Special teams are often overlooked, but as any coach in the NFL would tell you, they often are the deciding factors in games. A muffed return, a clutch 50-yard field goal, a punt pinning an opponent deep in their own territory. The touchdowns and skill-position players get most of the fame and glory, but these are the things that more often or not decide which team wins and which team loses.

In recent years, teams have begun to take notice and punters, kickers and kick coverage specialists have never been in higher demand. It’s rare to see an elite team that doesn’t have elite special teams. You don’t see the Patriots muffing many kicks or missing short field goals with the game on the line. The NFC West is full of good special teams players, but one team clearly rises above the rest.

Before we dive into each team’s special teams, check out the rest of the pieces in our series:

1. Los Angeles Rams

Johnny Hekker, Greg Zuerlein, Pharoh Cooper

The Rams almost certainly have the best punter/kicker duo in the entire league, let alone the NFC West. Hekker has made three straight Pro Bowls and three straight first-team All-Pros, and Zuerlein was automatic this past season, also earning a first-team All-Pro selection. Hekker is one of the faces of the franchise, an incredible feat for an undrafted punter, and has the chance to go down as one of the best punters in NFL history.

The Rams also have one of the best special teams coordinators in the league in John Fassel. Fassel famously stepped in as the Rams’ interim head coach after Jeff Fisher was fired toward the end of the 2016 season. Almost as good as the Rams’ punting and kicking games last season were their return units. Cooper, a 2016 fourth-round pick, came seemingly out of nowhere to become one of the best returners in the league, also earning a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection. He had 932 kickoff return yards, including a 103-yard touchdown return.

Simply put, when you have first-team All-Pros at all three levels of special teams play, it’s hard to be beat. The Rams are the gold standard in that department and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.