<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/kaleb-johnson-probably-not-returning-kicks-steelers-week-3');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kaleb Johnson ‘probably’ not returning kicks for Steelers in Week 3');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pittsburgh-Steelers-running-back-Kaleb-Johnson.jpg"><figcaption>© Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kaleb Johnson ‘probably’ not returning kicks for Steelers in Week 3</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-16T13:03:28-07:00">September 16th, 1:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-16T13:03:28-07:00">September 16th, 1:03pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first loss of the season in a 31-17 beatdown by the Seattle Seahawks. After a dramatic win over the New York Jets to start the year, Mike Tomlin’s offensive attack looked good. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-kaleb-johnson-thinking-disastrous-kickoff">rookie running back Kaleb Johnson, made a fatal mistake in Week 2</a>. In the aftermath, Johnson might be off special teams against the New England Patriots.</p><p>Johnson’s misunderstanding of the kickoff rules resulted in an unorthodox touchdown for the Seahawks. After that, the Steelers never recovered and walked out of their home opener with a loss. Despite the error, Tomlin wants his team to put the game behind them and focus on the Patriots in Week 3. However, he could not get out of talking about Johnson’s role on the team.</p><p>Pittsburgh took the running back in the third round of the NFL Draft. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-jaylen-warren-contract-extension-right-week-1">Steelers gave Jaylen Warren a multi-year deal before the regular season</a>, the future of the team’s running game is up in the air. Johnson is a good change-of-pace runner who has shown flashes early in his NFL career. However, Tomlin told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor that he is <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46282848/steelers-likely-change-returners-special-teams-gaffe" rel="noopener">unlikely to return more kicks</a>.</p><p>“Probably not in the short-term,” Tomlin said. “I’m certainly going to give [Johnson] an opportunity to work his way back from that. I believe in his talent. He’s a sharp young man. He’s a hard worker, and so you leave the light on for him. You give him an opportunity to move on from it, but he has to do that.”</p><p>Johnson is unlikely to forget his mistake for a while. However, the Steelers need to put the loss behind them quickly as Week 3 looms. Both Pittsburgh and New England enter their matchup at 1-1 with a lot on the line when it comes to the rest of their respective seasons. Johnson will have a chance to rebuild his value, even if it doesn’t come on special teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kaleb Johnson ‘probably’ not returning kicks for Steelers in Week 3

