Our Seahawks are dead last, well, 30th to be exact, in the NFL for yards allowed per kick return this season, giving up a brutal 30.1 yards. That’s a shocking reality check just three weeks into 2026, especially after last year’s special teams unit was one of the league’s best. We just lost a heartbreaker to the Commanders 31-33, and every single yard mattered.
From Elite to Embarrassing: What’s Going On?
Last season, Jay Harbaugh’s unit was humming, baby. We were tied for fourth-fewest in the NFL, only allowing 24 yards per kick return. Jason Myers was doing his thing, putting the ball in play with a career-low 17.5% touchback rate, and our guys were locking it down. Opponents started, on average, at their own 28-yard line, which was the best in the league from our perspective. It was fantastic. But this year? Forget about it.
This season, opponents are starting from their own 32-yard line on average, which is worse than the league average. We’ve already given up five returns of 30 yards or more on just 11 runbacks. Last year, the unit only allowed eight such returns *all season*. It’s a complete flip. Watching the games, it looks like we’re having serious trouble with outside contain, and our guys just aren’t getting off their blocks. Returners are breaking free, not getting touched until they’re nearly at the 30-yard line! We’re bleeding yards, and it’s unacceptable.
Myers Is Perfect, But the Coverage Unit Is Forcing His Hand
Huge shoutout to Jason Myers, by the way. After a preseason where he missed five kicks, he’s been absolutely perfect on his field goals and extra points. That’s a massive relief. But he can’t do it all, can he? This kickoff coverage problem is forcing a tough question: if they can’t consistently make returns significantly worse than a 35-yard line touchback, why not just kick more touchbacks when possible? It feels like we’ve been on the brink of letting a big return break every single game, and that dam might burst sooner rather than later. The good news, and let’s cling to this, is that we’re the only team in the NFL that hasn’t allowed a single punt return yet. So, it’s *just* the kickoff unit, but man, it’s a glaring issue.
We just dropped a close one to the Commanders, and moments like these show how critical special teams are. Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury have to get this fixed. The regular season is still young, but these early trends can absolutely define our year. Let’s see them turn this around and get back to that suffocating special teams we know and love before it costs us more crucial games.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
Leave a Reply