Chris Boswell has usually been the Steelers’ safety valve, the steady leg they can trust when everything else bogs down. Right now, though, that comfort blanket is fraying.
Pittsburgh’s 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football put plenty of problems on display. The offense couldn’t separate, Aaron Rodgers looked stiff in the pocket, and the defense still had issues holding up against the pass or getting enough pressure to compensate. But the newest concern is sitting in plain sight: Boswell, the long-time kicker, has not looked like himself through four games.
That’s a big deal for a team that has leaned on him for years. Boswell has built his reputation on dependability and range, and the numbers back that up. He has made 87.2% of his career field goal attempts in the NFL, and his career long is 60 yards.
When the Steelers’ offense stalls - something that has happened plenty since Boswell became the kicker in 2015 - they usually turn to the “Wizard of Boz.” This season, the magic hasn’t been there.
Through the first four games of the 2026 regular season, Boswell has gone 7-for-10 on field goals. The misses are especially troubling because they’re coming from the distances where he’s traditionally been at his best. Over his career, he has made 92 of 115 attempts from 40 to 49 yards and 53 of 66 tries from 50 yards or longer.
So far in 2026, he’s 3-for-6 on kicks beyond 40 yards. He has hit two of three from 40 to 49 yards and only one of three from 50-plus.
The raw point total is small - only nine points left on the board - but those misses have already mattered. Against Cleveland, a made 48-yard field goal in the second quarter would have made it 14-10 and sent the Steelers kicking off instead of handing the Browns better field position, which helped set up the next score.
Boswell isn’t the reason Pittsburgh lost that game by himself. The Week 4 defeat was the result of multiple failures across the roster. But the veteran kicker is no longer operating under the radar, and after four games, his struggles have become one more issue the Steelers have to fix.
In Other News...
Steelers Let A Young Starter Slip Away Over One Familiar Rule
Joey Porter Jr. had become one of the more intriguing young pieces on Pittsburghs defense, but contract talks never moved far enough to keep him in black and gold. The Steelers put a long-term extension on the table that averaged $28 million per year, yet the structure stopped short of guaranteeing money beyond the first year, a familiar line for a team that has long guarded itself against heavy long-term risk.
That approach eventually pushed Porter into a holdout and then out the door entirely, with Pittsburgh sending him to Dallas for a second-round pick and a conditional sixth-rounder. The Cowboys are expecting him to help once he gets past a back injury, while the Steelers are left to wonder whether staying loyal to one organizational rule cost them a young starter with real value. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Suddenly Have A Defensive Problem They May Need To Solve Fast
The Steelers defensive depth took a hit in Week 4, and it came in two different places at once. Derrick Harmon was carted off with a foot injury, while Jamel Dean was also slowed by an ankle issue and later seen in a walking boot, leaving Pittsburgh bracing for the possibility that both players could be sidelined for multiple weeks.
For a defense built on keeping pressure on opponents and surviving long stretches of the season, the timing is less than ideal. The staff is already weighing ways to cover Deans absence, with internal options and outside additions both on the table, and the next few days could shape how quickly the Steelers stabilize a unit that suddenly looks thinner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Tackle Panic May Be Missing The Bigger Long Term Story
The Steelers front has become an early talking point because the pass protection has been under real stress, with 13 sacks allowed through four games and a pressure rate that has left little room for comfort. Still, the line picture is not as simple as a weekly panic over the tackles, because Troy Fautanu has settled in at left tackle and shown steady improvement, giving Pittsburgh at least one spot where the trend line is moving the right way.
Max Iheanachors rookie season has been more uneven, but the first-round pick remains part of the long-term answer at right tackle even with some growing pains along the way. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, the bigger question may be whether the Steelers are looking at a temporary protection problem or a young tackle group that could matter more in the months ahead than it has in the early going. [Read more 🡒]