“The limit simply does not exist.” That’s not just a meme-able quote from Mean Girls but the philosophy Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith has when it comes to his kicker Chris Boswell on game-winning field goals. After making a career-long 60-yard field goal to beat the New York Jets last Sunday, Smith says there’s no distance he won’t ask Boswell to kick from with the game on the line.
“We will go from anywhere,” Smith said via Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly.
Pittsburgh has the utmost confidence in Boswell, who has proven to be the best kicker in football since at least last season. He’s been near-automatic from 50-plus yards, making over 83 percent for his career and nearly 88 percent over the past three seasons. Not only did Boswell hit from 60 to beat the Jets, he was true from 56 yards earlier in the game. His kicks weren’t just good but dead on, down the middle with room to spare.
The NFL tweaked rules this year to allow “K-Balls,” the footballs specifically used by kickers, to be prepared and broken in early on gameday instead of beginning shortly before kickoff under past rules. That means footballs can be “grooved” easier and travel farther distances, leading to Boswell’s kick from 60 to Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little’s make from 70 yards in the preseason.
Kickers are also simply getting better. Of the 42 makes from 60-plus yards in NFL history, nearly half of them (20) have occurred since 2020. Of the top 10 career leaders in field goal percentage, all but one – the Indianapolis Colts’ Mike Vanderjagt – have kicked in the 2020s.
Every kicker has an actual limit. Boswell is unlikely to pull a Sebastian Janikowski and attempt anything from 76 yards. But in a game-winning situation from even extreme distances, a Boswell kick is more likely than a Hail Mary or fourth-and-forever. If Pittsburgh has the choice between say, a 68 yarder in good weather with three seconds left to win it, bet on Boswell trotting out to try. And don’t be shocked if he makes it, though at this point, no one should be surprised by what he does with a swing of his leg.
