Most Pittsburgh Steelers fans by now understand the routine of their offense. Tons of talent. Tons of potential. Not nearly as much actuality as potentiality at the end of the day. Which is why it has been so valuable to have a kicker that has been as reliable as their third-year man, Chris Boswell.
In just 35 regular season games in his career, Boswell has already had five games in which he successfully hit on four or more field goals. Sunday’s game was obviously just the latest. In a 14-14 game last in the first half, his five field goals were the only scores for the rest of the game, including two late in the second quarter.
Boswell also connected on four of four field goal attempts back in week two of this season against the Vikings, and in both of those games provided more than half of the team’s total points even if you don’t factor in point-after attempts.
He only did it once during the regular season a year ago, but it was an impressive feat, as back in week 15 against the Bengals, he connected on six of six field goal attempts, providing 18 of the Steelers’ 24 points on his field goals alone. He only attempted at least four field goals one other time during that regular season, going three-for-five, missing from 42 yards and 52 yards.
In his first season back in 2015, he twice hit on four field goals in a game, having only attempted at least four field goals three times, in the third going three-for-four. He had four field goals in his second game of the year—the sixth of the season for the Steelers after they brought him in following the Josh Scobee fiasco—and also went four-for-four in a week 14 game against the Bengals.
Oh, and he’s done it twice in the postseason as well, going four-for-four in a game in 2015 and last year hitting six-for-six against the Chiefs in Kansas City. So that’s seven times in his career all-told, in 40 total games, in which he has hit at least four field goals in a game. And in each of those games, he didn’t miss.
Oh and they won all of them, too, by the way.
On the season, he has connected on 16 of 17 field goal attempts that were not blocked, with a long of 49 yards. If there is one ‘weakness’ to his game, of course, it is that he is not trusted to reliably kick field goals from beyond 50 yards. But Head Coach Mike Tomlin is not one who likes to attempt those very often in general.
It seems that Boswell has saved some special magic for the Bengals in particular, though. He is 21-for-21 in six career games, regular season and postseason, against them, in three of them connecting on at least four field goals. They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat; evidently, kicking a bunch of field goals is one of them.
