Chris Boswell didn’t just kick another game-winner for the Steelers; he made franchise history with his and their first 60-yarder. While it might feel such kicks have become commonplace, they’re still somewhat rare and were once almost unheard of. Teams are attempting them more than ever, but kickers are also better than ever before.
So with Boswell making Steelers history, let’s give the 60-yard field goal some historical context. Dating back to 1960, there have been 201 60-yard field goal attempts in the regular season in NFL history. In a growing pattern, 141 have come since 2000—115 since 2010, and 57 since 2020. Just last season, the NFL attempted 14 60-plus-yard field goals, the most (tied with 2022) in NFL history.
Despite its seeming ubiquity, however, 10 teams entered the 2025 season without a successful attempt. Chris Boswell crossed the Steelers off that list, leaving nine franchises yet to unlock that achievement. This was Boswell’s third-ever attempt from 60-plus yards, missing from 62 last year. The Steelers only had one attempt from 60 yards or more before, a miss by Jeff Reed from 65.
Justin Tucker is the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, but despite nine attempts from 60-plus yards, he only ever made two. He is one of four kickers to attempt nine such field goals, and none had much success. Sebastian Janikowski made two (and has the longest attempt in NFL history at 76 yards), while Brandon McManus made one. Greg Zuerlein is 3-for-9, but doesn’t own the record for the most makes.
While Boswell just gave the Steelers their first 60-yard field goal, the Cowboys have a whopping seven. Current kicker Brandon Aubrey is already 3-for-5, but Brett Maher owned that distance. He is the only kicker with 4, going 4-for-4 in his career. The only other kicker with three or more is Matt Prater, who is 3-for-5.
Historically, the NFL has only made 42 of 201 60-yard field goal attempts, or 20.9 percent. Between 1960 and 2005, kickers only made 4 of 72 attempts (5.6 percent). Over the past two decades, kickers are 38-for-128 (29.7 percent). After Chris Boswell and his generation mastered the 50-yard range, 60 is the new frontier.
Through Week 1, Boswell is the only kicker with a 60-yard field goal thus far, which is hardly surprising. Despite the rise in attempts and success, it’s still fairly uncommon. Of the 14 attempts last season, for example, only four actually connected. The NFL record is six collectively, achieved in 2022. But nobody else has yet attempted a 60-yard field goal, even if there have been four makes from at least 58 yards out.
So there you have it. Chris Boswell’s 60-yard field goal is hardly historical for the NFL, even if it is for the Steelers. Even still, it remains a somewhat rare feat, falling somewhere between a perfect game and a 450-foot homerun. Not bad, and I’m sure that’s not the last time we’ll see Boswell line up from that distance this year.
