Following their 30–6 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans a few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially entered the offseason. And a lot has changed since then. Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach. Mike McCarthy was brought in as his replacement. And speculation has already begun around whether Aaron Rodgers could return for another season. Still, even with the offseason underway, Chris Boswell hasn’t been able to fully step away, as the Steelers’ placekicker recently received a death threat on social media.

On Sunday, Boswell took to Instagram and shared a story showing a threatening text message he received from a fan. “Go kill yourself fn, I lost a game cs of u,” the message read, clearly expressing frustration. Rather than escalating the situation, Boswell responded in a lighter tone, reposting the message and writing, “It’s offseason. Leave me alone with football stuff until September,” he wrote, while adding a couple of laughing emojis.

Since neither Boswell nor the sender specified which game the message referred to, pinpointing the exact reason behind the threat is difficult. That said, across 17 regular-season games and one playoff appearance against the Texans, Boswell only drew noticeable criticism during one moment. We’re talking about the Steelers’ regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.

Late in the fourth quarter, with less than a minute remaining, Calvin Austin scored a touchdown that put the Steelers in position to close out the game. However, Boswell missed the ensuing extra point, immediately raising concerns. At that moment, the math was simple: the Ravens would no longer need a field goal to tie the game. They would need just one to win it outright, potentially costing Pittsburgh the game, the division, and its playoff spot.

Ultimately, those fears didn’t materialize. Baltimore missed its field-goal attempt, and the Steelers held on to win the game, secure the division, and punch their ticket to the postseason. While it remains unclear whether the threatening message stemmed from that missed extra point, it stands out as the only moment during Boswell’s 2025 season that drew widespread attention.

Zooming out, Boswell actually delivered a productive year. The 34-year-old opened the season by drilling a career-long 60-yard field goal. Over 17 regular-season games, he attempted 32 field goals and converted 27 of them, finishing with an 84.4% success rate. He was even more reliable on extra points, going 42-of-43 for a 97.7% conversion rate. In the postseason loss to Houston, Boswell accounted for all six of Pittsburgh’s points, kicking two field goals in the Wild Card defeat.

That broader context helps explain why, even after receiving a threatening message online, the veteran kicker chose not to dwell on it. Instead, Chris Boswell made it clear he’s ready to step away from football conversations altogether. At least, until the next season starts in September 2026. The same for the Ravens’ kicker, Tyler Loop, can’t be said. After all, Loop had received major backlash after he missed the field goal.

Chris Boswell missed, but Tyler Loop didn’t get away with it

The Ravens parted ways with veteran placekicker Justin Tucker ahead of the 2025 season. And to replace him, Baltimore drafted Tyler Loop in the sixth round. At that time, though, the rookie likely didn’t anticipate how harshly his season would end. In Week 18 against the Steelers, Loop had a chance to send the Ravens to the playoffs. Instead, he missed a game-winning 44-yard field goal, and Pittsburgh escaped with a 26–24 win.

As that happened, fans quickly turned on the rookie, flooding his social media comment sections with harsh criticism, especially in his engagement post on Instagram. One comment simply read, “1 job,” reducing everything to a single expectation. Another comment was a GIF of Tucker shrugging his shoulders, a pointed comparison given Tucker’s legacy and abrupt exit before the season even began for Ravens fans.

Top Stories

NFL Announces Punishment Decision for Josh Allen’s Bills Following Divisional Round Loss

When 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Got Arrested Defending Raheem Morris at 2005 NFL Combine

Donald Trump Announces Super Bowl Decision, Slams Halftime Performer Bad Bunny & Green Day

Mike McDaniel Quits on Cleveland Browns as Shedeur Sanders Receives Worrying QB Update

“Please Pray”: Bills Legend Jim Kelly Announces Concerning Health Update on Ailing Grandson After 38 Days of Hospitalization

Other responses pushed further. “Tell him duck his head” appeared alongside a longer outburst: “Lamar gave you field position and you end the game like that? Literally kicked the post season straight in the trash.. you s**k,” shifting blame entirely onto one kick in a season-ending moment under intense scrutiny from disappointed Ravens supporters online.

Taken together, the comments show how quickly blame consolidates around one play. Loop’s missed kick became the defining moment, regardless of the broader context. Safe to say that, unlike Chris Bosewell, Loop didn’t escape consequence or narrative.