Following a rough 2018 season, Chris Boswell joined an elite group in 2019

During the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season, there were many pleasant surprises as well as disappointing shortcomings. When it came to the Steelers kicking game, many hoped that if only Chris Boswell returned to his 2017 form, it could make the difference in some games which were lost last season. While Boswell was not called on to kick any game-winning field goals inside of two minutes in 2019, his overall performance on the season could definitely be considered in the “clutch” category.

One particular statistic where Boswell stood out was he was the only kicker in the regular season of 2019 who had a 100% conversion rate on extra points and was over 90% in field-goal accuracy. Finishing at 93.5% in field goals, Boswell only missed two kicks on the season. Boswell was 28 of 28 on extra point attempts and 29 of 31 kicking field goals.

Boswell’s first miss of the season came in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field where he was unable to connect from 54 yards. The other miss was from 44 yards in Week 11 at Cleveland which was due more to a faulty hold than a problem with the kick.

Boswell is the first NFL kicker who served as their teams place kicker in at least six games during the season with a perfect extra point percentage and over a 90% field-goal kicking rate since 2017. In all, only five players have managed to reach these milestones since the point after try was moved from the 2 yard line to the 15 yard line in 2015. The other kickers who also reached this milestones were Harrison Butker (2017), Justin Tucker (2016 and 2017), Dan Bailey (2015), and Stephen Gostkowski (2015).

When it comes to strictly the Steelers franchise, Boswell is only the fourth player with a 100% extra point percentage at over a 90% field-goal percentage. The only other players to fall in this category were Gary Anderson (1993), Jeff Reed (2007), and Shaun Suisham (2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014). The same four kickers for the Steelers are also the only players to have and 90% or greater field-goal percentage on the season of any kicker who attempted at least five field goals in the season.

After experiencing less than 90% on extra points and 65% on field goals in 2018, it was a welcome sight to see Chris Boswell back to his 2017 form which earned him a Pro Bowl selection two seasons ago. Hopefully Boswell can continue his success for the Steelers for 2020 and beyond.