Bills soared to No. 1 ranking in special teams

[Woodman]

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/under-first-year-coordinator-matthew-smiley-bills-soared-to-no-1-ranking-in-special-teams/article_1edcf06c-aed7-11ed-90d0-eb089900713d.html

‘Under Matthew Smiley, the Bills finished No. 1 in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA. That stands for defense-adjusted value over average and is a system that breaks down every NFL play, then compares a team’s performance to a league baseline based on situation in order to determine value over average. In veteran NFL writer Rick Gosselin’s annual rankings, the Bills finished fifth. Gosselin’s rankings, which are accepted as the league standard, track 22 kicking-game categories, including returns and coverage, punting, takeaways, giveaways and penalties.’

[Woodman]

Re: Bills soared to No. 1 ranking in special teams

The Bills led the NFL in three of the categories that Gosselin tracks. They were the least-penalized team in the league on special teams, with just seven flags for 54 yards lost. Their 14 points scored – courtesy of Nyheim Hines’ two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the regular season finale against the New England Patriots also led the league. The Bills also had the best average drive start in the league, at the 28.2-yard line.