There is cornerback swag. There is wide receiver swag. But nothing is better than kicker swag. That position is all about confidence, as mental as any position in sports, and Pittsburgh Steelers K Chris Boswell has all of it when he’s kicking in Cincinnati. Sunday was another perfect day, connecting on all three of his field goals, points Pittsburgh needed in a 16-10 win over the Bengals.
On the latest episode of Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast (that mostly talks about football), Heyward shared Boswell’s thoughts from yesterday’s performance.
“One thing on Boz,” Heyward said. “He kicked the field goal and he hates Cincinnati’s field. Just because that turf is some of the worst turf in the league. But he was like, ‘this is my field. I do own this field.’ So Boz took control and made the field goals when we needed them most.”
As we wrote about in today’s Stats of the Weird, Boswell kicks better against Cincinnati than anyone else in the NFL. Including playoffs, Boswell is 43-of-45 against the Bengals. His 95.6 field goal percentage against them is ten points higher than all other opponents.
Specifically in Cincinnati and their terrible turf field, Boswell is even better. In nine games, again including playoffs, he is 27-of-28, 96.4 percent. His only miss? A 55-yarder in Week One’s opener last season in overtime, doinking off the left upright. He atoned by hitting the game-winner from 53 yards out as time expired.
If there’s a Steelers’ offensive MVP, it might be Boswell. Sorry, Jaylen Warren. But Boswell has put points on the board when Pittsburgh’s offense has fizzled out. On the year, he’s made 21-of-22 kicks, his only miss from 61 yards at halftime against Jacksonville after a controversial penalty wiped out his 56-yard make. He’s having a fantastic year and is only overshadowed by playing in the same division as Justin Tucker, who had an uncharacteristic miss from 44 yards last night.
With a rejuvenated offense, hopefully Boswell’s foot is needed for more extra points than field goals. But he’s been as money as any kicker in football this year. Perhaps thank Danny Smith’s new program for that. Maybe thank the kicking Gods, fickle as they can sometimes be. But definitely thank Cincinnati, Boswell’s home away from home.
Check out the full episode of Heyward’s podcast below.
