Key safety, missed FGs part of eventful afternoon for Patriots' special teams

FOXBOROUGH — Another week, another important special teams play for the Patriots.

On the heels of a blocked field-goal attempt last week against the Falcons, the New England special teams turned in another big play Sunday in the Patriots’ 21-13 win over the Chargers.

Of course, they got some help from a boneheaded decision on the part of Los Angeles return man Travis Benjamin: With just over nine minutes left in the first half and the game tied at seven, punter Ryan Allen drilled one down to the Chargers’ 11-yard line. Benjamin muffed the punt at the 8-yard line, and then, when he recovered, started to go backward to the end zone, where he was swarmed under by a collection of New England defenders.

It was the Patriots first safety since Malcom Brown tackled Kenneth Dixon in the end zone for a safety vs. Baltimore last December, and it was the NFL’s first safety on a punt return since the Saints turned the trick on a punt at Tennessee on Sept. 21, 2003.

“You know, when you have a guy with that kind of speed, nothing surprises you,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said of Benjamin. “I’m sure he’s confident that he can outrun anyone in this league.



“We really talked about covering him — all 11 of us, doing our job and covering him and I think that was a prime example. He started on the sideline and tried to reverse field and Brandon (King) and Jonathan (Jones) just did a tremendous job being disciplined and being there when the play was funneled their way,” Slater added. “We did a great job if being disciplined and covering together and that’s huge play. I don’t think we’ve had that since I’ve been here. That was a huge play for us.”

Bill Belichick acknowledged the work of punter Ryan Allen, as well as King and Jones.

“It was a great punt by Ryan, number one. He gave us a great ball, a tough ball to handle,” Belichick said. “Cutting off the field and not letting him get back all the way over to the other side was key. It looked like Jonathan Jones and Brandon – I forget exactly how that worked there – I think it was Jon Jones cut it off between the two of them.”

Cassius Marsh, who has grown into a core special teamer since being acquired just before the start of the season, also gave credit to the work of Duron Harmon, as well as Allen and King, who was credited with the tackle.

“Duron did a great job. I ‘m not sure where he was coming from, whether he was a gunner, but he did a great job of cutting off the field,” Marsh said. “I was on the outside, and he cuts off the field, and he set it up for everybody to make the play.

“Ryan’s one of the best punters in the league, man. He did his job,” added Marsh. “Great punt. Wet ball. The conditions were off. He fumbled it, and went backward. He made the mistake to go backward, and we capitalized on their mistakes. Great play by (King) -- he had a bunch of great plays today.”

The safety, combined with a 71-yard kick return, four field goals from Stephen Gostkowski (from 25, 36, 43 and 46 yards) and another blocked field goal (this one by Lawrence Guy on the opening possession), made it a mostly positive afternoon for the Patriots’ special teamers.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played today. Intense all game, on top of everything situationally. We knew coming into the game knowing that this was going to be a big challenge for us,” Slater said. “We had ourselves locked in all week, and it’s nice when that carries over to the game.

“I think we’re improving every week. We’re getting more comfortable with playing next to each other. We’re getting more comfortable with the schemes that we do well. I think we’re improving. I don’t think we should be satisfied with where we’re at. I think there’s plenty of room for improvement, but you’re really encouraged by (Sunday’s) effort.”

However, it wasn’t all perfect for the special teams group this week, as Gostkowski also had a pair of missed field goal attempts. It was the first time in his career he missed two field goal attempts in one game since 2012.

“I get ticked off and mad just like anybody else,” said Gostkowski of his two misses, both of which came from 43 yards out. “I don’t look at it like a ‘Debbie Downer.’ It’s just part of the game. It stinks and I get mad. It’s going to bother me for a week, probably two weeks. But that’s just part of the game. If you can’t deal with it, then you probably shouldn’t be here. It stinks and it’s tough to swallow, but we won and it’s a little easier to wake up tomorrow knowing that when you do bad and the team can pick you up. That’s part of being a part of a good team.”

Gostkowski said that the second miss came when he “pushed” it a little bit.

“The first one that I missed to the left, I didn’t get good rotation,” he explained. “The second one I thought I hit pretty good — and sometimes, that happens. The first one was definitely tough and not my best kick. I thought the second one I missed, I put a good swing on it. I maybe kicked at it too hard into the wind. Sometimes if you get a lot of spin on the ball, the wind’s going to affect it more, so you just got to kick a ball that has a little less rotation on it so it cuts through the wind a little better.”