injured shoulder had the team turn to safety Danieal Manning to handle kickoffs, and safety Shiloh Keo to handle punts. Manning was injured in the game and has been placed on season ending Injured Reserve. After Manning's injury, Martin handled kickoffs for the rest of the game, though injured his shoulder again. Martin will be the team's preferred option if he is able to play, especially now that Shiloh Keo will be starting safety in place of Manning.
David Wilson of the Giants chose to avoid season-ending surgery on his injured neck. Wilson is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. In the meantime, Jerrel Jernigan handled the majority of the kickoff returns. Jernigan's competition for the job is Michael Cox, as running back Da'Rel Scott was released by the team.
The Rams saw their primary kick returner, Benny Cunningham, suffer an ankle injury that reports say looks serious. Tavon Austin has disappointed as a returner in the regular season, with most of his long returns being called back for penalties. If Cunningham cannot play, Austin's opportunities should increase.
The Jets placed kickoff returner Clyde Gates on season-ending Injured Reserve, and then signed former elite returner Josh Cribbs. Cribbs tried out in preseason with the Raiders but was missing his usual burst. That has not stopped New York from placing him atop their kick returner depth chart, ahead of Kyle Wilson who is dealing with his own injury and may not play this week.
Jacksonville's punt returner Ace Sanders showed concussion symptoms and his status for this week's game should be watched closely. Will Blackmon will likely handle punt returns if Sanders cannot play.
Week 7 Team Return Projections
| Receiving Team | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 113 | 0.03 | 16 | 0.02 | 129 | 0.05 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 92 | 0.04 | 32 | 0.04 | 124 | 0.08 |
| Buffalo Bills | 61 | 0.02 | 41 | 0.10 | 102 | 0.12 |
| Miami Dolphins | 61 | 0.02 | 41 | 0.05 | 102 | 0.07 |
| Detroit Lions | 76 | 0.02 | 18 | 0.02 | 94 | 0.04 |
| Tennessee Titans | 55 | 0.01 | 32 | 0.04 | 87 | 0.05 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 51 | 0.01 | 32 | 0.04 | 83 | 0.05 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 47 | 0.01 | 33 | 0.05 | 81 | 0.06 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 53 | 0.01 | 28 | 0.05 | 81 | 0.06 |
| New York Giants | 56 | 0.01 | 24 | 0.03 | 80 | 0.04 |
| Cleveland Browns | 68 | 0.02 | 11 | 0.02 | 80 | 0.04 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 54 | 0.01 | 21 | 0.03 | 74 | 0.04 |
| Washington Redskins | 64 | 0.02 | 9 | 0.01 | 73 | 0.03 |
| Houston Texans | 41 | 0.01 | 29 | 0.04 | 70 | 0.05 |
| Chicago Bears | 58 | 0.03 | 12 | 0.03 | 69 | 0.05 |
| San Diego Chargers | 44 | 0.01 | 22 | 0.03 | 66 | 0.04 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 50 | 0.01 | 15 | 0.02 | 66 | 0.03 |
| Green Bay Packers | 37 | 0.01 | 28 | 0.03 | 65 | 0.04 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 47 | 0.01 | 18 | 0.02 | 65 | 0.03 |
| Denver Broncos | 55 | 0.03 | 9 | 0.02 | 63 | 0.05 |
| New England Patriots | 34 | 0.01 | 29 | 0.05 | 63 | 0.05 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 41 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.05 | 61 | 0.06 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 37 | 0.01 | 22 | 0.03 | 59 | 0.04 |
| Carolina Panthers | 36 | 0.01 | 21 | 0.05 | 58 | 0.06 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 45 | 0.01 | 11 | 0.03 | 57 | 0.04 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 43 | 0.01 | 11 | 0.01 | 54 | 0.02 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 23 | 0.01 | 30 | 0.04 | 53 | 0.04 |
| New York Jets | 25 | 0.01 | 18 | 0.02 | 43 | 0.03 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 29 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 | 38 | 0.02 |
| St. Louis Rams | 10 | 0.00 | 17 | 0.04 | 27 | 0.04 |
Week 7 Player Return Projections
| Player | Team | Position | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Ret Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacoby Jones | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 84 | 0.04 | 16 | 0.02 | 100 | 0.06 |
| Marcus Thigpen | Miami Dolphins | RB | 55 | 0.01 | 37 | 0.05 | 93 | 0.06 |
| Micheal Spurlock | Detroit Lions | WR | 69 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 | 85 | 0.04 |
| Darius Reynaud | Tennessee Titans | RB | 50 | 0.01 | 29 | 0.04 | 79 | 0.05 |
