Raiders’ Cordarrelle Patterson ready to return, if Patriots allow him

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Cordarrelle Patterson has no doubt.

If the New England Patriots want to avoid him Sunday as a kickoff returner, they will.

The Raiders wide receiver has confidence in Stephen Gostkowski’s abilities. The kicker has recorded the NFL’s lowest touchback percentage this season, a statistic widely known to reflect the Patriots’ scheme, not his leg strength. Gostkowski could “kick it out every time he wants to,” Patterson said.

He hopes for otherwise this weekend.

At times in 2017, opponents have dodged Patterson as a kickoff returner. On Oct. 15, the Los Angeles Chargers actively avoided him with mortar kicks. On Oct. 29, the Buffalo Bills took an extended tour of Squib City. One of the more intriguing aspects to Sunday in Mexico City is whether the Patriots deviate from their successful season-long trend of skying kickoffs and trusting their coverage team to pin returners deep.

A strength meets a strength.

“I always want the ball, no matter where it’s at on the field,” Patterson said. “Offense, special, (shoot), defense. No matter where it’s at, I just want to go make a play each and every week.”

Of Gostkowski’s 56 kickoffs, 20 have resulted in a touchback. The 35.7 percent rate is the lowest among any NFL kicker with at least 25 attempts this season. On average, Patriots opponents begin a drive after a kickoff at their own 22-yard line, tied with the Miami Dolphins for best in the league.

Just one of New England’s eight kickoffs Sunday in Denver’s altitude-thinned air was downed for a touchback. The air is even thinner at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City at 7,280-foot elevation compared with 5,280 feet at the Broncos’ Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Patterson is tied with the Patriots’ Dion Lewis for first in the NFL with 30.8 yards per kickoff return. Patterson led the league with a 31.7 average in 2016.

It’s a matter of whether the Patriots (7-2) will test him.

“Well, we’ll find out,” coach Jack Del Rio said Wednesday. “It’ll be interesting to see how they want to approach it. Obviously, their kicker, Gostkowski, is a guy that can kick it out if he wants to, especially at that altitude. He could kick it out every time if he wants to. So, it’ll be interesting to see if they want to … give us opportunities with C.P.

“They’ve got the best unit in the league right now covering kicks, and they have the fewest number of touchbacks. So they are being aggressive, trying to pin you down, make you come out and try and tackle you inside the 20. So, that’ll be a little game within the game. … Obviously, we like C.P. We like what we think we’re capable of doing there.”

As Sunday showed, there is more to the Patriots’ special teams units than kickoff coverage.

Like the Raiders under former Patriots special teams coordinator Brad Seely, New England coach Bill Belichick prefers to use left-footed punters because returners field their punts with less frequency, thereby making them less familiar with the ball’s rotation. In the first quarter, left-footed punter Ryan Allen forced a muff by Broncos rookie wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie.

The Patriots recovered. They scored a touchdown two plays later.

Also in the first half, Lewis returned a kickoff for a 103-yard touchdown, giving New England a 14-3 lead. Running back Rex Burkhead blocked a punt to provide possession at the Broncos’ 30-yard line. The field position led to a field goal in a 41-16 win.

“That’s the Patriots,” Patterson said. “They know how to win. … They’re a fundamental team, especially on special teams. They hardly make any mistakes. If they make mistakes, you try to (capitalize). We’ve got to be better than we’ve been this year. We’ve got to play like this is the damn championship because this team, they bring that each and every time. We’ve got to come in with that kind of fire.”

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.