In his annual special teams rankings, Rick Gosselin of Sports Illustrated had the Indianapolis Colts finish the 2021 season all the way up at the No. 2 spot.
It should be no surprise at all that the Colts’ special teams unit was ranked so highly. The unit made an impact weekly on the outcomes of games while being led by Bubba Ventrone.
Only the Baltimore Ravens finished with a higher ranking than the Colts in the overall standing.
The Colts were tied for the fifth-best “opponent starting point” with an average at the 24-yard line. They were also ranked second-best with their own starting point at the 26-yard line.
The special teams unit was tied with the Cowboys for the most points scored (18). Those points came on the three touchdowns scored by E.J. Speed (twice) and Ashton Dulin.
The Colts were tied for the third-most blocked kicks (two) and tied for the most special-teams takeaways (three).
Showing off their discipline, the Colts committed just two penalties for 25 yards—the fewest in the NFL.
Nyheim Hines was 10th among punt returners, averaging 7.4 yards per return. Isaiah Rodgers averaged 26.4 yards per kick return, which is the third-highest average among players with at least 19 returns on the season.
On top of all that, long snapper Luke Rhodes was named to the All-Pro First-Team as well as a Pro Bowl. Meanwhile, special teams ace Ashton Dulin was named to the All-Pro Second-Team as well as a Pro Bowl alternate.
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