What is Kick Return EPA Allowed?
Kick return EPA allowed is the average expected points added given up per kickoff a team's own kickoff/coverage unit covers. Lower is better: it credits strong kickoff coverage and limiting returns.
Kick Return EPA Allowed | NFL Advanced Stats
| Rank | Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | -0.498 | -1.222 | -0.654 | -0.597 | - | -0.145 | -0.738 | -0.268 |
| 2 |  | -0.423 | 0.033 | -0.494 | -0.534 | - | -0.384 | -0.456 | 0.002 |
| 3 |  | -0.378 | -0.381 | -0.628 | -0.536 | - | -0.188 | -0.530 | -0.101 |
| 4 |  | -0.308 | -0.137 | -0.277 | -0.344 | - | -0.231 | -0.407 | -0.062 |
| 5 |  | -0.297 | 0.024 | -0.143 | -0.347 | - | -0.151 | -0.497 | 0.081 |
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Which teams allow the fewest kick return EPA in the NFL in 2026?
Through games played November 3, 2026, Carolina has allowed the fewest kick return EPA in the NFL at -0.498. New Orleans is second at -0.423, Chicago third at -0.378, Dallas fourth at -0.308 & Tampa Bay fifth at -0.297. A gap of 0.075 separates Carolina from second place, & 0.491 separate it from the 25th-ranked team.
Only 0.31 separate first from tenth. The New York Giants are sixth at -0.282, Minnesota seventh at -0.276, Kansas City eighth at -0.221, Cincinnati ninth at -0.194 & Indianapolis tenth at -0.188.
A gap of 0.055 separates seventh from eighth, the widest single step anywhere below the top four. Detroit is 11th at -0.162, New England 12th at -0.125, Denver 13th at -0.098, Seattle 14th at -0.083, Buffalo 15th at -0.079, Atlanta 16th at -0.078, Tennessee 17th at -0.077 & Philadelphia 18th at -0.073.
Nine teams from 15th to 23rd sit inside 0.028 of each other. The Los Angeles Chargers are 19th at -0.069, Washington 20th at -0.058, Pittsburgh 21st at -0.055, the New York Jets 22nd at -0.052, Jacksonville 23rd at -0.051, Baltimore 24th at -0.019 & San Francisco 25th at -0.007.
How this ranking is measured
The ranking above covers the top 25 of 32 NFL teams in the 2026 regular season, ranked lowest first. Kick return EPA allowed is the average expected points added given up per kickoff a team's own kickoff/coverage unit covers. Figures are as of November 3, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.
