The Cowboys’ kickoff coverage, however, is struggling mightily. They’re making life significantly harder for the Dallas defense before they even take the field, having given up the fourth-most kickoff return yards in the league so far this year. It was especially problematic versus Detroit in Week 14, with the unit allowing 261 yards on eight kick returns.
On those eight kickoffs, the Lions’ average starting field position was their own 36.5-yard line. The Cowboys would actually have been better off having Aubrey blast the ball through the back of the end zone on every kickoff.
Detroit’s two final (and most important) kick returns- the ones that came as Dallas was legitimately mounting their comeback- put the ball at the Lions’ 41 and 49 respectively, giving their offense a massive head start on the touchdowns they eventually scored on both possessions.
Detroit’s Jacob Saylors averaged 28.2 yards on his five kick returns last Thursday; Tom Kennedy notched over 35 yards on all three of his tries and got a game ball for the Lions.
Asked Monday how he intends to reverse that costly trend over the final month of the season, Schottenheimer acknowledged that giving the defense a better start via field position is critical.
“We need to do that, number one,” he said plainly in the day’s press conference. “The kickoff coverage leverage has not been very good. We’ve lost contain. The way it’s all set up now is: if my left arm is free, I’ve got to keep my left arm free. Guys are trying to make plays, and the way you cover kicks well is to have everybody do their job, stay in their lane, keep their contain, play with the [correct] arm free. We haven’t done that. We’ll be looking at maybe some personnel adjustments as well.”
The coach did not elaborate on who special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen might intend to swap out on kick coverage duty, but they have the rest of the week to figure it out.