Back to the New England Patriots Newsfeed

Patriots Special Teams Report: Blocked punt a wake-up call for the struggling unit?

The New England Patriots snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday night with a 21-18 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they didn’t make it easy for themselves. Beyond another second-half turnover, another special teams gaffe also proved costly late in the game.

With an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter at their own 15-yard line, Bryce Baringer’s punt banged off the chest of Steelers’ Miles Killebrew. The main breakdown on the play came from Ty Montgomery on the right wing, as he failed to hold his block on Killebrew.

“It’s just a fundamental technique thing that we got to clean up,” special teams coordinator Cam Achord explained.