Matt Bosher has turned his rookie season around and Atlanta’s coverage units on special teams have been dominant this season. The list of players they’ve shut out of the end zone reads like a who’s who of top return men. Behind Bosher’s strong leg and the special teams aces for the Falcons, special teams play in Atlanta has become a point of pride. 

If I’d told you earlier this season Matt Bosher would be making an impact in the kicking game by Week 11, you’d have kissed his foot.

Bosher’s season didn’t get off to a good start and around Week 3, it got a little concerning. Bosher’s 31.3 yard punting average against Tampa Bay drew some ire from the team’s fanbase.

It’s not uncommon for a rookie to make mistakes, but when that rookie is a team’s only punter, it’s magnified because of the singularity of the position and its role. But Bosher’s turnaround in the second quarter of the season has been dramatic and should be discussed.

First, Atlanta’s coaching staff deserves credit for sticking by the player they drafted in the sixth round this year out of Miami. Bosher is returning the favor now and appears well on his way to having a solid career as a punter and kickoff specialist.

The punter’s net punting average this season isn’t a strong number at 36.3 yards, but the number is weighted down by some of his early-season performances. His last two games of 40-plus yards punting is improving his standing among the league’s punters. His average during the past two games is 45.6, a number that would place him well above the league leader, 43.8 yards from San Francisco’s Andy Lee.

It’s a small sample size, Bosher’s two-game average, but it shows his growth over the season. He entered the league with a strong leg, he’s just had to learn how to use it at the NFL level.

But the success on special teams doesn’t end with the net punting average. Bosher and Atlanta are tied this season for fourth place with 15 punts inside the 20. Their 65.5 yard average on kickoffs, the other role Bosher serves for Atlanta, is tied for sixth in the league.

Their 31 returns on kickoffs is high, tied for fifth-most this year, but their 22.9 return average is around the league average. That brings me to my second point: Atlanta’s coverage teams have been outstanding this year.

The Falcons haven’t allowed a touchdown return this season. They’re not the only team to do so, but considering the talented return men they’ve faced this year, Darren Sproles and Deven Hester to top the list, that’s impressive.

Atlanta’s punt return team ranks sixth in the NFL with only 110 punt return yards allowed.

Shann Schillinger leads the team in special teams tackles with eight. Rookie Akeem Dent is second with seven. Dent and Schillinger are carving out a role with the Falcons early in their careers on special teams and the unit could be strong for a few years to come with those two leading it.

Bosher himself has saved a few touchdowns this season, making some shoestring grabs. He made a name for himself at Miami for strong tackling. He’s tied for third on the team with five special teams tackles.

The Falcons will face another dangerous return man this Sunday in Tennessee’s Marc Mariani, last week’s AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In his two years in the NFL, he has three returns for a touchdown. Last Sunday’s touchdown punt return was the second of his career.

Mariani is just another mark on Atlanta’s special teams’ list. They’ll be prepared to shut him out as well. The way they’ve been playing and Bosher’s been punting, special teams has become a viable and reliable part of Atlanta’s gameplan each week.