The election of placekicker Morten Andersen to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2017 was a monumental achievement for NFL special teams.

Football coaches will all tell you that special teams are a third of the game, but that mantra has never sold in Canton. Andersen became only the third pure special-teamer elected to the Hall of Fame, joining kicker Jan Stenerud and punter Ray Guy.

Andersen played more games and scored more points than any player in NFL history and was a rare two-time NFL all-decade selection (1980s and 1990s), yet it still took him five years and four trips to the finals to claim a bust. Guy, the only punter enshrined, had to wait 23 years for his bust and needed his candidacy resurrected by the Hall's senior committee.

Quietly, though, special-teamers of today underscored their value both on the game and on the field this season. Three of the NFL's Top 11 defenses qualified for the playoffs this past season. Six of the Top 11 offenses qualified for the playoffs. But seven of top 11 special teams qualified, including the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and division champs Dallas, Kansas City and Seattle.

The Patriots finished sixth in special teams according to rankings compiled annually by The Dallas Morning News. The Chiefs finished third, the Seahawks 10th and the Cowboys 11th. In addition, wild-card qualifiers Detroit finished second, Miami seventh and Oakland ninth.

The league's 32 teams are ranked in 22 categories and assigned points according to their standing - one for best, 32 for worst. The Philadelphia Eagles fielded the NFL's best special teams with a composite score of 226.5. The Eagles have now finished first in special teams in two of the last three seasons.

Kansas City was the best example of the impact of the kicking game on a team's standing. The Chiefs finished 20th in the NFL in offense and 24th in defense but still won the AFC West with a 12-4 record thanks in large part to their special teams.

The Chiefs finished first in the NFL in punt returns and ninth in kickoff returns. They also finished second in the league in punts inside the 20 - three key elements of the kicking game that gave the Chiefs an edge in the weekly battle for field position.

More importantly, Kansas City finished first in special-teams scoring with 30 points on five touchdowns, including a 55-yard run on a fake punt that helped the Chiefs topple the NFC champion Falcons, 29-28. Kansas City also led the NFL in takeaways on special teams with four, recovering two fumbled punts and two fumbled kickoffs. Demetrius Harris scooped up one of those fumbles and returned it 27 yards for a KC touchdown in 24-3 romp over the New York Jets.

The Cowboys moved up from 15th to 11th in special teams this season despite struggling in all aspects of the return game. They finished 23rd in both kickoff and punt returns, 21st in kickoff coverage and 18th in punt coverage.

On the positive side of the ledger, the Cowboys were one of only a dozen teams that did not commit any turnovers on special teams and one of only 10 that did not allow any points in the kicking game. They also were one of only five teams that converted 100 percent of their extra-point kicks.

Twitter: @RickGosselin9

Listen to Rick Gosselin at 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays on Sportsradio 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket with Norm Hitzges and Donovan Lewis, and follow @RickGosselin9 on Twitter.

Rick Gosselin's 2016 special teams rankings

The NFL's 32 teams are ranked in 22 kicking-game categories annually by The Dallas Morning News with points assigned in each category according to their standing (one for the best through 32 for the worst). Here are the composite standings:

Kickoff returns

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Keith Smith (56) attempts to tackle Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) as he runs toward the end zone for a touch down during the second quarter of their game on Saturday, August 29, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. Patterson ran for a 107 yard touch down. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News) (Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Best: Minnesota, 27.3 yards

Worst: Tampa Bay, 14.6 yards

Cowboys: 23rd, 20.5 yards

Punt returns

Best: Kansas City, 14.8 yards

Worst: Jacksonville, 5.5 yards

Cowboys: 23rd, 7.1 yards

Kickoff coverage

Best: Carolina, 18.1 yards

Worst: Green Bay, 26.3 yards

Cowboys: 21st, 22.6 yards

Punt coverage

Best: Los Angeles, 4.3 yards

Worst: Chicago, 12.8 yards

Cowboys: 18th, 8.7 yards

Kickoff starting point

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) looks up to pass the ball as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory (94) is blocked by Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters (71) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. The Dallas Cowboys lost 27-13. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News) (Jae S. Lee / Staff Photographer)

Best: Philadelphia, 27.2-yard line

Worst: Cleveland, 23.2-yard line

Cowboys: 10th, 25.1-yard line

Opponent kickoff starting point

Best: Philadelphia, 22.7-yard line

Worst: Green Bay, 26.6-yard line

Cowboys: Tied for 8th, 24.1-yard line

Punting

Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King (7) kicks away against the Houston Texans during the second half of an AFC Wild Card NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Eric Gay / AP)

Best: Oakland, 48.6 yards

Worst: Arizona, 40.9 yards

Cowboys: 18th, 45.1 yards

Net punting

Best: Los Angeles, 46.0 yards

Worst: Arizona, 36.5 yards

Cowboys: 13th, 40.5 yards

Inside the 20 punts

St. Louis Rams punter Johnny Hekker (6) against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP)

Best: Los Angeles, 51

Worst: Washington, 15

Cowboys: Tied for 16th, 25

Opponent punting

Best: Miami, 41.8 yards

Worst: Denver, 48.9 yards

Cowboys: 6th, 43.6 yards

Opponent net punting

HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 09: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #7 of the Houston Texans scrambles against Justin Houston #50 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at NRG Stadium on January 9, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) (Scott Halleran / Getty Images)

Best: Kansas City, 34.2 yards

Worst: Carolina, 43.1 yards

Cowboys: 10th, 39.3 yards

Field goals

Best: Baltimore, 38

Worst: Miami, 16

Cowboys: Tied for 14th, 27

Field goal percentage

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) reacts after hitting the winning field goal against the Denver Broncos in overtime of an AFC divisional playoff NFL football game, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, in Denver. The Ravens won 38-35. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney) (Joe Mahoney / AP)

Best: Baltimore, 97.4 percent

Worst: Tampa Bay, 70.9 percent

Cowboys: Tied for 18th, 84.4 percent

Opponent field goal percentage

Best: Cleveland, Seattle, 70.4 percent

Worst: Chicago, 94.3 percent

Cowboys: 7th, 78.1 percent

Extra point percentage

Best: Five teams tied at 100 percent

Worst: Minnesota, 78.7 percent

Cowboys: Tied for first

Points scored

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo) (Alex Gallardo / AP)

Best: Kansas City, 30

Worst: 15 teams tied with 0

Cowboys: Tied for last

Points allowed

Best: Ten teams tied with 0

Worst: NY Jets, 24

Cowboys: Tied for first

Blocked kicks

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs for yardage as Baltimore Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy (93) moves in for the tackle during the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Dallas Cowboys NFL football game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, November 20, 2016. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News) (Louis DeLuca / Staff Photographer)

Best: Baltimore, Miami, 4

Worst: 9 teams tied with 0

Cowboys: Tied for last

Opponent blocked kicks

Best: Five teams tied with 0

Worst: Seattle, 7

Cowboys: Tied for 6th with 1

Takeaways

Best: Kansas City, 4

Worst: 13 teams tied with 0

Cowboys: Tied for 13th with 1

Giveaways

Best: 12 teams tied with 0

Worst: San Francisco, 4

Cowboys: Tied for first

Penalties

Best: Houston, 9

Worst: Jacksonville, 32

Cowboys: 16th, 17