Pittsburgh Steelers K Chris Boswell was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September. And also October. Could he make it three in a row? No. Despite having another strong month, Boswell wasn’t selected as the Player of the Month for November, missing out on a rare and perhaps the only opportunity he’ll have to join an exclusive club.
November’s AFC Special Teams Player of the Month went to Miami Dolphins K Jason Sanders. It’s hard to fault the selection. He made all 23 of his kicks last month, 13 extra points and 10 field goals. Three of the latter came from long distance.
By comparison, Boswell went 8-for-9 on field goals, his only miss from 58 yards in windy Cleveland while making five extra points. Boswell had a heck of a day during the month to beat the Baltimore Ravens, making six field goals and accounting for all of the team’s points in an 18-16 win, but there wasn’t enough volume in the other games to run up his stats. He didn’t have to attempt a field goal in the Steelers’ Week 10 win over the Washington Commanders and went 2-for-3 against the Cleveland Browns.
Pittsburgh’s Week 9 bye meant Boswell only played in three games during the month. Meanwhile, Sanders played in five November games.
Had Boswell been selected again, he would’ve been only the second player in history to be named Special Teams Player of the Month three-straight times in a season. Indianapolis Colts K Mike Vanderjagt remains the only one in that club, the winner in October, November, and December 2003.
Still, Boswell being chosen in back-to-back months is an uncommon accomplishment. Across either conference, it’s only been done twice. Los Angeles Rams K Greg Zuerlein did so in October and November 2017 while Sanders himself was picked in October and November 2020.
Now, Sanders and Boswell, along with the rest of the AFC, will battle to be the final one chosen for December. Boswell went 3-of-4 against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, his only miss due to a block. Because Sanders’ Dolphins played on Thanksgiving, he’s yet to kick in a December game.
While Boswell has missed out on tying this record, he could set another. He remains on pace to break David Akers’ record for most field goals (44) in a season. Boswell has 34 through 12 games and is on pace to finish the year with 48. Boswell also leads the NFL in scoring with 128 points. If he’s still in first by year’s end, he’ll be the first Steeler to ever accomplish that feat.
