Halicke: Boswell boots six field goals, three 50-yarders ... and a punt!

ATLANTA -- The defense did its job in the Steelers' 18-10 win over the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson recorded interceptions in their Steeler debuts, the defense pitched a shutout in the second half and T.J. Watt was, well, T.J. Watt.

But the defense isn't fully taking credit for a 1-0 start to the season. They're tipping their hat to Chris Boswell, who had a career day.

"We didn't win this game," Elliott said. "Boz won this game."

Too often special teams can be overlooked. Heading into this game, there was so much attention on the offense, Justin Fields getting the start over Russell Wilson, how the defense would fare, etc. But one of the main reasons why the special teamers have gotten so little attention is because it's expected for the Steelers' specialists to be that good.

And Boswell, just as he did in the Steelers' most recent playoff victory back in January 2017, put up all the points with six field goals. Only this time, he obliterated the yards covered with these kicks. Boswell made field goals of 57, 51, 44, 56, 40 and 25 yards, respectively, a total of 273 yards. That salvages a lot when the offense keeps stalling on drives.

"We all know what he's capable of," Mike Tomlin said after the game. "I don't think anybody in that locker room is surprised about what he was able to do. In fact, he loves it. You know what I mean? I've been around this guy for a long time. He wants the long ball. He's built for it. I think it's just really displayed in my confidence in him. I don't have any hesitation in sending him out there. As a matter of fact, I look forward to sending him out there because I know he relishes it. We're thankful for that."

The final count for Boswell:

• 6-for-6 on field goals (franchise record)
• Three field goals of 50-plus yards (franchise record)
• Five field goals of 40-plus yards (franchise record)
• Three touchbacks on kickoffs

And, finally ... 

• His first official NFL punt

That's one time Tomlin probably didn't relish sending Boswell onto the field was after Cameron Johnston suffered a significant knee injury late in the fourth quarter. Due to a holding call on Miles Killebrew, the Steelers had to punt again. Tomlin had no choice but to send Boswell out there:

This was a crucial moment in the game. The Steelers were leading by five, had just lost 21 yards on one drive and were giving the ball back to Atlanta with just over three minutes left. If this had been a total disaster, the Falcons could have gotten well into Pittsburgh territory and put a lot of pressure on the defense.

Instead, Boswell booted it 43 yards, and Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek made great plays as gunners to stop Avery Williams in his tracks at the Atlanta 40-yard line. That's only five yards further downfield than they were on the previous punt when Johnston got injured.

"For my standards, it was good," Boswell said about his punt. "But for a punter, probably not."

No, it wasn't a Johnston-esque bomb down the field. No, it didn't put three points on the board. But, it aided in making it easier for the defense to make sure the Falcons didn't add any more points of their own. And two plays later, Jackson made his interception that all but helped seal the game.

Same can be said for Boswell and the offense earlier in the game. The defense had just given up a touchdown drive near the end of the first half. Now trailing 10-6, the offense could have just knelt on the ball and tried to do something with the opening kickoff of the second half. But, after Fields connected downfield with George Pickens for a huge gain ...

... Boswell helped capitalize on that with his third field goal of the day, making it a 10-9 deficit at halftime.

The offense picked up the defense there. Boswell helped pick up the offense by helping cover nearly three football fields of yards the offense couldn't. Boswell picked up the special teams unit after a devastating injury to a really good punter. This is complementary football at its finest. And, while the defense deserves a lot of credit, Elliott's right. Boswell played just as big of a role in it.

"It's team supporting team," Tomlin said. "That's what teams do, though. There are going to be plenty of times in a 60-minute battle that all three phases get a chance to support one another. When you really think about it, you saw really vivid examples of that today in a lot of areas. 

But man, that Boz punt and that coverage by Scotty Miller and (Skowronek), was significant."

Yes, it was. But, Boswell also deserves every bit of praise for putting up every single point on the board to help the team get a much needed win on the road.

"Yeah it definitely feels good," Boswell said after the game. "But we are right back on to the next week. Whatever I did this week has no relevance to next week."