5 things: Chris Boswell becoming a sure thing again in Steelers' kicking game

Five things we learned from Steelers 23, Seahawks 20:

1. Wizard of Boz

His 2018 struggles a distant memory, Chris Boswell continues to be an unsung hero for the Steelers. Boswell’s 52-yard field goal with 1 minute, 30 seconds left tied the score, and his third field goal, from 37 yards, won it in overtime.

After going 3 for 3 against the Seahawks, Boswell improved to 11 of 12 on field-goal tries this season. He has missed just four attempts in three seasons since he went 13 of 20 and had to earn his job back in the 2019 training camp. Boswell has made all three of his tries from 50-plus yards, and he has converted all 12 of his extra-point attempts.

Having a dependable kicker in the NFL is a luxury this season. So far, 41 kickers have been called on to attempt a field goal. Among kickers with at least a dozen attempts, Boswell’s success ratio has him on par with New England’s Nick Folk (14 of 15), Baltimore’s Justin Tucker (13 of 14), Los Angeles Rams’ Matt Gay (11 of 12) and Buffalo’s Tyler Bass (11 of 12 heading into Monday night). Only Denver’s Brandon McManus (12 of 12) has remained perfect on field goals among kickers with at least 10 attempts.

Boswell’s success is more impressive considering he is working with a first-year holder in punter Pressley Harvin and long-snapper in Christian Koontz.

Harvin, meantime, put the Steelers in position to win it in overtime with a 56-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Seattle 15. He averaged nearly 48 yards (42 net) on seven punts.

2. Third-quarter letdown

Whether it’s coming out flat after intermission or the opposing team making adjustments, the Steelers continue to allow scoring drives on the opening possession of the third quarter.

When the Seahawks, after being held to 65 yards and three first downs in the first half, drove 72 yards on 10 plays and cut the deficit to 14-7 on Alex Collins’ 2-yard run, it continued an uncomfortable trend. It was the third time in the past four games the Steelers yielded points on the first drive after halftime.

The only time in that stretch when the Steelers shut down an opponent on that initial second-half drive was the previous week against Denver. Of course, the Steelers waited until the fourth quarter to let the Broncos score two touchdowns and nearly tie the score in the waning moments.

Thanks to a bunch of missed tackles, which came with the Steelers playing plenty of nickel and dime defense, Collins rushed for 58 yards on eight carries on the drive. After calling just four run plays in the first half, the Seahawks abandoned that approach and used Collins, who finished with 101 yards, to get back in the game. The Steelers allowed runs of 11, 21, 7 and 7 yards on the drive.

The poor tackling was particularly evident on a 41-yard pass to Gerald Everett that gave Seattle a first down on the 2. Cornerback Cam Sutton and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick whiffed on tackles, and it took linebacker Joe Schobert tripping up Everett to prevent a touchdown on the play.

3. On McCloud 9

In the Steelers’ first game without JuJu Smith-Schuster, the beneficiary of his playing time was Ray-Ray McCloud, who entered the season as the clear No. 5 option among the wide receivers.

Of the Steelers’ 75 offensive snaps, McCloud was on the field for 52 plays, his biggest workload of the season. McCloud took Smith-Schuster’s spot in the slot and caught both of his targets for 18 yards.

Diontae Johnson, who left the field for just six plays, continues to be quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite receiver. Johnson was targeted 13 times — nobody else had more than seven — and led the Steelers with nine catches and 71 yards.

Smith-Schuster’s absence didn’t benefit James Washington, not on Sunday night, at least. Washington played just eight snaps and was a bystander after the first quarter. Perhaps Washington aggravated a groin injury that kept him out the previous week. Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t reveal any injuries after the game.

4. Heavy load

Melvin Ingram was signed before training camp to provide veteran experience at outside linebacker behind Alex Highsmith and to give the Steelers a third capable pass rusher to use in their rotation.

That rotation was scrapped against the Seahawks — at least on Highsmith’s side of the field. Highsmith logged all 65 defensive snaps. Watt missed nine snaps, and Ingram got on the field for 17 plays as the Steelers continue to experiment with three outside linebackers in their dime defense.

Highsmith showed he was ready to handle the increased role. He recorded his first sack of the season and shared another with Chris Wormley. Highsmith frequently was in the backfield and registered four hits on Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. He also had a season-high seven tackles.

5. Clocking in

With former coach Bill Cowher on hand, the Steelers surely made him proud with the way they controlled the tempo in the first half. Cowher loved a ball-control offense and, for the second week in a row, the Steelers had a decisive edge in time of possession while taking a double-digit lead into the locker room.

After jumping to a 17-6 advantage against the Broncos by possessing the ball for 19:43, the offense was on the field for 20:45 while building a 14-0 lead against the Seahawks.

Unlike the previous week, when Najee Harris jump-started the offense with his best game of the season, the Steelers relied on Roethlisberger to dictate tempo. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.

The issue for the Steelers is maintaining that tempo after halftime instead of allowing teams to adjust and turn the tables in the second half.