It’s no surprise that a Danny Smith-led unit is one of the best in the NFL, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are winning games thanks to their kickoff unit. The Steelers rank third in EPA (estimated points added) on kickoffs at 0.8, per data from The Athletic, behind the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.
While The Athletic article largely focuses on Seattle and Carolina, it’s notable that the Steelers have been among one of the best kickoff teams in the league. While their average opponent starting field position of 28.4 ranks fifth in the league, the Steelers generated a key turnover off a kickoff in Week 1 against the New York Jets, while they also took advantage of a penalty to smartly kick the ball out of bounds and start the Colts at their own 25-yard line in Week 9.