The 2019 New England Patriots blocked a team record 4 punts, the first time an NFL team had done so since the 2014 Eagles. Analyzing each blocked punt provides insight into how Special Teams units can be aggressive going after punts—teams who block punts win the vast majority of games. Further analysis also shows how to prevent unforced errors on your own punt team. Two of the blocked punts are primarily scheme related while the other two are primarily attributable to execution. Let’s start with the scheme blocks.

Week 14: 3rd Quarter, 4th & 19 from KC 35

On 4th & 19 from their own 35 the Chiefs line up in a standard spread pro punt formation, with three blockers to each side of the center, a personal protector, and a gunner split out wide to each side. The ball is on the left hash. The Patriots have eight men up, a jammer on each gunner, and one returner. Although they start with four men on each side, the Patriots shift to six right and two left from the punter’s perspective just before the snap with almost no space between them:

But the Chiefs don’t adjust in any manner. Even if the long snapper and the entire right side of the punt team block the most inside man, the Patriots would have two outside rushers free. Instead, the right guard steps out to block (#18) Matthew Slater, and (#43) Nate Ebner runs free up the middle to block the punt:

And it looks like (#29) Justin Bethel would have reached the block point as well. So what could the Chiefs have done differently? First, the personal protector likely should have switched to the overloaded side. He may not have because the punter is left footed. Or because the Chiefs called a fake punt but apparently weren’t on the same page. A 6-2 overload is a great look to fake a punt against! Next, the Chiefs could have brought in their gunner to a tight split. This creates a greater distance to the block point for the unblocked outside rusher.

Week 4: 6:30 left in 1st Quarter, 4th & 14 from Buf 32

The Bills line up in a standard punt formation. This time, the Patriots line up five left and four right:

Although the Bills’ punter is left footed, the personal protector is set to the right. This may be because the right outside jammer comes down late and rushes. But the jammer probably can’t get near the block point from so far outside, and the Bills could have tightened their own gunner’s split in response. Instead, a low snap allows for the unblocked Patriot (#27 J.C. Jackson) time to get there:

Week 12: 3rd Quarter, 5:51 remaining, 4th & 12 from Dal 30

The Patriots other two blocked punts stem from their execution combined with their opponent’s miscues. Below, the Cowboys are in the same punt formation. The Patriots have five rushers left and three right, but the Cowboys are prepared. With the personal protector toward the lefty punter’s foot they can matchup and block both sides:

But Matthew Slater (#18) beats the left tackle, bends hard, and blocks the punt. Note Slater’s excellent form in avoiding a penalty—he does not dive in front of the punter. Instead, his body and momentum are off to the side, with his arm low and extended to block the punt:

Week 6:06 remaining in the 1st Quarter, 4th & 9 at NYG 19

The blocked punt against the Giants is pure execution and effort from (#38) Brandon Bolden. The Patriots don’t appear to have a block scheme on. Given the two left five right alignment with multiple jammers on the right gunner, a left return is the most likely call. The Giants are not outnumbered. But Bolden bull rushes aggressively, bends towards the block point, and pushes the right tackle back far enough to block the kick:

A few trends emerge from the four blocked punts. All four were on 4th & 9 or more with the ball was placed inside the opponent’s own 35 yard line. This allows punt block teams to be more aggressive for two reasons. First, a running into the kicker penalty does not cause a first down. Second, the punting team is less likely to try a fake because of the combination of the yardage to gain and field position.

Three had an overload rush to the punter’s foot. And all four blocked punts occurred in relatively “innocuous” time situations in the 1st and 3rd quarters of games. This is an important takeaway for coaches and fans alike; “must have” blocked punts are the most difficult to execute because the punt team is quite aware of the situation.

One other significant observation: none of the blocked punts had particularly elaborate schemes outside of shifting before the snap and outnumbering the punt team. None, for example, had multiple twists to cause confusion:

Credit: Chuck Zodda, http://insidethepylon.com/film-study/film-study-nfl/special-teams-film-study-nfl/2015/12/10/eagles-punt-block-exploited-patriots-protection/

Sometimes execution and technique reign supreme; the Patriots take excellent angles to the punter and know the block point. They also have ideal hand placement keep themselves in position to avoid roughing the punter. Special Teams is a priority in New England.

Finally, these examples also provide lessons for punt teams. You must have a plan when an opponent shifts pre-snap, whether it be moving personal protectors, tightening gunners, or being aggressive and calling a fake.