The Pittsburgh Steelers lost for the first time during the 2025 season on Sunday as the team fell to 1-1 after a tough game against the Seattle Seahawks. It was a game Pittsburgh probably should have been able to win, but the team made countless errors while playing poorly on the defensive side of the ball. Rookie Kaleb Johnson was taking over the duties as a kick returner throughout the first two games, but he made a rare error that essentially handed a touchdown to Seattle, which basically put the game out of reach for Pittsburgh.
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Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Near the start of the fourth quarter, the Seahawks had a three-point lead and were kicking the ball back to Pittsburgh. It was a tricky kick to field, but it landed in the landing zone and Johnson did not field the ball. It looked like the ball might roll through the back of the end zone, but it died near the end line and Seattle recovered the ball for a touchdown. This put Pittsburgh down 10 points with about 12 minutes left to play, which is a hard hole to climb out of. Johnson's error has been talked about throughout the league, and Baltimore Ravens long snapper Nick Moore spoke about the play during an appearance on a show on Ryan Ripken's YouTube channel.
"I'm surprised because Pittsburgh has such a great special teams coach in Danny Smith," Moore said. "They have a long history of being really good on special teams. They've got some of the best special teams players in the league, a veteran group of special teamers. Rookie coming from college, he might not understand the rules. Probably thought it was maybe gonna go out of the back of the end zone. We coach that Day 1 with returners that, even the guys on the kickoff team, everybody on the special teams, the ball has to be downed and given to the referee, whether you're going to take a knee in the end zone or, in this case, run down there, grab it, take a knee in the end zone."
Typically, even if the ball is kicked hard into the end zone and it looks like it is going out of the back of the end zone, returners around the league will field the ball and take a knee. Moore explains that practice is what is taught in Baltimore, which should make some fans in Pittsburgh question if the Steelers are doing the same thing.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh's special teams coordinator is Danny Smith, and he is widely respected around the NFL. Typically his groups on special teams are lauded for making special and timely plays, but this instance was anything but that. It essentially cost Pittsburgh the game, and it is a downright embarrassing thing to see happen. It is easy to blame the play entirely on the rookie, but there might be some flaws in the way Pittsburgh is coaching. It is hard to imagine this is not something that Pittsburgh is coaching off the bat, especially to a rookie, but it was clear Johnson didn't think he was doing anything wrong on the play.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) trains and runs with the football at Saint Vincent College during the 2025 Steelers training camp on Thursday, July 31, 2025 in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers' Kaleb Johnson Lost His Job With Poor Decision Making
Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Tuesday, and he made it clear that Johnson would not continue in his role as a kick returner. He left the door open for the rookie to earn his spot back, but that might take a lot. Johnson barely sees the field on offense, so it is fair to question if the rookie will find much of a role during the 2025 season. He needs to refine his game and improve, but he might not be the high-impact player most fans were hoping he would be, as least not at this juncture.
What do you think about Moore's comments on the play for Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!
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