PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The best kicker in the game last year and one of the best over the last seven years, there have been some misses along with the big kicks for Chris Boswell this season. What he said about the missed extra point Sunday, the year as a whole and his brief conversation with the Ravens kicker.
Extra point
It could have been the difference in the game on Sunday, Boswell missed an extra point on the go-ahead touchdown with 55 seconds to play giving the Steelers a two-point lead and making the Ravens attempt a game-winner.
The NFL has ruled it a block, Boswell is not so sure.
“How I hit it felt really good, obviously it took the path that it did,” Boswell said Friday. “They are calling it a tip. You can’t tell on film whether it’s tipped or whether it’s just a shanked kick. At the end of the day, whether it’s a block or not, it’s on me. I got to put it in and move past it.”
While he was talking to reporters, Cam Heyward, who has been a fixture on field goal and extra point units his whole career, threw this out.
“We need to block better, don’t worry about that (crap),” Heyward said.
Season
On the year Boswell is 27 of 32, that 84% is the lowest he’s had in five of the last six years. Last season he made an NFL best 41 field goals. He missed a short kick late in Detroit, which could have cost the Steelers that game.
“I’m always confident in everything,” Boswell said. “I’m on the bad end of some kicks right now. 11 years into it, I’m going to be on the bad end of some kicks. That never waivers in my confidence in myself or the snap or hold or anything. Some go in and some don’t. Obviously, you feel down about the ones that don’t but you have to move on to the next one.”
Boswell said he’s been good about not riding the highest and lows. The 34-year-old feels like he’s hitting the ball really well.
“Some of them are going in, some aren’t,” Boswell said. “There are definitely some weird kicks that are happening this year, but it’s just part of the game. Everyone goes through it, just move on.”
Veteran advice
As the players were leaving the field Sunday after the Ravens game, Boswell made it a point to jog over to Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop after he missed the kick that would have sent the Ravens into the playoffs.
“I’ve been in every situation in this league possible,” Boswell said. “Good, bad, we fail and when we fail its in the public eye for everybody to see. I wanted to run over to him and let him know, a kick is a kick. You got to move past it and this is going to better him in the future.”
Boswell said there is always light at the end of the tunnel and he’s just got to move past this and focus on the next kick.
It’s the pep talk Boswell gives himself as well.