By Zach Kruse | January 23, 2018 12:38 am ET

The Green Bay Packers are trending in the right direction on special teams.

According to Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings, the Packers finished the 2017 season ranked 16th out of 32 NFL teams – a big improvement after finishing 29th in 2016.

However, the Packers keep teetering back and forth between average and terrible.

In 2014, the Packers finished dead last in the NFL on special teams and had their season end in the NFC title game when the Seahawks executed a fake field goal for a touchdown and tight end Brandon Bostick botched the onside kick recovery. The unmitigated disaster led coach Mike McCarthy to fire coordinator Shawn Slocum and hire Ron Zook.

The Packers immediately improved to No. 17 in 2015. But the special teams took a U-turn in 2016 and finished among the league’s worst.

This season, Zook’s unit battled through a horde of injuries and finished in the middle of the pack.

The Packers were hurt in the rankings by a lack of punts downed inside the 20-yard line, total number of field goals made, field goal percentage and special teams penalties.

However, Green Bay was among the league leaders in punt returns, net punting average and opponent net punting average.

Rookie punter Justin Vogel set the franchise record for net punting, coverage units were strong all season and the Packers received a few big plays from punt returner Trevor Davis.

McCarthy confirmed Zook will be back as the special teams coordinator in 2018. He’ll have a new assistant in Maurice Drayton, who was hired away from the Indianapolis Colts. Jason Simmons, Zook’s old assistant, is moving to defense.

Here’s a look at the Packers in Gosselin’s special teams rankings, year by year since 2012:

2017: 16th

2016: 29th

2015: 17th

2014: 32nd

2013: 20th

2012: 12th