For Koch, it’s been a punter’s paradise
Veteran on record pace for fewest punts in season
When Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was tackled on a third-quarter scramble in Monday night’s 45-6 blowout of the Los Angeles Rams, bringing up fourth-and-9, it allowed a rare opportunity for punter Sam Koch to trot onto the field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Koch stood about 15 yards from long snapper Morgan Cox, readying himself for his first punt in almost 104 minutes of game action.
Officials quickly stopped play, flagging the Rams for too many men on the field, a 5-yard penalty that altered coach John Harbaugh’s thought process.
After confusion over whether they would attempt a field goal or go for it, Jackson and the rest of the offense jogged onto the field, replacing Koch and the rest of the special-teams unit.
Koch later got the opportunity to punt — an infrequent occasion in a Ravens offense approaching historic feats — in the fourth quarter of the Monday night rout.
For much of Koch’s 14-year career, his right leg has been a reliable tool for the Ravens, flipping field position for pedestrian offenses with an assortment of unique kicks.
At times, he’s surprised opposing return teams, extending drives on fake punts (Koch is 6-of-6 for 67 yards passing).
But with Jackson leading the league’s top-scoring offense at 35.1 points per game, and the Ravens scoring on almost 56% of their offensive possessions, Koch hasn’t been called on much this season.
The Ravens are on pace to punt 32 times this season, which would set an NFL record for fewest punts in a 16-game season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The only teams that have punted less did so in the 1982 season, which was reduced to a nine-game season because of a 57-day players’ strike.
Koch would personally shatter his personal-low for punts in a season, 60, which he set in 2018 and 2014.
Sunday’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers (10-1) poses a threat to the Ravens’ unintentional pursuit of NFL history, with forecasts predicting a 100% chance of rain.
For an offense that has run through some of the league’s top defenses amid a seven-game winning streak, adverse conditions appear to be the only roadblock to halting its unprecedented efficiency.
“As far as working on things, I do all my work in practice,” Koch said Friday.
“I don’t do anything out there [on the sideline] other than stay loose, stay ready and whenever they call upon me, then I’m ready to do it.”
The 49ers, despite coach Kyle Shanahan’s preference for a dry game, have experience playing in inclement weather. San Francisco slogged through a downpour at FedExField in Landover on Oct. 20, defeating the Washington Redskins, 9-0.
The Ravens have played most of their games without major weather concerns. Their Week 7 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks featured early rain that provided some difficulties with footing for Jackson, who said he changed his cleats multiple times, but the rain passed as the game progressed.
Special teams coach Chris Horton said his unit makes sure to be prepared for any weather factors but Koch said he won’t consider it until game day.
“Until I get there Sunday, I’ll figure out what it’s like and then have to deal with it then,” Koch said. “There are guys that they’ll work on wet ball drills. Or occasionally if it’s raining outside, we might go out there and hit a few balls, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to be raining on Sunday.”
At age 37, Koch remains one of the league’s most consistent punters. After not seeing the field once to punt in the team’s 41-7 win over the Houston Texans two weeks ago, Horton dismissed any idea that Koch could get rusty because of the lack of game action.
Horton said while the offense is on the field, Koch is away, driving footballs into the kicker’s net. On third down, Koch works his way to the sideline in case a punt is needed.
Despite Koch’s preparedness, Horton joked that Wednesdays, when special teams conduct punt practice, have become Koch’s “game reps,” as he more often holds a front-row seat to the league’s most exciting offense.
“My mentality is to treat every snap that I get as I’m out there playing in the Super Bowl,” Koch said. “I should hopefully never work up a sweat. I punt once every 15 minutes, so if I work up a sweat, that means I’m severely out of shape.”