| Damaris Johnson | Philadelphia Eagles | WR | 43 | 0.01 | 30 | 0.04 | 73 | 0.05 |
| Dwayne Harris | Dallas Cowboys | WR | 54 | 0.01 | 19 | 0.02 | 73 | 0.04 |
| Denard Robinson | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB | 68 | 0.02 | 0 | 0.00 | 68 | 0.02 |
| Kyle Williams | San Francisco 49ers | WR | 41 | 0.01 | 23 | 0.03 | 64 | 0.04 |
| Brandon Tate | Cincinnati Bengals | WR | 45 | 0.01 | 17 | 0.02 | 62 | 0.03 |
| Devin Hester | Chicago Bears | DB | 48 | 0.02 | 10 | 0.03 | 58 | 0.05 |
| Trindon Holliday | Denver Broncos | WR | 50 | 0.03 | 8 | 0.02 | 58 | 0.04 |
| Marquise Goodwin | Buffalo Bills | WR | 55 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 55 | 0.01 |
| Ted Ginn Jr | Carolina Panthers | WR | 33 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.05 | 53 | 0.06 |
| Eric Page | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR | 30 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.03 | 50 | 0.03 |
| Greg Little | Cleveland Browns | WR | 48 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 48 | 0.01 |
| Jerrel Jernigan | New York Giants | WR | 45 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.00 | 47 | 0.01 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | Minnesota Vikings | WR | 45 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 45 | 0.01 |
| Josh Morgan | Washington Redskins | WR | 39 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 | 44 | 0.02 |
| Javier Arenas | Arizona Cardinals | DB | 40 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.00 | 41 | 0.01 |
| Leodis McKelvin | Buffalo Bills | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 39 | 0.10 | 39 | 0.10 |
| David Reed | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 39 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 39 | 0.01 |
| Jermaine Kearse | Seattle Seahawks | WR | 37 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 37 | 0.01 |
| Johnathan Franklin | Green Bay Packers | RB | 33 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.00 | 36 | 0.01 |
| Keshawn Martin | Houston Texans | WR | 21 | 0.01 | 15 | 0.02 | 36 | 0.02 |
| Shiloh Keo | Houston Texans | DB | 21 | 0.01 | 13 | 0.02 | 34 | 0.02 |
| Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh Steelers | WR | 2 | 0.00 | 30 | 0.04 | 32 | 0.04 |
| Quintin Demps | Kansas City Chiefs | DB | 29 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.00 | 32 | 0.01 |
| Micah Hyde | Green Bay Packers | CB | 4 | 0.00 | 25 | 0.03 | 29 | 0.03 |
| Lavelle Hawkins | San Diego Chargers | WR | 28 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 28 | 0.01 |
| Julian Edelman | New England Patriots | WR | 3 | 0.00 | 22 | 0.03 | 26 | 0.03 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | Atlanta Falcons | RB | 25 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 25 | 0.01 |
| Tavon Austin | St. Louis Rams | WR | 9 | 0.00 | 15 | 0.04 | 24 | 0.04 |
| LeGarrette Blount | New England Patriots | RB | 23 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 23 | 0.01 |
| Dexter McCluster | Kansas City Chiefs | WR | 6 | 0.00 | 17 | 0.04 | 23 | 0.04 |
| Stephen Burton | Jacksonville Jaguars | WR | 23 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 23 | 0.01 |
| Jordan Todman | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB | 23 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 23 | 0.01 |
| Josh Cribbs | New York Jets | WR | 23 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 23 | 0.01 |
| Felix Jones | Pittsburgh Steelers | RB | 21 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 21 | 0.01 |
| Rueben Randle | New York Giants | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.02 | 19 | 0.02 |
| Niles Paul | Washington Redskins | TE | 19 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Golden Tate | Seattle Seahawks | WR | 2 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 | 19 | 0.02 |
| Adam Jones | Cincinnati Bengals | DB | 8 | 0.00 | 11 | 0.03 | 18 | 0.03 |
| Marcus Sherels | Minnesota Vikings | DB | 5 | 0.00 | 12 | 0.02 | 18 | 0.02 |
| Jeremy Kerley | New York Jets | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 17 | 0.02 | 17 | 0.02 |
| Eddie Royal | San Diego Chargers | WR | 4 | 0.00 | 12 | 0.01 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Tandon Doss | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 |
| LaMichael James | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 5 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.01 | 15 | 0.01 |
