Difficult season continues for K Boswell
OAKLAND, Calif. — Chris Boswell is having one tough season.
The kicker made the Pro Bowl last season and earned a new $20 million contract after making 35 of 38 field goal attempts in 2017, four of them game-winners.
It’s not been so rosy this season, but Sunday topped them all. He missed wide from 39 yards on one attempt, and then slipped as he approached a 40-yard kick that would have tied the score on the last play of the game which the Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders, 24-21.
Boswell, who has missed five extra-point kicks, is 10 of 16 on field goal tries. It began in the opener when he missed a 42-yard field goal in the rain that would have beaten Cleveland, a game that ended in a tie. He also missed a field goal and extra point in a five-point loss to Kansas City.
Mike Tomlin has consistently backed Boswell through the misses, but came up short of that Sunday.
“It’s disappointing here today,’’ he said of Boswell’s performance against the Raiders. “That’s all I’m going to say on it.”
Boswell refused to talk about the field conditions — teammates called them terrible — or why he slipped approaching the 40-yarder at the end. He also had a PAT kick hit the right upright, but it bounced and was good.
Oakland’s rookie kicker Daniel Carlson was good on his only field goal try, from 44 yards, and made all three of his extra-point kicks.
AFC West sweeps Steelers
The loss to a Raiders team that is now just 3-10 made it a clean sweep for the Steelers in the AFC West, where they lost all four games. Against everyone else, they are 7-1-1.
Last visit to Oakland
Franco Harris and Phil Villapiano, two old warriors from the bitter Steelers-Raiders rivalry of the 1970s, came together in peace for the final time at Oakland Coliseum.
Both players were on opposite sides of the Dec. 23, 1972, Immaculate Reception that was judged the greatest play in NFL history.
Villapiano, a linebacker for the Raiders, has always claimed he was illegally blocked on the ricochet that Harris caught and ran in for a touchdown to give the Steelers the first playoff victory in franchise history.
Sunday, they visited the famous “black hole” and walked together across the field and hugged Oakland coach Jon Gruden.
This was the final game between the Steelers and Raiders in Oakland. They will not play next season and the Raiders are moving to Las Vegas in 2020.
Takeaway troubles
There were two turnovers Sunday, one for each team, but the Steelers remain stuck on just six interceptions.
Oakland quarterback Derek Carr had the ball slip out of his hands while trying to pass from the Steelers 22. Cornerback Mike Hilton recovered at the 16 to end that threat.
However, on that series, Josh Dobbs threw a pass to Antonio Brown that was tipped by cornerback Gareon Conley and intercepted by linebacker Tahir Whitehead.
Smith-Schuster leads WRs
The Steelers grabbed their first lead with 10 seconds left in the first half on JuJu SmithSchuster’s toe-tapping touchdown catch in the back of the end zone that would do Antonio Brown and Santonio Holmes proud.
Smith-Schuster has turned into the Steelers’ top receiver in 2018, snatching that title away from Brown, although both have surpassed 1,000 yards receiving.
Smith-Schuster led them Sunday with eight receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Brown had five catches for 35 yards.
QB expects to keep playing
Although Ben Roethlisberger missed all but 5:20 of the second half with a rib injury, he did return and said he should be able to play against the New England Patriots next Sunday at Heinz Field.
“I would assume so,’’ he said.
Inactives
Steelers — QB Mason Rudolph, S Marcus Allen, RB James Conner, OT Zach Banner, OT Marcus Gilbert, LB Ola Adeniyi, DE L.T. Walton
Raiders — RB C.J. Anders, WR Keon Hatcher, DT Maurice Hurst, CB Montrel Meander, T Justin Murray, G/T Kelechi Osemele, LB Kyle Wilber.