Steelers’ Matthew Wright perfect on kicks in NFL debut, but not trusted with late FG
Matthew Wright had himself a respectable night in his NFL debut. But did his lack of experience lead to a lack of confidence in him from coaches that helped contribute to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first loss this season?
Added to the active roster earlier in the day to replace an injured Chris Boswell, Wright was perfect in three placekicks (two extra points and a 37-yard field goal) during Monday’s 23-17 loss to the Washington Football Team. But in a tie game with 4 minutes, 57 seconds left and the Steelers at the Washington 28, coach Mile Tomlin elected to go for it rather than have Wright attempt a 45-yard field goal.
“I didn’t feel good about putting that on him,” Tomlin said during a postgame video conference call with media. “I appreciate his efforts tonight. He was above the line, he gave us what we desired. But it was my decision not to put him in those circumstances late in the football game.”
During two other occasions during the game, the Steelers bypassed a potential field goal, although during neither of those circumstances was that an atypical decision.
During the first quarter, the Steelers also punted from the 41, which is not unusual to forgo a field-goal attempt of 59 yards. In the second quarter, they went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
Added to the Steelers’ practice squad last week, Wright also kicked off four times Monday. He managed one touchback.
Boswell (hip) was added to the injury report Saturday and downgraded to doubtful on Sunday. Boswell missed a game for the first time since the 2018 season finale when he was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. Boswell missed a game for only the third time since taking over the Steelers’ kicker job early during the 2015 season.
Wright, the leading scorer in UCF history, spent the 2019 training camp with the Steelers. He made 5 of 6 attempts in preseason, including four of five between 40 and 49 yards. Monday was his first regular-season game as a professional; he was released by the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers during their training camp in January.
Boswell has missed four extra points this season, but is 18 for 19 on field goals.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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