| Travis Benjamin | Cleveland Browns | WR | 7 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.02 | 15 | 0.02 |
| Bobby Rainey | Cleveland Browns | RB | 14 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Danny Woodhead | San Diego Chargers | WR | 12 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Michael Cox | New York Giants | RB | 11 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Leon Washington | New England Patriots | RB | 4 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.02 | 11 | 0.02 |
| Patrick Peterson | Arizona Cardinals | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.03 | 10 | 0.03 |
| Keenan Allen | San Diego Chargers | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 |
| Eric Weems | Chicago Bears | DB | 10 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Robert Alford | Atlanta Falcons | DB | 3 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 |
| Jeff Demps | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | RB | 7 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 |
| Mike Gillislee | Miami Dolphins | RB | 6 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.01 |
| Deonte Thompson | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 8 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Damian Williams | Tennessee Titans | WR | 6 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.00 |
| William Blackmon | Jacksonville Jaguars | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.01 | 8 | 0.01 |
| Ace Sanders | Jacksonville Jaguars | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.01 | 8 | 0.01 |
| Chris Thompson | Washington Redskins | RB | 7 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Jeremy Lane | Seattle Seahawks | DB | 7 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Knile Davis | Kansas City Chiefs | RB | 6 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Patrick Edwards | Detroit Lions | WR | 4 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Perrish Cox | San Francisco 49ers | DB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Omar Bolden | Denver Broncos | DB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Boykin | Philadelphia Eagles | DB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Joique Bell | Detroit Lions | RB | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Dominique Franks | Atlanta Falcons | DB | 1 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Davone Bess | Cleveland Browns | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Devin McCourty | New England Patriots | DB | 3 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Kyle Wilson | New York Jets | DB | 2 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Jarius Wright | Minnesota Vikings | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| DeSean Jackson | Philadelphia Eagles | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.01 |
| Marcus Easley | Buffalo Bills | WR | 3 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| T.J. Graham | Buffalo Bills | WR | 3 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Kenjon Barner | Carolina Panthers | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Jayron Hosley | New York Giants | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Santana Moss | Washington Redskins | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Austin Pettis | St. Louis Rams | WR | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Andre Ellington | Arizona Cardinals | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Alfonso Smith | Arizona Cardinals | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Jim Leonhard | Buffalo Bills | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Kerwynn Williams | Indianapolis Colts | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Cassius Vaughn | Indianapolis Colts | DB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Walter Thurmond | Seattle Seahawks | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Armond Smith | Carolina Panthers | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Cole Beasley | Dallas Cowboys | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| LaVon Brazill | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Earl Bennett | Chicago Bears | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Wes Welker | Denver Broncos | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Tyrann Mathieu | Arizona Cardinals | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Harry Douglas | Atlanta Falcons | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |