The Pittsburgh Steelers might choose to change how they handle a kickoff return. This follows a rookie Kaleb Johnson’s meltdown that almost cost Dallas a victory in their last game against the Seattle Seahawks. In the final quarter, Johnson committed an even more punishing blunder. He allowed a kickoff from Seahawks kicker Jason Myers to bounce over his head and into the end zone, resulting in a touchdown when Seahawks backup George Holani fell on the recovery. Due to this blunder, Johnson’s future as a returner heading into Week 3 is now up in the air. Head coach Mike Tomlin has called that “questionable, at best.”
Johnson’s spoken admonition is just as important, and he took ownership of his mistake after the game. “I just made a mistake. Got to stick to it, move on, and just continue to get better every day,” he stated.
Tomlin wouldn’t announce who would replace Johnson should he be unavailable this week. Perhaps the best chance would be Roman Wilson, who has experience as a kick returner at Michigan. The Steelers aren’t the only team with a tough juggling act to perform as they prepare for their Week 2 game. Next up on their schedule are the New England Patriots.
Yet the Steelers’ defense had its own issues on Thursday Night Football versus Seattle. Tomlin noted that the team’s defensive unit “wore down some, particularly as the game went on.” He said it was hard to tell, but the team definitely “felt the effects” of having to play shorthanded, subbing in offensive linemen and such. Alex Highsmith and Isaiahh Loudermilk will both miss the next match with ankle sprains. In the meantime, both Derrick Harmon and DeShon Elliott are nursing injuries, and their status is one to watch closely.
Our O-line got a bit shaky at different times throughout the game. I mean, I thought we felt the impact of that, Tomlin said. He accepted that the team was limited in what they could do defensively. Plenty of young players in new places Aside from all the new blood at QB, allowing for a massively different AFC this season, Kiyoshi Suene—”Certainly we were somewhat limited with some of the schematics that we would like to deploy,” he added.
The Steelers and their fans are looking forward to primetime on Sunday night in New England. They need to change their scheme on kickoff return and quickly ramp up the talent level on defense. Owning the mistake, Tomlin said, is extremely important as they come back and look ahead to four more games in this 2023 season. “You’ve got to man up, you’ve got to acknowledge your shortcomings, and then you’ve got to work to move beyond it,” he advised.
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