Boswell Helps Extend Steelers Lead in AFC North

by Bo Marchionte
Published November 17, 2024, 06:37 PM

Pittsburgh, PA – The Ravens’ defense did its job, keeping the Pittsburgh Steelers out of the end zone all afternoon. But it wasn’t enough to stop Chris Boswell, whose six field goals proved to be the difference in Pittsburgh’s 18-16 victory at Acrisure Stadium.

Boswell’s flawless performance not only secured the Steelers’ ninth consecutive home win against Baltimore but also vaulted Pittsburgh to the top of the AFC North standings.

“To have a bigtime kicker like Bos (Chris Boswell),” Russell Wilson said after his fourth straight win as the Steelers starting quarterback. “I mean, those are the type of championship moments you have to have.”

The Steelers relied on defense and the steady leg of Boswell to claim a gritty victory. The win, secured entirely through Boswell’s six field goals, propelled the Steelers to first place in the AFC North and extended their home winning streak against the Ravens to nine games.

Boswell was the hero of the afternoon, going 6-for-6 on field goals, including a clutch 57-yarder in the third quarter. Boswell’s accuracy and range proved invaluable as the Steelers’ offense struggled to find the end zone against Baltimore’s defense. 

His 18-point performance tied his career-high for field goals in a single game and served as a testament to his reliability in high-pressure situations.

“I feel like I’m hitting the ball well,” Boswell calmly said postgame. “Kudos to the O line and Corliss (Waitman) and Christian (Kuntz) and everybody doing their job well.”

After the game, Boswell, as calm as ever, dismissed any notion of added pressure in such a high-stakes rivalry matchup. 

“Rivalry games don’t change kicking,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging off the weight of the moment like it was just another day at the office. ”No matter whomever (He’s playing), it’s my job to put it in.”

True to form, this Steelers-Ravens clash was a low-scoring battle defined by defense and special teams. Baltimore’s inability to score more than 20 points in Pittsburgh continued—a streak dating back to 2020.

On the game’s opening play, Derrick Henry fumbled, and the Steelers recovered deep in Ravens territory. It sorts of set the tone early on how the game would evolve. The first of Boswell’s six kicks would come off the Henry fumble and set in motion a AFC Special Teams Player of the Week type performance for the 11-year veteran. 

Baltimore never found a rhythm. Time and time again, penalties and miscues halted the attempts to create a momentum reminiscent of the No. 1 scoring offense in the league entering the game against the Steelers. 

Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker missed two early field goals, from 45 and 50 yards, keeping Baltimore from gaining momentum in the first quarter. That snowballed into a game the Ravens will reflect back on and know that execution and attention to detail cost them in the end. 

After Derrick Henry’s four-yard touchdown run gave Baltimore a brief lead, Isaiah Likely fumbled in the final minute of the first half. Boswell capitalized with his third field goal, sending the Steelers into halftime up 9-7.

“It was a tough, hard-fought game,” Mike Tomlin said. “It always is.”

Pittsburgh opened the second half and extended their lead with guess what? Another Boswell kick. He opened the third quarter with a booming 57-yard field goal, pushing the Steelers’ lead to 12-7.

The Steelers moved the football inside Ravens’ territory with a Wilson connection to George Pickens for a 37-yard gain, setting up another Boswell field goal to make it 15-10 late in the third quarter. Another three points would be added with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter to give Pittsburgh an 18-10 lead. 

Then with under two minutes to play, the Ravens’ final drive, Lamar Jackson displayed flashes of his dual-threat brilliance, with a nine play 69-yard drive ending with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers.

Jackson finished 207 passing yards and 70 of it came on the Raven’s final drive. Trailing 18-16, Baltimore needed to convert the two–point conversion to tie the game and leave the unrealistic possibility of winning any other way behind. 

Taking the snap, Jackson ran to his left. Searching for an area to slice the Steelers defense but Pittsburgh had it read and kept him from turning up field and eventually stumbled to his feet as he tossed the ball in the air to avoid the would-be sack. 

“We just understood, everybody do your job,” former Ravens’ linebacker Patrick Queen said postgame. “We’re just going to go out there and make a play.”

However, Pittsburgh’s defense held strong on the ensuing drive, preventing any chance of a game-winning score.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com