After two touchdowns wiped out by penalties and review, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally found the end zone in an unconventional way. WR Calvin Austin III returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter Monday night against the New York Giants.
Fielding the punt at his 27, he ran across the field, turned up the left sideline, weaved through a few defenders, and sprinted his way into the end zone for the splash score. After Chris Boswell’s extra point, Pittsburgh grabbed a 16-9 lead.
It was the Steelers’ first punt-return touchdown since Diontae Johnson ran one back 85 yards in 2019, his rookie year, against the Arizona Cardinals. It marked only the sixth regular-season punt-return touchdown by the Steelers in the Mike Tomlin era, 2007 to present.
This was Calvin Austin’s first punt-return touchdown of his NFL career. He had two in college at Memphis, his last a wacky and heads-up play against Mississippi State after the punt team incorrectly assumed the ball was downed.
Austin showed the 4.3 speed that got him selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He came into the year averaging 9.5 yards on 14 punt returns, a solid number with a couple big returns negated by penalty. Here, there would be no flag, though some Giants fans will question if OLB Jeremiah Moon should’ve been flagged for his contact with New York punter Matt Haack.
It’s yet another splash play for Danny Smith’s unit. They’ve blocked a kick or field goal the previous three games and now open up tonight’s game with a long punt-return score. The Steelers’ offense has moved the ball well this game but struggled to finish drives, 0-3 in the red zone tonight.
UPDATE (10:37 PM): Austin is now responsible for the Steelers’ first offensive score of the night, catching a 29-yard touchdown from QB Russell Wilson early in the fourth quarter.
