- Dylan Laube delivers the play of the week: The Las Vegas Raiders returner scored on a second-quarter kickoff return, benefiting from two key blocks that cleared his path down the left sideline.
- Buffalo stands out across special teams units: Reid Ferguson earned an 82.8 PFF grade at long snapper, Kaleb Elarms-Orr led qualifying kick coverage players with an 83.3 grade, and Sam Franklin Jr. recorded a 40.0% vise win rate.
- Denver dominates kick return blocking: JL Skinner and Nate Adkins earned the two highest PFF grades among qualifying kick return unit players, at 90.3 and 90.1, respectively.
Each week at PFF, I’ll bring you a report covering everything you need to know about special teams players around the NFL. This report won't typically focus on kickers, punters or returners, though. Instead, it will dig deeper into the play of gunners, vise/jammers, long snappers and members of the kick return and coverage units. I’ll also include my favorite special teams plays of the week.
Here is the Special Teams Report for Week 8.
Special teams play of the week
The Raiders got a huge kick return for a touchdown from Dylan Laube early in the second quarter, but it was just as much about the blocking as it was the return itself. Two key blocks at the 30- and 40-yard lines meant that Laube went untouched down the left sideline for the score.
Gunners
Only two players in the NFL recorded multiple rep wins as gunners in Week 8, but Kitan Crawford of the Arizona Cardinals was the only player at the position to record multiple tackles while lined up as a gunner.
Vise/Jammers
On the opposite side are the players responsible for trying to slow down gunners. Three players who played at least three snaps as a vise/jammer recorded a vise win percentage of 33.3% or better.
| Player | Team | Vise win percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Sainristil | Washington Commanders | 40.0% |
| Sam Franklin Jr. | Buffalo Bills | 40.0% |
| Tacario Davis | Cincinnati Bengals | 33.3% |
Long snappers
Long snappers earn high grades by limiting bad snaps and recording tackles in punt coverage. Five snappers earned PFF grades above 80.0 in Week 8:
| Player | Team | PFF grade |
|---|---|---|
| Reid Ferguson | Buffalo Bills | 82.8 |
| Julian Ashby | New England Patriots | 82.2 |
| Josh Harris | Los Angeles Chargers | 82.1 |
| Christian Kuntz | Pittsburgh Steelers | 81.2 |
| Rocco Underwood | Philadelphia Eagles | 81.0 |
All five recorded a tackle without missing any tackles in punt coverage. More importantly, none had an inaccurate snap.
Kick coverage units
High grades on kick coverage units are earned by making tackles but also by defeating blocks to influence kick returners. Of the players who were on the field as part of the kick coverage units for at least five snaps, four had PFF grades of 80.0 or better.
| Player | Team | PFF grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kaleb Elarms-Orr | Buffalo Bills | 83.3 |
| Juanyeh Thomas | Dallas Cowboys | 81.2 |
| Jeffrey Bassa | Kansas City Chiefs | 80.4 |
| Daniel Hardy | Chicago Bears | 80.0 |
Kick return units
Positive and negative grades are earned as part of the kick return units based on how well players block the kick coverage units. This week, just three players earned PFF grades above 75.0 while on the field for at least five snaps as part of the kick return unit.
| Player | Team | PFF grade |
|---|---|---|
| JL Skinner | Denver Broncos | 90.3 |
| Nate Adkins | Denver Broncos | 90.1 |
| Cody Lindenberg | Las Vegas Raiders | 88.4 |
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