Taking a deep dive at the kickoff blunder that cost the Steelers a touchdown in loss to Seattle

It was a gaffe that played out before a paid crowd of 66,347 and was witnessed by millions of people on network television.

And it was a pivotal mistake that contributed to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

When rookie Kaleb Johnson failed to cover a kickoff that bounced over his head and into the end zone in the fourth quarter, it enabled George Holani of the Seahawks to recover for a touchdown. It turned a three-point game into a 24-14 deficit for the Steelers, one from which they wouldn’t recover.

A day later, Johnson’s blunder remained a talking point on social media and talk-show radio. It led to questions about Johnson’s awareness of the rules and whether the mistake had anything to do with the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rules.

Let’s try to get to the bottom of these issues:

Q: Did Johnson know the difference between the college rule and the one implemented in the NFL in 2024?

A: It’s hard to say. Johnson refused to answer the question postgame, saying it didn’t matter. He needed to make the play and did not.

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Q: Do the Steelers practice and prepare for rules changes such as this one?

A: Let’s defer to coach Mike Tomlin, who said, “Every day of our lives.”

Now, that isn’t entirely true. The Steelers do not practice covering or returning kickoffs on a daily basis, but several periods each day in practice are devoted to special teams. And coach Danny Smith prides himself in making his players aware of the rules.

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Q: Were the Seahawks cognizant of the rule before Holani’s recovery?

A: Coach Mike McDonald said the topic was broached Friday night during a meeting. “You have to talk rules,” McDonald said. “You’ve got to know the rules of the game and play by them better than everybody else.”

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Q: How is the college rule different from the NFL?

A: In college, under a rule adopted in 2018, if a kick is untouched by the receiving team and goes into the end zone, it is a touchback and the ball is placed on the 25-yard line. Players also may signal for a fair catch that places the ball on the 25.

In the NFL, if the ball lands inside the landing zone and remains there or goes into the end zone, it must be returned or downed. It is a live ball.

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Q: What is the landing zone?

A: It is the area between the 20-yard line and the goal line. The receiving team may have a maximum of two returners lined up inside the landing zone. They can move any time prior to or during the kickoff. Note that if a ball is kicked and lands short of the landing zone, it is a penalty and the receiving team takes possession at the 40-yard line.

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Q: Did Seahawks kicker Jason Myers intentionally place the line-drive kick inside the landing zone to make for a difficult return?

A: Definitely. McDonald said Myers has worked on shorter kickoffs this season. “It’s tougher than it looks because the landing zone is … it’s easy to kick short of the landing zone. So if you’re going to kick it low, you’ve got to be on your stuff, and (Myers) is on his stuff now.”

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Q: What if Johnson had followed the bouncing ball into the end zone and covered it?

A: It would have been ruled a touchback, and the Steelers would have taken possession at the 20. Had the kickoff landed in the end zone on the fly and been covered by Johnson, the Steelers would have taken possession at the 35.

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Q: So the dynamic kickoff rule played a hand in the confusion?

A: Yes and no. The dynamic rule, aimed at increasing the number of kickoff returns, also creates some strategy for the kicking team. Rather than kick the ball into or through the end zone for a touchback and possession at the 35, kickers are trying to pin the ball deep in the landing zone. This forces the receiving team to attempt a return, and a good coverage unit’s goal is not to allow the returner to make it past the 35.

However, NFL kickoff returners had to field the ball even before the “dynamic” rule was implemented. Case in point: the Steelers’ Barry Foster failed to cover a kickoff in 1990 against the San Francisco 49ers. Foster treated it like a punt and allowed the ball to roll to the 5. The 49ers alertly recovered and scored a touchdown a few plays later.

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Q: Wasn’t the dynamic kickoff rule tweaked after its first season?

A: Yes, but the biggest change dealt with the placement of the touchback. It was moved from the 30 to the 35 to entice teams to try more returns. It also allowed for onside kicks by the losing team to be attempted at any time, not just in the fourth quarter. The dynamic kickoff, by the way, was made a permanent rule at the NFL annual meeting in March.

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Q: Did Johnson have much experience as a kick returner?

A: He returned five kickoffs in the season opener and had three more against Seattle. Before joining the Steelers, though, he wasn’t as proficient at returning kicks. He did it 13 times in the 2022 season at Iowa. He did it twice in 2023 and none last season when he was used exclusively at running back.

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Q: Why was he thrust into that role with the Steelers?

A: The Steelers cut incumbent returner Cordarrelle Patterson in training camp. Jaylen Warren, who returned nine kickoffs last season, is the starting running back for the first time in his career, and the Steelers likely didn’t want him to pull double duty. Giving Johnson a chance to return kicks provided the third-round draft pick an opportunity to get on the field early in his career.