In the midst of the muck and the rain, the hopes and dreams, and the fight to live at least one more week, we witnessed one of the smartest plays by Danny Smith’s special teams unit.
Godwin Igwebuike, serving as the team’s kick returner, was able to earn his team an extra 15 yards in field position, and all it took was going out of bounds on purpose.
A kickoff that ends up out of bounds results in a 15-yard penalty. About 99% of the time, that flag gets thrown simply because the kick landed out of bounds. However, there is a loophole in this rule, one that Igwebuike recognized and performed flawlessly.
If the ball is touched by a player while the player is out of bounds, the penalty still applies, even if the ball itself was in bounds. Igwebuike extends his body, hilariously, and touches the ball with his feet out of bounds, earning the flag on Baltimore.
The play got the Steelers to the 40-yard line, a 15-yard distance that set them up in great field position with the game tied.
Unfortunately, the drive did not end in points. With mere seconds left in the quarter, the Steelers tried to run another play instead of taking their final timeout and trying a long Chris Boswell field goal.
On said play, quarterback Mason Rudolph gets the ball knocked out of his hands, which the Ravens recovered to end the half.
Even so, it was a savvy play by Igwebuike, who did the complete opposite of what former Steeler Gunner Olszewski did earlier in the season.
If you remember, all the way back in Week 2, Olszewski fielded a kick that was headed out of bounds. However, opposite of what Igwebuike did on the kick, Olszewski toe-tapped to stay in bounds instead. It was a horrible mental gaffe that cost the Steelers big time in field position.
Igwebuike has taken full control of the kick returner role for the Steelers. Signed off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, Igwebuike has become the full time kickoff returner for Pittsburgh, locking down the position well enough that the Steelers cut fellow running back/returner Anthony McFarland Jr.
Igwebuike benefitted from an injury that kept McFarland out for a decent chunk of the year, and the struggles of Gunner Olszewski, who was also cut earlier in the year.
The journeyman running back, who had the game of his life from the backfield against the Steelers in 2021, has carved out a role for himself on this team, and plays like that will go a long way in helping him secure a roster spot for the following season.
Igwebuike averaged 25.6 yards per return from the kickoff for the Steelers this year, which is the highest a kick returner has averaged since a rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster averaged 26.7 yards per return in 2017.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
Leave a comment