Steelers rookie rues key kickoff 'mistake' in loss

PITTSBURGH -- An error by Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson on a kickoff return early in the fourth quarter gifted the Seattle Seahawks a bizarre touchdown en route to their 31-17 win Sunday.

After Seattle (1-1) took a 17-14 lead early in the quarter on a 54-yard Jason Myers field goal, Johnson allowed Myers' kickoff to bounce over his head and into the end zone. As Johnson ran toward the Steelers' sideline, apparently believing the play would be called dead, Seattle continued to cover the kick, and backup George Holani fell on the ball before it rolled out of the back of the end zone for a touchdown and a 24-14 Seattle lead.

"I just made a mistake," Johnson said. "Got to stick to it, move on, and just continue to get better every day."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was blunt in his assessment of what went wrong.

"It's poor judgment by a young player," Tomlin said of his third-round draft pick.

Steelers special teams captain Miles Killebrew offered words of encouragement to the rookie in the locker room after the game.

"He's going to be hard on himself," Killebrew said. "And we just have to make sure that everyone knows that as a unit, we got each other's backs, and we believe in him. He's a great player. I was just sharing with him that there's parts of our game that all of us wish we could have back today because we didn't get it done collectively."

It remains unclear if the ball touched Johnson's fingertips, which would have made it a muffed kick return.

"I just got to get better every day," Johnson said when asked if the ball touched him. "That's all. That's all I have to say about this. ... I just got to just go in there every day now, and just work my hardest, now even more with a chip on my shoulder."

Holan said he believes the ball touched Johnson.

"Every ball for us is live, so we're chasing every ball down," he said. "The running back, he touched the ball, he thought it was done, he thought it was going to roll out."

Under the NFL's new kickoff rule, any ball that lands in the landing zone between the goal line and 20-yard line and goes into the end zone - as Myers' kickoff did - must be returned or downed by the receiving team. Otherwise, it is a live ball.

Johnson declined to say if he knew the rule.

"If I wasn't sure, if I was sure, it doesn't matter," he said. "I still got to do what I got to do, and I still got to go in there and execute the way it needs to be executed."

Tomlin said the team has practiced that specific kickoff scenario "every day of our lives."

Holani's score marked the first time the Seahawks recovered their own kickoff and scored a touchdown since Nov. 29, 1981, against the Oakland Raiders. The New England Patriots were the last team to do it in 2023, against the Denver Broncos, according to ESPN Research.

"You have to talk rules, you have to know the rules of the game and play by them better than anybody else," Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald said afterward. "I can't tell you when exactly we talked about it, but it was a heck of a play by George, understanding the situation and then staying in bounds and recovering it ... George made a heck of a play there."

"Any ball on the ground, we're picking up no matter the situation."

It was Holani's first NFL touchdown after joining the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State in 2024.

"I never expected it to be on special teams," Holani said of his first score, "but it's a blessing, for sure."

A week ago, the Steelers beat the New York Jets in large part thanks to a crucial special teams play, as Kenneth Gainwell forced a fumble on a return and Ben Skowronek recovered the loose ball. The irony of a special teams gaffe heavily contributing to this week's defeat wasn't lost on the Steelers.

"We're in a close ball game last week, and the special teams play broke it open in our favor," Tomlin said. "This week, we're in a close ball game, and the special teams play broke it open in our opponent's favor. I just think that's life in this business at this level."

With Holani's touchdown, Seattle's lead went from three to 10 points and firmly recaptured momentum after the Steelers held the Seahawks to a field goal on the previous drive. Seattle wound up scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, including another wild score in the form of a rushing touchdown by Kenneth Walker III on third-and-19 with less than four minutes to go.

"That was crazy, I'm not going to lie," Seattle cornerback Coby Bryant said of Holani's score. "I've never seen nothing like that, but hey, first touchdown in the NFL, so I'm happy for him."