A few weeks ago, a prescient Matthew Slater gushed over the potential of the Patriots special teams units.
And as the Patriots have worked through some offensive issues during their four-game winning streak, they’ve gotten some significant contributions from their special teamers to either create points or eliminate scoring opportunities for their opponents.
Just how important is that factor? The Patriots have averaged 21.8 points per game since Week 5, which marks their fewest points over a four-game winning streak since 2003.
Their marquee special teams performance was obvious Sunday during a 21-13 victory against the Chargers, as Lawrence Guy opened the game by blocking a field goal and the punt coverage unit — thanks to Ryan Allen’s angled 54-yarder and pursuit by Brandon King, Jonathan Jones and Slater — turned the momentum with a safety.