Making his first start as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers at outside linebacker, Jeremiah Moon made his biggest impact on special teams.
Moon raced home up the middle to block an AJ Cole punt early in the third quarter, giving the Steelers the football inside the Raiders’ 10-yard line.
In a low-scoring game in which special teams is key, the Steelers struck with the big play. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith schemed up the punt block, getting Moon free up the middle through the A-gap, allowing him to race home for the punt block, setting the Steelers’ offense up deep in Raiders’ territory.
Unfortunately, the Steelers couldn’t cash in with a touchdown, setting instead for another Chris Boswell field goal to take a 15-7 lead.
The punt block has been key for the Steelers during the Danny Smith era. After blocking three punts in 2023 against the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers struck with a punt block on Sunday afternoon, creating yet another huge splash play outside of the offense in the low-scoring game.
Moon came over from the Baltimore Ravens in January after the Steelers claimed him off waivers. During his time in Baltimore, Moon was a key special teams piece, which attracted the Steelers to him.
Moon was expected to be key outside linebacker depth, but then he spent the first four weeks of the season on Injured Reserve before returning in Week 5.
Against the Raiders, Moon was in the starting lineup defensively with the Steelers missing Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. While he wasn’t having much of an impact defensively, he showed up in a big way on special teams, potentially helping swing the game. for the Steelers.
