Seattle Seahawks
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
The Seahawks took advantage of knowing the rules in their 14-point win over the Steelers on Sunday
The Seattle Seahawks flipped their game Sunday by taking advantage of the new kickoff rules.
The Seahawks’ discussed how they executed a short kickoff to perfection and scored a touchdown that put them ahead by 10 points in the fourth quarter of their 31-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday.
George Holani was credited with a 0-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown — the shortest such TD in NFL history — after he landed on the loose ball in the end zone that was live after Pittsburgh returner Kaleb Johnson let it go.
The score, which came on the ensuing kickoff after Jason Myers’ tiebreaking 54-yard field goal, put the Seahawks up 24-14 with 12:46 left in regulation.
What Rule Change Did The Seahawks Take Advantage Of?
The NFL brought back dynamic kickoffs for the 2025 season — it debuted in 2024 — but tweaked things slightly to encourage more kickoff returns.
In the past, the ball would be dead if the receiving team gave up on it after it landed in the end zone. But under the dynamic kickoff rules, the ball now needs to be downed by the receiving team, a subtle tweak that made a huge difference for the Seahawks.
If Johnson had gone back and fallen on the ball to down it in the end zone, the Steelers drive would have started at the 20-yard line.
What Did The Seahawks Say About The Muffed Kickoff Return?
Myers’ boot landed at the Steelers 12-yard line then scooted past Johnson and died nine yards deep in the Steelers’ end zone, but the Seahawks knew to fall on the ball.
“We were just going to pick it up,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “Any ball on the ground we’re picking it up no matter the situation let it play out.”
No time came off the clock between Holani’s touchdown and Myers’ field goal, which means the Seahawks scored 10 points in zero seconds.
“That guy thought it was going out of bounds and it didn’t,” said Holani, according to the Associated Press. “It was a lucky roll, and I made the best of it.”
Macdonald acknowledged he and special-teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh schooled the Seahawks on the slightly adjusted rules — some said they went over it Friday night. But Macdonald also recognized Holani’s effort on that play.
“You’ve got to know the rules of the game and play by them better than everybody else,” Macdonald said. “I can’t tell you when exactly we talked about it, but it’s a heck of a play by George, understanding the situation and then staying inbounds and recovering it.
“George made heck of a play.”
Macdonald also credited Myers on landing the kickoff in the landing area while keeping it in away from Johnson to keep the ball from being caught and returned by the Steelers.
“It’s great, it’s tougher than it looks because the landing zone is, it’s easy to kick it short in the landing zone,” Macdonald said. “So if you’re going to kick it low you’ve got to be on your stuff and he’s on his stuff now.”