In the NFL, all it takes is a few mistakes for a team to lose a game. The Pittsburgh Steelers know that all too well after their Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. That was a very winnable game, but a few plays didn’t go the Steelers’ way, and suddenly, they lost all their momentum. The most avoidable error of the day came when Kaleb Johnson let a kickoff roll into the end zone, which the Seahawks recovered for a touchdown. Baltimore Ravens long snapper Nick Moore recently weighed in on the play.
“I’m surprised because Pittsburgh has such a great special teams coach in Danny Smith,” Moore said on Ryan Ripken’s YouTube channel. “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 gonna take a knee in the end zone or, in this case, run down there, grab it, take a knee in the end zone.”
It comes as no surprise that the Ravens put such emphasis on special teams. John Harbaugh, their head coach, has a long history as a special teams coordinator, both in college and the NFL. He held the title in some capacity from 1988-2006.
During his tenure with Baltimore, the Ravens have routinely had some of the best special teams play in the NFL. However, the Steelers have their own experienced special teams coordinator. Danny Smith has held that position for them since 2013. Before that, he had the same role for years with the Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Therefore, it’s fair to wonder how Johnson was returning kicks without totally understanding the rules. He’s a rookie, and the kickoff rules have undergone significant changes in recent years, but that’s no excuse. He should’ve been prepared.
Part of the blame for that could be put on Smith’s shoulders. This isn’t the first time that the Steelers have had an issue like this during his tenure as their special teams coordinator. There are multiple examples of returners failing simple processes. Moore is correct that the Steelers have a veteran special teams core, which makes those mistakes even more unacceptable.
Since 2017 under Danny Smith, the #Steelers have flubbed at least three kickoffs. Two free kicks after safeties and yesterday’s kickoff.
All three times, the kicking team recovered and received the ball.
Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/ZHLF5At8Jl
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 15, 2025
There’s no changing what’s already happened, though. The Seahawks beat the Steelers, and all Pittsburgh can do is make sure not to commit that kind of error again. The Steelers can’t expect to compete with some of the better teams in the league if they can’t make routine plays routinely.