Sunday’s 27-24 thriller over the Atlanta Falcons was sealed on a rainy afternoon at MetLife Stadium after Nick Folk drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired, the latest reminder of why the kicker received the nickname “Folk Hero.”
Speaking to reporters following the win, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was not surprised in the slightest that Folk delivered in the clutch.
“We just knew once we got him [Folk], the kicking part of our team was going to be on point,” said Glenn.
Across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Folk led the NFL with a 96.2% field goal conversion rate.
This season, he only has one miss, and it came in the third quarter of Sunday’s game before he bounced back with the game-winner.
In the Green and White this season, he is overall 23-of-24 on field goal attempts (95.7%), which ranks second among all kickers, trailing only Carolina Panthers kicker and former Jet Eddy Piñeiro, who is 22-of-22.
Overall, the Jets’ special teams unit has been the league’s best this season, and Sunday’s performance only strengthened that case. New York posted an EPA of 15.22 against Atlanta, the second-best single-game mark by any NFL special teams group this year and the Jets’ second-highest figure since 2000.
For the season, the Jets lead the NFL in special teams DVOA, per FTN Fantasy. They are on pace for the third-best mark in NFL history, and are not far off from setting the all-time record.
On top of leading the NFL in yards per kick return, the Jets rank ninth in punt-return average, second in lowest opposing punt-return average, and first in both special teams touchdowns and field-goal percentage. New York is also fourth in punts downed inside the 20 and owns the league’s fifth-best starting field position after opponent punts.
Once again, when the Jets needed a boost on Sunday, Folk and the entire unit stepped up.
