Fact. There’s never been a kicker in Pittsburgh Steelers history as good from 50-plus yards than Chris Boswell. And he’s arguably one of the NFL’s best-ever, too.
Boswell certainly gets plenty of practice in part due to his success. In Saturday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Boswell nailed another from that range, connecting from 50 yards out on the final play of the first half, putting Pittsburgh up 24-0 at the break.
It marked his 30th career field goal from at least 50 yards. For his career, he’s 81.1 percent from that distance, making him among the most accurate in league history. His usage from 50-plus has especially ramped up over the last three years as he’s shown the ability to be money from there (and as the Steelers’ offense has stalled).
Since 2021, Boswell has hit from 50 or more yards as much as any kicker in football. In fact, with his kick last night, he’s now tied for first in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals’ Evan McPherson, the kicker opposite of him Saturday, and the Arizona Cardinals’ Matt Prater, who hit from 55 this weekend. All three have 21. Here’s the top of the list.
Most Kicks From At Least 50 Yards 2021-Present
1. Chris Boswell/Steelers – 21
1. Evan McPherson/Bengals – 21
3. Matt Prater/Cardinals – 21
Boswell should win the tie with the others due to his better percentage from that range, 84 percent, versus McPherson’s 75 percent and Prater’s 77.7 mark. If you’re wondering, Justin Tucker has 16 of them and just one this season, going an ugly 1-for-5 on his attempts. Over his last two years, he’s barely above 50 percent (I don’t have exact data on distances and how many of those might’ve been blocked).
Crunching the numbers for an all-time stat would take some work but Boswell’s career mark of 81.1 percent is as strong as you’ll find. Of the 13 active kickers with at least 200 attempts, Boswell’s mark is easily No. 1. No other kicker even sits above 70 percent, much less 80 percent like him. In fairness, field goal percentages have steadily risen over time, but Boswell still bests all his peers.
Las Vegas’ Daniel Carlson has only been in the league for six seasons, not a long time by a kicker’s standard, but he’s as close as you’ll find of someone with a healthy sample size (186 career attempts). He’s made over 78 percent of his tries from 50 yards or more, 25 of 32, but a number that still falls shy of Boswell’s mark.
It’s easy to take Boswell’s production for granted. He’s been good for nearly his entire career, save for a miserable 2018 and iffy 2022, and it’s sorta just assumed he’ll put the ball through the uprights when he takes the field. But there are plenty of teams this year that don’t have a kicker they can trust or have a limiting range of low-50s that can impact in-game decisions. If Pittsburgh even gets the ball to its opponent’s 38, Boswell can strike (unless Mike Tomlin chooses to keep him off the field).
That’s a big advantage and creates more scoring opportunities than most other teams enjoy. Boswell doesn’t get talked about in the light of guys like Tucker and it’s true his range isn’t quite that bonkers, though maybe Pittsburgh should consider pushing those limits. But this year, kickers leaguewide (excluding Boswell) are under 70 percent from 50 or more yards. Boswell is more than 10 percent above the league average.
Boswell does what a kicker is ideally supposed to do. Quietly go about his business, make his kicks, and make things look so easy his success barely even registers. Even if he hasn’t been at it as long as Gary Anderson, it’s not a stretch to say Boswell is the greatest kicker in franchise history. That’s how he should be thought of.
