What a difference a year makes.
The Seattle Seahawks didn’t have a bad special teams unit last season under coordinator Jay Harbaugh; they even ranked 10th by FTN’s DVOA. But it was an often ruinous group with return specialists who were so game-damaging bad that they were let go in the same week after combining for two lost fumbles. Their loss to the New York Giants involved a would-be game-tying field goal resulting in a blocked kick and a touchdown. Jason Myers and Michael Dickson were doing heavy
lifting for the special teams, and Harbaugh was easily the one Seahawks assistant under a microscope heading into 2025 season.
The 2025 Seahawks are not just great on special teams, they’re historically great. Just let Aaron Schatz of FTN Fantasy tell you about it.
Speaking of the Seahawks and the Jets as well, both of those teams now rank among the best special teams units we’ve ever tracked. The Jets’ special teams DVOA is particularly crazy considering just how bad they are on offense and defense (30th in both).
Seattle’s 2025 ST DVOA is 10th best dating back to 1978, while the Jets are 4th and at least have something positive to talk about this season.
There isn’t a single subcategory (kickoffs, kick returns, punts, punt returns, and field goals/extra points) in which the Seahawks are on the negative side of the DVOA metric. Their biggest strength is kickoff coverage, ranking No. 1 overall by miles over the second-placed Washington Commanders (whose ST coordinator is Harbaugh’s predecessor in Seattle, Larry Izzo). Seahawks opponents average the worst starting field position off of kickoffs, which is a credit to both Pro Bowl snub Jason Myers and the return coverage team.
Whether in close wins or blowouts, Seattle’s special teams has repeatedly generated big plays after spending too much of last season giving them up.
vs. Steelers: George Holani’s unique kickoff recovery touchdown
The Seahawks had just taken a slender 17-14 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the fourth quarter. Rookie returner Kaleb Johnson let the ball bypass him, and it stayed in the field of play for Holani to recover and score a critical touchdown. Kicking teams cannot advance recovered kickoffs unless it’s a fumble, but if it’s in the end zone then it’s fair game. Pittsburgh never had an opportunity to tie or take the lead on an offensive possession after this score.
vs. Saints: Tory Horton punt return touchdown, D’Anthony bell blocked punt
Not that the Seahawks needed a lot of help from their ST given how poorly the Saints played, but it’s never a bad thing when you can break a game open in the first quarter with a franchise record 95-yard punt return touchdown, followed by a blocked punt setting up another score.
vs. Cardinals: Jason Myers walks off Arizona
Myers did play a role in this game even coming down to a last-second field goal when he missed a kick that would’ve made it 23-13 late in the fourth quarter, but he made up for it in the end. While Seattle has had its share of field goal kicking disasters at Arizona’s stadium, this one had a much happier ending.
vs. Commanders: Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole combine for fumble turnover
The Seahawks hadn’t forced a fumble through their first seven games, which seems hard to believe given the greatness of this defense. Leave it to special teams to end the drought through a pair of undrafted rookies; Jared Ivey knocked the ball out of Jaylin Lane’s hands, Connor O’Toole pounced for the recovery, and rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo scored his first NFL touchdown on the next snap.
vs. Falcons: Nick Emmanwori blocked field goal, Rashid Shaheed kick return touchdown
Sam Darnold gifted the Falcons a short field on a terrible interception. Nick Emmanwori made sure the Falcons wouldn’t even get a field goal out of what was Seattle’s second blocked field goal on the year. The explosive second half that turned a 6-6 tie into a 37-9 blowout started with Rashid Shaheed’s first Seahawks touchdown, which went 100 yards for what is still the longest NFL play of 2025.
vs. Colts: Six made field goals by Jason Myers, including the game-winner
No touchdowns? No problem. Jason Myers becomes the first kicker in Seahawks history to make six field goals, never mind convert six without a miss. His 56-yard field goal is the longest game-winning kick in franchise history, and without it the Seahawks are not the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
vs. Rams: Rashid Shaheed punt return touchdown
This is an easy thing to say but I’ll say it anyway: I do not think the Seahawks beat the Rams if Rashid Shaheed doesn’t house this. Shaheed provided a spark that was the best case scenario of a quick score touchdown. It was such a key play that the Rams fired their special teams coordinator.
Have there been hiccups? Sure. Chimere Dike had a 90-yard punt return score in the Tennessee Titans game, Myers had a routine kick blocked versus the Houston Texans, and Seattle (mostly Shaheed) has been a little too willing to fair catch punts inside the 10. But the Seahawks have yet to turn the ball over on special teams and Michael Dickson hasn’t had a punt blocked or even slightly altered all year.
When you look at total Expected Points Added (EPA), no one has amassed more through special teams than the Seahawks.
While there is almost no chance this will actually happen, Harbaugh should be in consideration for the Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award. He’s more than earned it.