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-kaleb-johnson-thinking-disastrous-kickoff');   ga('set', 'title', 'What in the world was Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson thinking on disastrous kickoff gaffe?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Kaleb-Johnson.jpg"><figcaption>Allison Lawhon-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>What in the world was Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson thinking on disastrous kickoff gaffe? </h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-15T08:06:59-07:00">September 15th, 8:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-15T08:06:59-07:00">September 15th, 8:06am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their first game of the season in Week 2 after a disappointing 31-17 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. However, the game was actually close until the fourth quarter with the score nicely poised at 17-14.</p><p>What followed was a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-mike-tomlin-calls-out-kaleb-johnson-kickoff-disaster">critical kickoff error from Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson</a> that handed the Seahawks the momentum. After a 54-yard field goal from Jason Myers, Johnson saw the ball bounce through his hands on the ensuing kickoff as it fell into the end zone. However, the 22-year-old third-round pick of the 2025 draft seemingly believed the play would result in a touchback and did not cover the ball. That led to George Holani stealing it and pushing for a touchdown that helped the Seahawks open up a 24-14 lead.</p><p>“I just gotta get better everyday. That is all I am gonna say about this. I just gotta stick with it and move on. It’s a part of football and life,” Johnson <a href="https://x.com/C_AdamskiTrib/status/1967326214617715106" rel="noopener">explained after the game,</a> per Chris Adamski.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson explains his gaffe on the kickoff return <a href="https://t.co/JC86pspxJY">pic.twitter.com/JC86pspxJY</a></p><p>— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) <a href="https://twitter.com/C_AdamskiTrib/status/1967326214617715106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Asked if he knew whether the ball would still be considered in play, Johnson did not give a straightforward answer, claiming that it simply did not matter.</p><p>“If I was sure, if I wasn’t sure, it doesn’t matter.  I still gotta do what I gotta do, and I still gotta go in there and execute the way it needs to be executed,” he said.</p><p>The Steelers dropped to 1-1 after the sequence in question helped the Seahawks to a crucial lead. They eventually rallied to bring the score back to 24-17 before Kenneth Walker finished the game with a 19-yard touchdown.</p><p>Aaron Rodgers finished with 203 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on 18-of-33 passing, while Jaylen Warren produced 134 yards from scrimmage. For Seattle, Sam Darnold threw for 295 yards with two scores, Walker rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba recorded 103 receiving yards on eight catches.</p><p>After the error, Pittsburgh had turned to Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren for return duties. The Steelers are now set to face the New England Patriots in Week 3.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What in the world was Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson thinking on disastrous kickoff gaffe?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-mike-tomlin-calls-out-kaleb-johnson-kickoff-disaster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers HC Mike Tomlin calls out Kaleb Johnson for kickoff disaster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pittsburgh-Steelers-head-coach-Mike-Tomlin-4.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Steelers HC Mike Tomlin calls out Kaleb Johnson for kickoff disaster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-14T15:05:18-07:00">September 14th, 3:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-14T15:05:18-07:00">September 14th, 3:05pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers fall 1-1 on the season after suffering a 31-17 Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Things got out of hand late in the game, as Seattle scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. One of those scores came from an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-kaleb-johnson-seahawks-td-kickoff-rule-mixup">errant mistake from rookie Kaleb Johnson</a>, who let the kickoff roll past him into the end zone. Head coach Mike Tomlin called out Johnson for his mistake after the game.</p><p>It appeared that the 22-year-old running back <a href="https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1967308450465235193" rel="noopener">forgot the NFL’s kickoff rules</a>, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Johnson let the ball roll past him into the endzone and didn’t realize he needed to at least jump on the ball to maintain possession. The Seahawks scored a wild touchdown on the play.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oh no. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Steelers</a> rookie RB Kaleb Johnson appeared unaware of the new kickoff rules — and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Seahawks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Seahawks</a> took full advantage.</p><p>Result: an absolute gift of a TD.<a href="https://t.co/fePBAHKjnf">pic.twitter.com/fePBAHKjnf</a></p><p>— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1967308450465235193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>During the postgame press conference, Tomlin was asked about Johnson’s mistake. First, the 19-year head coach said the blunder was poor judgment on Johnson’s part. Mike Tomlin then followed that up, claiming that the Steelers <a href="https://x.com/bepryor/status/1967331266690506778" rel="noopener">practice that specific scenario</a> all the time, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN.</p><p>“Is that specific kickoff return scenario something they work on in practice? Tomlin: ‘Every day of our lives.'”</p><p>That’s not a great look for the former Iowa Hawkeyes running back. This might be something <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-pittsburghs-defense-something-awful-never-seen-mike-tomlin-era">Mike Tomlin and the Steelers</a> address in the next practice as the team prepares for a Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots.</p><p>Johnson has been on kickoff duty so far to begin his career after being picked in the third round of the NFL Draft. Many believe he has the talent to be a starting-caliber running back in the NFL. But for now, he remains the backup behind Jaylen Warren. Kaleb Johnson ended his collegiate career with 2,779 and 32 total touchdowns. His 1,537 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns in his final season both led the Big Ten.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin calls out Kaleb Johnson for kickoff disaster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-kaleb-johnson-seahawks-td-kickoff-rule-mixup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson gifts a Seahawks TD with kickoff rule mixup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Kaleb-Johnson.jpg"><figcaption>Allison Lawhon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson gifts a Seahawks TD with kickoff rule mixup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-14T13:38:39-07:00">September 14th, 1:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-14T13:38:39-07:00">September 14th, 1:38pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-aaron-rodgers-ties-brett-favre-all-time-td-list">Pittsburgh Steelers were looking to improve to 2-0</a> on Sunday with a win over the Seattle Seahawks, but they were unable to come out on top of another wild game. The Seahawks trailed 14-7 into the second half, but they exploded for 24 late points on their way to a 31-17 win on the road.</p><p>After Seattle took a 17-14 lead on a field goal by Jason Myers, Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson had a moment that he would like to soon forget. He tried to take the ensuing kickoff off the bounce, but ended up letting it roll into the end zone without knowing that the ball was live after landing in the landing zone. The Seahawks <a href="https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1967308450465235193" rel="noopener">recovered it for the easiest touchdown</a> you’ll see all year.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oh no. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Steelers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Steelers</a> rookie RB Kaleb Johnson appeared unaware of the new kickoff rules — and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Seahawks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Seahawks</a> took full advantage.</p><p>Result: an absolute gift of a TD.<a href="https://t.co/fePBAHKjnf">pic.twitter.com/fePBAHKjnf</a></p><p>— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1967308450465235193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That touchdown completely changed the game, making it 24-14 Seattle and putting the Seahawks up by two scores for the first time in the game. Pittsburgh quickly cut through lead down to seven, but a Kenneth Walker touchdown run put Seattle comfortably in front and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/steelers-news-pittsburghs-defense-something-awful-never-seen-mike-tomlin-era">Steelers were not able to rally</a>.</p><p>This is certainly a learning experience for Johnson, who will be sure to not make the same mistake again moving forward in his young career. In college, any ball that bounces in the end zone is immediately a touchback, so it’s understandable where the mixup came from.</p><p>Still, it is a mistake that most likely cost the Steelers a chance to win the game and drops them to 1-1 on the season. The Baltimore Ravens got back in the win column to get to 1-1 on the season, and the Cincinnati Bengals staged a dramatic comeback to get to 2-0 on the year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/bengals-news-joe-burrow-goes-down-ankle-injury-taking-sack">even without Joe Burrow</a>.</p><p>Now, a Steelers team that had great vibes around it after such a strong debut for Aaron Rodgers now will feel like it let one get away in Week 2. They will have a chance to collect themselves and get back on track next Sunday on the road against the New England Patriots.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
RUSHING YDS	RECEPTIONS	RECEIVING YDS	TOTAL TDS	POSITION RANK
69	0	9	0	-

2025 SEASON STATS
RUSHING YDS	RECEPTIONS	RECEIVING YDS	TOTAL TDS	POSITION RANK
69	0	9	0	-

Kaleb Johnson

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Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson gifts a Seahawks TD with kickoff rule mixup

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