Is there going to be a punt return touchdown this year? We’ve made it to December, and it hasn’t happened yet. Normally, there would be a half dozen by this time. This year, there have been no long-range returns.
The stats since 1990 appear below. In each of those seasons, there’s been at least 7 touchdowns on punt returns. This year, nothing.
In each of the seasons since 1990, there’s been at least one punt return touchdown from 85-plus yards. This year, nobody has a 50-yard return. Only four have a 40-yard return: Kalif Raymond, Devin Duvernay (pictured), Dede Westbrook and Jaelon Darden.
Note that despite the lack of any touchdowns, punt returners are averaging 8.6 yards per return this year. That’s oddly more than in nine of those previous seasons, including five of the last six. You wouldn’t think that was possible, but the numbers show otherwise.
I’m not sure what’s fueling this. It might be an odd statistical variance – a combination of luck, efficiency on returns declining and the number of total returns declining. I would think we’ll get a couple of punt return touchdowns before the 2021 season is complete. But perhaps gone are the days of the truly feared punt returner.
PUNT RETURNS SINCE 1990 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | No | FC | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
1990 | 996 | 348 | 8,397 | 8.40 | 98t | 8 |
1991 | 993 | 375 | 8,679 | 8.70 | 85t | 9 |
1992 | 974 | 398 | 8,909 | 9.10 | 95t | 17 |
1993 | 1,005 | 405 | 9,211 | 9.17 | 91t | 14 |
1994 | 1,035 | 372 | 9,367 | 9.05 | 103t | 16 |
1995 | 1,007 | 397 | 9,405 | 9.34 | 89t | 9 |
1996 | 1,101 | 456 | 11,087 | 10.07 | 92t | 12 |
1997 | 1,188 | 473 | 11,534 | 9.71 | 94t | 15 |
1998 | 1,141 | 451 | 11,417 | 10.01 | 95t | 16 |
1999 | 1,197 | 503 | 11,228 | 9.38 | 94t | 15 |
2000 | 1,116 | 528 | 11,136 | 9.98 | 94t | 15 |
2001 | 1,115 | 441 | 11,030 | 9.89 | 95t | 12 |
2002 | 1,123 | 453 | 10,688 | 9.52 | 95t | 22 |
2003 | 1,173 | 501 | 11,293 | 9.63 | 93t | 18 |
2004 | 1,186 | 492 | 10,187 | 8.59 | 93t | 10 |
2005 | 1,211 | 495 | 9,799 | 8.09 | 85t | 8 |
2006 | 1,216 | 471 | 10,623 | 8.74 | 90t | 15 |
2007 | 1,122 | 421 | 10,210 | 9.10 | 94t | 17 |
2008 | 1,091 | 442 | 10,092 | 9.25 | 93t | 16 |
2009 | 1,182 | 522 | 10,022 | 8.48 | 85t | 10 |
2010 | 1,149 | 531 | 11,026 | 9.60 | 97t | 13 |
2011 | 1,174 | 582 | 11,633 | 9.91 | 99t | 20 |
2012 | 1,133 | 581 | 11,035 | 9.74 | 98t | 18 |
2013 | 1,094 | 636 | 10,301 | 9.42 | 98t | 13 |
2014 | 1,036 | 645 | 9,211 | 8.89 | 90t | 13 |
2015 | 1,138 | 591 | 9,654 | 8.48 | 89t | 13 |
2016 | 1,012 | 647 | 8,681 | 8.58 | 95t | 10 |
2017 | 1,069 | 626 | 8,741 | 8.18 | 88t | 10 |
2018 | 908 | 601 | 7,690 | 8.47 | 99t | 7 |
2019 | 876 | 605 | 6,627 | 7.57 | 85t | 7 |
2020 | 775 | 561 | 6,850 | 8.84 | 91t | 8 |
2021 | 578 | 364 | 4,981 | 8.62 | 48 | 0 |
—Ian Allan