Mike Tomlin Had Blunt Explanation for Steeler Rookie's Costly Kickoff Mistake

Seattle was able to capitalize on the gaffe for a touchdown.

Tomlin spoke with the media following Pittsburgh's 31-17 loss to Seattle. / Pittsburgh Steeler

The second half of the Steelers' 31-17 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday didn't look great for a lot of reasons, but rookie returner/RB Kaleb Johnson's costly gaffe during a fourth-quarter kickoff was probably the most obvious reason of them all.

After a successful field goal for a 17-14 lead, the Seahawks kicked off to Johnson, who touched and lost control of the ball as it bounced and rolled into the end zone. But the Seahawks then wisely pounced on the opportunity (literally) and recovered the ball for a touchdown as Johnson, having given up on the play, looked otherwise unperturbed.

Now, it seemed an obvious mistake on the rookie's part—not an intentional shirking of responsibilities or something—but that doesn't take away from the fact that the Seahawks were able to extend their lead as a result of his error.

Speaking after the game, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin didn't spend much airtime addressing the gaffe, but instead succinctly and simply explained it away as a matter of inexperience.

"Poor judgment by a young player," Tomlin said.

His answer to the next question—does the team work on kickoff, the rules of which changed over the offseason, in practice?—was similarly blunt: "Every day of our lives."

Watch that below starting at 1:03:

Coach Tomlin speaks to the media. @Acrisure pic.twitter.com/trKsUCNreq

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 14, 2025

Johnson is probably kicking himself enough for the mistake; it's kind enough of Tomlin, even if we can assume he is extremely upset behind closed doors, to refrain from bashing the rookie in public. In any case, there is no way Johnson makes that mistake ever again or in Week 3, when the Steelers travel to meet the Patriots on Sept. 21.

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