4 winners and losers from Seattle Seahawks Week 8 victory over Cleveland Browns
By Lee Vowell
Winner No. 2 - Punter Michael Dickson
Let's give punter Michael Dickson some more love. Dickson might actually be too consistently good at his job because many might be getting numb to how fantastic he is. He is the NFL's all-time leader in yards-per-punt (47.8). In 2023, Dickson is third in yards-per-punt (51.1) and is second in net yards per punt (45.4).
Against the Browns, though, Dickson started the day with back-to-back 60-yard punts. His long on the day was 67. He punted the ball five times for an average of 54.8 yards per punt and had two punts downed inside the Browns' 20-yard line.
The thing with Dickson, compared to other lesser mortals, is that he not only has the ability to punt the ball really far, he very rarely outpunts his coverage. The ball goes long, but it also goes really high. When Michael Dickson was chosen in 2018, the idea was he would be a defensive weapon and he has never disappointed. In times past, the defense hasn't been able to take advantage of Dickson pinning teams back deep in their own territory, but this is beginning to change.
Dickson is currently having the best year of his career. His previous high for yards per punt was 49.6 in 2020. His previous high in net yards per punt was 44.4 (in 2020 and 2022). Yet thankfully, he is averaging 5.0 yards per punt, which is the lowest of his career. The low number means the offense is working a bit more efficiently.