The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without one of their best players on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. No, not TJ Watt, as he seems likely to return to action, as the black and gold try and improve to 3-5 before their Week 9 bye. That would be kicker Chris Boswell, who was officially ruled out on Saturday.
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 28: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the game against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium on August 28, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Boswell appeared on the injury report for the first time this week on Friday with a groin injury. Additionally, cornerback Josh Jackson has been downgraded to out as well with a groin injury. While the team will have Ahkello Witherspoon back in action, they will still be without two corners in Jackson and Levi Wallace. Burt Lauten was first on the news regarding Boswell and Jackson:
#Steelers K Chris Boswell (right groin) and CB Josh Jackson (groin) have been downgraded to OUT for Sunday’s game vs. the #Eagles.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) October 29, 2022
Now you may be asking, with Boswell out, who will be kicking for the Steelers this weekend? That would be Nick Sciba, who spent training camp in Latrobe with the team. He never had much of a chance to make the 53-man roster due to Boswell being present, but he did quite well in camp. Sciba had quite the college career as well at Wake Forest.
Kicker Nick Sciba kicks at practice at training camp in Latrobe. Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
He never missed a single extra-point attempt in 193 tries, while also hitting 89.9% of his 89 career field goal attempts. A four-year starter in the ACC, he missed just nine field goals in his college career. While it will be his first career NFL game, there shouldn't be a significant amount of worry in the kicking game on Sunday. Boswell will surely be missed, but Sciba is more than capable of filling in nicely.
Which injury is a bigger loss? Are you concerned about the team's CB depth with Jackson and Wallace both out? What are your expectations for the Steelers' Week 9 matchup? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!
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