The Pittsburgh Steelers have Chris Boswell, the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, but they know whom they are facing in the Dallas Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey. The second-year kicker has been nothing short of phenomenal with a 94.1-percent average and an incredible range. He is 16-for-17 from 50-plus yards for his career, with three makes from 60-plus. He hit a 65-yarder earlier this year against the Baltimore Ravens, who have arguably the greatest kicker of all time in Justin Tucker.
While Tucker is going through a slump, every single team in the league has to respect him and his range. He owns the NFL record with a 66-yard field goal from a few years ago. And Cameron Heyward knows the Steelers need to treat him with similar respect.
“They got the best kicker in the game—or one of the best kickers in the game”, Heyward said of Aubrey on his Not Just Football podcast—briefly forgetting he is teammates with Chris Boswell, apparently. The Steelers kicker 11-for-12 so far this year, his only miss from 60-plus.
Aubrey already has six field goals of 50-plus yards this season, including two from 60-plus. Teams naturally see that and understand that you have to play the Cowboys a certain way. Heyward acknowledged as much with the Steelers’ defensive approach in their upcoming game.
“Very similar to the Justin Tucker rules in years past. You’ve got to get off the field quick, because he’ll make you pay, and they’re willing to go deep with it”, Heyward said about the Steelers accounting for Brandon Aubrey.
A team will kick a 65-yard field goal from about the opposing 48-yard line, so you really can’t let a team with a big-legged kicker cross midfield. The Cowboys are clearly willing to unleash Aubrey, who is the only kicker in the NFL with three-plus attempts of 60-plus since 2023. The Steelers have allowed Boswell to attempt two, but he has missed both, including one this season. He doesn’t have any longer than 59 in his career thus far.
“Multiple over 60. That’s gonna be a challenge for us”, Heyward said of the Steelers facing the Cowboys and Aubrey. “But we like to think we have a great kicker as well. It’s gonna be a battle between our kickers, our offenses, our defenses, and should make for a great show”.
Brandon Aubrey and Chris Boswell rank second and fourth this season, respectively, in field goal percentage among those with at least 10 attempts. They also rank first and third, respectively, in makes from 50-plus yards. Although Boswell doesn’t quite have Aubrey’s range, the Steelers and Cowboys have as good as it gets for kickers today.
But neither team hopes to see their kickers for anything but kickoffs and extra points, which is always true. Yet Aubrey is tied for first in scoring in the NFL for the Cowboys, Boswell third for the Steelers with 39. You may never want to kick a field goal, but you’re sure glad you have a great kicker for when you need to.
