Pittsburgh Steelers K Chris Boswell is in the midst of another fantastic season. He’s 19-20 on field goals and perfect on extra points this season, having made six field goals from 50+ yards. During his preview ahead of the Steelers Week 8 matchup against the New York Giants, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden had a lot of praise for Boswell and said that if a game comes down to him, it’s over.
“They have Chris Boswell. This guy is as good as there is. I mean, if he’s not the best, he’s one of the best,” Gruden said. “Boswell’s one of those guys, when you’re playing against him, you try to ice him. You take a timeout before he kicks it to try and piss him off and distract him. Boswell ices you. That’s what he does. He’ll walk right over to me on the sidelines and say, ‘Are you nuts?!’ And he’ll put it right down the middle. This guy’s a freaking terminator, and if the game comes down to Boswell, it’s over.”
Boswell is a legitimate offensive weapon for the Steelers, as his range allows them to get points even if they aren’t all that deep in opponent territory. He scored every point for the Steelers in their Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, making six field goals, and he was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. He’s got a very real case to be considered the best kicker in football right now, and as Gruden said, he’s stone-cold in the clutch.
The only kick he’s missed this season was a 62-yard try at the end of the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Boswell is the difference for the Steelers in many games. It’s no coincidence that the Steelers have been so good in one-score games over the past few years because Boswell has been near-automatic outside of a dip in production during the 2019 season. He had some struggles in 2022 as well, but there’s a case to be made that Boswell has been Pittsburgh’s most consistent offensive weapon, and there’s no doubt he’s a key reason the Steelers are so good in close games.
While Monday’s game against the Giants would probably be a letdown if it came down to Boswell, his leg will be a serious factor for the Steelers when they get into their AFC North slate. Those games are always close, hard-fought battles, and Boswell can be the difference down the stretch for the Steelers as they look to make a playoff push.
