Steelers Hand Down Punishment to Caleb Johnson After Costly Kickoff Blunder
The ball seemed to sit in the end zone forever, but rookie Caleb Johnson acted quickly afterward. Still in pads and uniform, the Steelers’ third-round pick owned up to his mistake — a kickoff blunder that gifted Seattle a touchdown and changed the momentum at Acrisure Stadium.
“I just gotta get better every day, that’s all I have to say about this,” Johnson admitted. “I just have to go in there every day now and work my hardest even more, with a chip on my shoulder.”
The error came when Johnson misjudged a kickoff early in the fourth quarter. The ball took a strange bounce, slipped past his chest, and rolled back into the end zone. Instead of diving for it, Johnson hesitated, and the Seahawks recovered for six points. “If I wasn’t sure, if I was sure, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I still have to execute.”
Coach Mike Tomlin pulled him off return duties, calling it “poor judgment by a young player.” But rather than pile on, teammates chose empathy. Special teams captain Miles Killebrew explained: “No one’s harder on him than himself. As a team, we’ll go back, watch the film, and all of us will find plays we want back.”
Veteran safety Jabrill Peppers, who nearly chased down the play, connected with Johnson afterward. “I’ve been there,” Peppers recalled of a similar blunder in his career. “I came back, owned it in the media, and learned from it. I told him: You messed up, but move forward. You’re gonna help us.”
Johnson’s family, wearing his No. 20 jersey, witnessed his NFL home debut. While the mistake stung, Steelers teammates and coaches believe it can become a learning moment, not a defining one. As Peppers put it: “He’s a hell of a player. He’s gonna help us.”
WATCH: Rookie Caleb Johnson’s Kickoff Blunder Hands Seahawks a Free Touchdown
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