KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Special teams and the divisional playoffs don’t seem to mix well in Kansas City. In 1995, Chiefs fans endured The Lin Elliot Game, and in 2003 The No Punt Game.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos prepares to kick from the hold by Dustin Colquitt against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the AFC divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium Jan. 15, 2017. (Photo courtesy Chiefs PR, Chiefs.com)
Now they must deal with the aftermath of The Field Goal Game.
Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell booted six field goals, providing all the points for the Steelers in their 18-16 win over the Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs. The six field goals set an NFL postseason record. It also marked the first time in NFL playoff history a team scored at least two touchdowns while allowing zero touchdowns while still losing the game.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said settling for field goals all day unnerved him.
“That’s not comfortable, it’s not,” Tomlin said. “We desire to score touchdowns.”
Tomlin’s worries did not filter their way to Boswell, who made the most of each and every one of his opportunities.
“Luckily it made enough to win the game, where we had enough chances to win the game,” Boswell said. “I don’t really pay attention to much besides looking at him when he tells me when to kick and when not kick, and I just go about the game.
The kicking surface at Arrowhead Stadium experienced a busy week. The team placed a strip of new sod down the middle of the field on Monday. Then rain and ice forced the grounds crew to cover the field much of the weekend, including using a blower to create a bubble of air above the field.
Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos kicked his own 48-yard field goal. He said other than cold temperatures that limited the distance on kicks, field conditions were at a premium Sunday night.
“The rain was very minimum,” Santos said. “It wasn’t difficult. The turf, they did an outstanding job. I want to congratulate the ground crew here — the turf was awesome. They got it ready for a great game.”
Santos said there was a slight crosswind on the field, but nothing significant. A true, straight kick would go through, he said.
“You got to give him credit,” Santos said. “He misses one of those, we win the game. He came through.”
Sunday night’s game marked the second time in the last month Boswell kicked six field goals in a game. He pulled off the feat against Cincinnati in week 15.
Tomlin said his kicker holds a steady disposition no matter the situation.
“He’s the same guy everyday regardless of circumstance,” Tomlin said. “He’s been that since we’ve acquired him. We’re not surprised when he performs well.”
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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