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Steelers place K Boswell on IR, sign McCrane

By The Sports Xchange
Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell watches the ball after a field-goal attempt during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell watches the ball after a field-goal attempt during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new kicker for Sunday's must-win regular-season finale.

Erratic kicker Chris Boswell was placed on season-ending injured reserve, the Steelers announced Friday morning.

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Pittsburgh replaced Boswell by signing Matt McCrane, who has spent time on the rosters of the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals this season.

The Steelers are on the outside of the AFC playoff picture and need to beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and hope AFC North-leading Baltimore loses at home to the Cleveland Browns.

Boswell was not listed on this week's injury report and the team did not disclose the nature of his ailment, but he has converted only 13 of 20 field goal attempts this season for a career low 65 percent success rate.

The 27-year-old Boswell also was 43 of 48 on extra points, although he nailed both field goal attempts and both PATs in last week's 31-28 loss at New Orleans.

In his fourth season with Pittsburgh, Boswell established career bests in 2017 by converting 35 of 38 field goal attempts, including all four from at least 50 yards. He was 37 of 39 on PATs.

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McCrane has appeared in four games with the Raiders and Cardinals this season. He was 5 of 9 on field goal attempts and knocked down all five PATs in three games with Oakland before he was waived on Oct. 24.

Arizona signed McCrane to its practice squad a week later and added him to the active roster in mid-November. McCrane converted all three extra points in his lone game for the Cardinals before he was waived on Nov. 19.

McCrane earned All-Big 12 Conference honors three times at Kansas State and finished as the school's career leading scorer with 304 points.

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