Detroit Lions fans are well aware of the issues surrounding the offense and defense. The offense can be sluggish, especially on third downs. The defensive secondary is banged up. What about special teams? What does the special teams unit need to improve on the rest of the way?
Speaking with the media on Thursday, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp explained what he thought his unit needed to work on:
"I think if you were saying, like, statistically, what could we do a little better? I would say punting the ball when it's really out on the field. So we've been exceptional, the best we've been probably since I've been here, with the ball around midfield. But when we've been backed up, we can gain some more yards on our net punt. That would probably be one area that I'd say we could improve a little on."
On the surface, his response can be unexpected. Punter Jack Fox is one of the league's best punters and was awarded First-Team All-Pro at the position last season. Fox also holds the NFL record for average yards per punt (48.6).
As for those midfield punts this season, Fipp wasn't kidding. Fox is on pace to shatter his career high in punts downed in the 20 (26) by almost double-digits. His 14 punts downed in the 20 already match his total in 2022. His percentage of punts downed in the 20 (51.9%) would also be a career high, surpassing his 48.9% from last season, and all this while not yet having a punt downed for a touchback.
However, many of Fox's numbers are down from his record-breaking effort last season. Fox is averaging 47.2 yards per punt, which is down from his 51.0 from last season. His net yards per punt are at 42.0, which is down from last season's 46.2, but is in line with his performance before last season.
Fox not matching last year's record totals is expected, but he's punting more than he usually does. Fox is averaging 3.86 punts per game -- a career high and over a punt more than last season (2.65). If the offense can address its own issues, this problem could fix itself as Fox would punt and be in those backed-up situations fewer times than he is now. For now, Fox's legendary leg is needed more than ever, but he may be getting some added help on Sunday.
Special teams reinforcements may be on the way
Any issues with the punting game can't be put entirely on Fox. He's not a player who is expected to make tackles, after all. The rest of the special team's unit, on both ends of the kicking spectrum, has its own jobs to do. A key player on that unit may be on the verge of returning.
Special teams specialist Sione Vaki has been a limited participant in practice as of Wednesday and could return on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings for a key divisional game. The second-year Vaki, who played both running back and safety in college, has been limited to one game this season, where he recorded one tackle against the Baltimore Ravens before suffering a groin injury. In 16 games last season, Vaki had eight tackles and a forced fumble, becoming a star on the Lions' special teams unit.
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When asked about Vaki's impending return and how much that could impact the special teams unit, Fipp compared it to the impact of having multiple great wide receivers on an offense:
"The more talent you have across the board, the more it takes off of everybody else also. So it's not only, like, 'Oh yeah, we're getting this guy back and he can make a lot of plays,' but then he also takes some of the stress off of Grant Stuard or these other guys. You know, and now it's like they got more guys they got to worry about, you only have so many resources. You can't double everybody. So now somebody's getting a one-on-one, who's getting that one-on-one? And how you match up against that guy."
Special teams are an unsung hero of the Lions' success in recent years. So long as the offense remains sluggish, the punting unit will need to be depended on more. If that net yards punting can increase, particularly when backed up, that can give the injury-riddled defense more breathing room to make a stop and take pressure off the offense. Anything that can help those two units will go a long way toward finally winning a Super Bowl.