Special teams shaping the outcome of Steelers games through 4 weeks of season

Special teams contributed to the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their season opener in New Jersey. Special teams contributed to them losing their home opener a week later. And the good and bad of Danny Smith’s units were on display last weekend in Dublin.

No matter the venue, special teams have played an integral role in the Steelers’ 3-1 start.

For better or worse.

The better: In a 34-32 win against the New York Jets, Chris Boswell booted the winning field goal from 60 yards. Earlier, a forced fumble and recovery on a kickoff return led to a touchdown. Last week against Minnesota, Roman Wilson covered an onside kick attempt.

The worse: In a 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, rookie returner Kaleb Johnson watched a kickoff bounce over his head and into the end zone. Seattle recovered for a touchdown that turned a close game into a 10-point deficit. Last week against Minnesota, Pat Freiermuth missed a block that led to a blocked Boswell field goal.

Smith, who is in his 13th season as Steelers special teams coordinator, has seen a little bit of everything as the NFL season enters its fifth weekend.

“It’s all a science,” Smith said earlier this week. “Trust me, it is a science.”

One of the biggest changes has been in the “dynamic” kickoff. Touchbacks that land in the end zone resulted in ball placement at the 35 instead of the 30, leading to a historic rate of kickoff returns. The NFL has experienced 519 kickoff returns, the most through Week 4 in the league’s history.

Kickers are placing the ball deep in the landing zone, the area between the goal line and 20, by sometimes resorting to squib or line-drive kicks that take awkward bounces or are difficult to handle. The Steelers learned the importance of the squib kick the hard way as Jason Myers’ ball placement led to Johnson’s mental gaffe that resulted in a Seahawks touchdown in Week 2.

“One or two weeks isn’t a study, but as you get into four weeks, you’re getting into a pattern,” Smith said. “They are tough balls to handle. The knuckleball is a tough ball to handle, and the squib has been a kick that has been very successful so far in this league.”

The Steelers are the only team in the NFL that hasn’t had a kickoff go for a touchback. Each of Boswell’s 21 kickoffs has been returned. Last year, Boswell had 49 touchbacks and a career-high 55 in 2023.

After a rough start in the early weeks, the Steelers rank No. 19 by allowing 26.5 yards per return. Boswell doesn’t resort to the squib kick often, but the Steelers practice it weekly.

“We started last OTAs with these rules, but no two squibs are the same,” Smith said. “That is the problem. You can work them, but the ball bounces in funky and funny ways sometimes, and that’s true on the squib kick. It has been an effective weapon.”

Each Friday during the season, the Steelers work on covering onside kickoffs. The practice came in handy when Wilson recovered Will Reichard’s onside kick attempt after the Vikings had cut the deficit to 24-21 late in the fourth quarter.

“Ever since I got here, we work on it every Friday,” said Smith, who arrived in 2013. “Everybody has to get two onside kicks clear or they can’t leave the field.”

Conversely, the NFL has witnessed a rise in blocks, be it on punts, field-goal attempts or extra-point tries. Boswell’s 30-yard attempt last Sunday was blocked by Minnesota’s Isaiah Rodgers, making it one of 16 blocks that have taken place through the NFL through four weeks. That amounts to the second-most blocks in the NFL at this juncture since 1991. In 2014, 19 kicks were blocked through four weeks.

“Things go in cycles,” Smith said. “It looks like we are in one of those cycles.”

Freiermuth accepted blame for not being in the proper position to stop Rodgers from coming off the end to get his hands on Boswell’s kick.

“I just missed with the punch,” he said. “Definitely a play I want to get back. Just missed my hand. Credit to him, he’s really good off the edge. He just dipped under my punch. I’ll get better from it, learn from it.”

If there is a special teams coach who watches more tape of blocked kicks, Smith would like to meet him.

“I’ve look at all of them. I’ve seen them numerous times,” he said. “Most are from a lack of technique. … There is a lot of speed in this league. You have to be perfect.”

Special teams can have such an impact on games, as the Steelers have seen this season, that players lower on the depth chart at their given positions can become stars on Smith’s units. Miles Killebrew, a safety by trade, was voted first-team All-Pro in 2023 for his special teams work.

Another contributor to the special teams efforts has been wide receiver Ben Skowronek, whose fumble recovery in the opener set up a touchdown. Skowronek takes pride in tying for the team lead with seven special teams tackles. Probably more than his one catch that resulted in a 22-yard touchdown in the opener.

“The only stats I truly care about are special teams tackles, if I’m being honest,” Skowronek said. “I just like playing football.”

Asked to explain the reason he enjoys special teams more than his natural position, Skowronek said, “I just like tackling guys. That’s it, really.”