It's time to give some credit to Chris Boswell, the second-year kicker from Rice who tried out for the Pittsburgh Steelers on the fourth weekend of the NFL season. Josh Scobee had just missed two crucial kicks in the final minutes against Baltimore. He was cut. The Steelers needed a fourth kicker in two months after injuries to Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley.
Boswell was such an unknown that projecting what to expect from him was impossible. You wouldn't have blamed the Steelers if they expected more struggles. That's just the way the year was going on the kicking front.
Boswell shattered all expectations. He's become one of the most accurate kickers in the league, making 24 of 26 field goals. He poured 15 points on the Bengals last week. He's been terrific, to the point the Steelers wouldn't hesitate trotting him out for any pressure-moment kick under 50 yards, which seems to be a safe range for him.
Boswell has a calm demeanor that seems to work for him. His mentality when kicking?
"Get touchbacks and put the ball through the pipes," he told me in October.
No need to change that plan. It's working.
