Steelers' Mike Tomlin Astounded By Chris Boswell's Unique Talent

In Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to do something few people thought they would: beat the Atlanta Falcons on the road at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Steelers were four-point underdogs heading into this game. Concern over their ability to succeed was only compounded by the fact that, just before the game started, starting quarterback Russell Wilson was ruled out with a lingering calf injury.

Back-up quarterback Justin Fields and new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith got off to a bit of a rocky start. But like so many Steelers offenses before, Chris Boswell was there to help bail them out. Boswell went 6/6 on his field goals Sunday and did something no other Black and Gold kicker has done: making three field goals of 50+ yards in a single game.



He also broke his own record , according to Brooke Pryor, as the first kicker to make at least five kicks of 40+ yards in a game since he did that in 2016. Chris Boswell is the 1st Steelers kicker to make 3 field goals of 50+ yards in a game in franchise history, per @ESPNStatsInfo The Steelers beat the Falcons 18-10 with their six field goals. Pryor also pointed out that this is the third game Pittsburgh has won under Head Coach Mike Tomlin without scoring a touchdown.

The other two were the 3-0 win in 2007 over the Miami Dolphins and the 2008 11-0 win over the San Diego Chargers. Boswell's major contribution was not lost on Tomlin, who sang his praises at his postgame press conference. "Can't say enough about Bos.

Not only in terms of him kicking the ball, but that punt was timely," Tomlin said with admiration. The offense's struggle to score touchdowns Sunday wasn't the only bad news. In a game riddled with questionable officiating, punter Cameron Johnston was injured .

It appeared to be obvious roughing the kicker, but the officials shockingly threw a flag against Pittsburgh. Since teams do not generally carry backup punters, this meant that someone else had to help—that someone was Boswell. While not part of his normal duties, the 11-year former Pro Bowler managed to bang out a solid 43-yard punt.

Boswell wasn't the only player who had to step up. Tomlin also pointed out that wide receiver Scotty Miller had to be the replacement holder for that punt since Boswell usually does that, and he was kicking. During his 10 seasons in Pittsburgh , Boswell has been steady, consistent, and reliable.

He has played in 133 games and has kicked 231 out of 265 attempted field goals. His average is 38 yards, but he has made 30 out of 37 attempted kicks over 50 yards and 73 out of 79 kicks between 40 and 49 yards. He is nearly as reliable with extra points, having made 276 out of 306 attempts.

Steelers' Arthur Smith Got His Revenge Smith and Fields could not pull off a high-scoring shootout against the Falcons as they probably hoped. However, a win is a win, and Smith was able to return to the team that fired him at the end of the 2023 season and get that monkey off his back. After successfully turning around the Tennessee Titans offense as their coordinator, the Falcons hired Smith to take over the team.

However, much like Fields' situation with the Chicago Bears, the deck was stacked against him. The Falcons quarterback wasn't playing well, and their then-rookie running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts couldn't do it all. When he came to the Steel City, Smith was reunited with a few players from his past in Atlanta: Miller, Cordarrelle Patterson, Van Jefferson, and MyCole Pruitt.

Both Patterson and Jefferson recently sang Smith's praises. They also said they see their old coach as more relaxed and having fun in Pittsburgh. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.

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