The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 8-8 with a Week 17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. It kept their playoff hopes alive, as they now need to win against the Cleveland Browns, along with some help from others in order to make it. Meanwhile, kicker Chris Boswell missed another kick on Sunday Night Football. While he did make three, his lone miss could have ended up costing the Steelers.
Of course, he spent some time on the IR with a groin injury. Perhaps Boswell is still recovering from that issue. He missed four games in total, while Matthew Wright replaced him in the meantime. Wright went 12-for-14 (85.7%) in those four contests, while making all seven of his extra-point attempts. Amidst Boswell’s recent struggles, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the Steelers may bring in some competition this off-season:
“They probably will [bring in competition]. He bounced back after his bad 2018. Maybe he can bounce back again,” Fittipaldo said. “But maybe he needs to be pushed too.”
Boswell earned his second lengthy contract extension with the team this past off-season. Like the last extension he signed though, he has followed the extension up with a poor season. In 2018, he made a career-low 65% (13-for-20) of his kicks, while also missing a career-high five extra-points. His most recent extension made him the second highest-paid kicker in the NFL, trailing just Justin Tucker of the Ravens.
In four games since returning from injury, Boswell is six-for-10 (60%) on his field goal attempts. Weather has factored into some of those misses, particularly in the Christmas Eve contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. He went two-for-four on that night, as the Steelers won by just three points. In such close contests, his misses may end up costing the team sooner rather than later.
He’s 18-for-26 (69.2%) on the season now, the second-lowest percentage of his career. Boswell has struggled on field goals between 40 and 49 yards, going just four-for-nine (44.4%) there. Actually, 19 of his 32 career FG misses have actually come from that range. It was also where he struggled the most in his 2018 season, as he went five-for-10 (50%) from that range.
Teams also carry at least two kickers for training camp, just to have an extra body available. This past training camp, it was Wake Forest product, Nick Sciba that provided some competition for Boswell. He could do the same in Latrobe in 2023, or the team could even bring Wright back if he’s not with a team. While there shouldn’t be long-term concern for Boswell quite yet, he needs to pick it up soon, or that $5 million/year contract may start to look a bit high.
Do you agree that the Steelers will bring in competition for Boswell in the off-season? Do you have worries/low confidence in him for the Week 18 contest against the Browns? If they do bring in competition, should it be Sciba, Wright, or someone else?
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