PITTSBURGH — The Steelers certainly squeaked out of a win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. However, none of it could have been done without the help of kicker Chris Boswell. Boswell was missed in the second half of the game last week at Cleveland, but the Steelers managed to persevere through it all in spite of that fact.
Still, while Boswell’s big game put the Steelers over the top, Cam Heyward says that the Steelers’ confidence only increases in Boswell over time. Not only that, but they openly compare Boswell to Justin Tucker in the locker room as a way to motivate the kicker.
“Boz is a serial killer. He’s too calm in some situations,” Heyward said. “I love Boz’s demeanor. The moment is never too big for him. I know everyone talks about the guy up in Baltimore, he’s a great kicker. Boz is a great kicker as well. We always tease him they are 1A and 1B. Boz has to prove that he is 1B. Lotta games are left to be played. I can’t say enough about Boz’s play.”
For Boswell, it is hard to not focus on his 2018 season as a moment of perseverance where it was needed. In fact, Boswell’s ability to overcome what was a disastrous season is what he says allows him to put every kick in perspective, even the ones that are clearly for the game.
“Honestly, I just think of it as another kick,” Boswell said. “Every kick is make or break for me. I’ve been down that road before. No matter if it’s the PAT or another field goal, I have to make the kick. Any kick could be a game-winner. That’s what allows me to stay calm and kick the game-winning kick at the end of the game.”
Notoriously, Heinz Field’s open end can be hard to kick into. For Boswell, it is nothing more than pride and something that he wants to do consistently because he feels confident doing it at a high level.
“There was a good breeze in the middle of the field in that direction,” Boswell said. “That’s why Cairo (Santos) chose to go that way in the third quarter. A kick is a kick. There is gonna be wind in every stadium unless it’s a dome. You have to adjust and get it through.”
Boswell’s obviously calm attitude towards any kick he can possibly have is what makes him such a dangerous kicker to truly go up against.