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Stat of the Jay: Bengals Will Face Steelers Team That Leads the League in Blocked Kicks, and Has For Years

Jay Morrison

Sep 12, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Miles Killebrew (28) blocks a punt by Buffalo Bills punter Matt Haack (3) in the fourth quarter of a game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Sep 12, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Miles Killebrew (28) blocks a punt by Buffalo Bills punter Matt Haack (3) in the fourth quarter of a game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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CINCINNATI – For all of Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson’s struggles, he’s yet to have a field goal blocked during his career.

But here come the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

The Steelers lead the league with three blocked kicks – two field goals and one punt.

But it should be four as safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had a blocked extra point in Week 7 negated by a leverage penalty, only to have the NFL rule that it was an incorrect call and the blocked PAT should have been allowed.

“It's the type of players they get and the mindset they have,” Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said.

Their four blocked kicks already are more than the three they had last year when they finished tied with the Cowboys for the league lead.

The Steelers also had three blocked kicks in 2022 to finish tied for second.

And in 2021, they had two, which was tied for third.

Miles Killebrew has four career blocked punts. That’s tied for the most in the league since at least 2000, when the league began logging the stat as official.

“Miles Killebrew is as good a punt rusher as we've gone up against in my whole time here,” Simmons said. “That's what he does – he rushes the punter, So he takes a lot of time and preparation for us to identity and recognize where he is on every play.

“He's their T.J. Watt,” Simmons continued. “You have to know where he's at, and you're trying to chip him. He affects the whole protection.”

Since Killebrew entered the league in 2016, the Steelers have an NFL-leading 18 blocked kicks.

Making things more challenging is the presence of Pittsburgh punt returner Calvin Austin, who ranks ninth in the league with an 11.4-yard average.

“They've got somebody they can really hang their hat on in Calvin Austin,” Simmons said. “So if you spend all your time in protections and don't get out in coverage, this guy will make you pay. They create a lot of pressure points for you.”

The last time the Bengals had a punt blocked was in Week 4 in 2018 by Atlanta’s Keith Tandy.

The last time the Bengals had a field goal blocked was Week 12 in 2018, when Cleveland’s Myles Garrett got his hands on a Randy Bullock attempt 54-yard attempt.

The last time the Bengals had an extra point blocked was in the 2022 season-opener when Fitzpatrick got his hands on a McPherson attempt with two seconds remaining that would have won the game. Instead, the Steelers won in overtime.

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Jay Morrison
JAY MORRISON

Jay Morrison covers the Cincinnati Bengals for Bengals On SI. He has been writing about the NFL for nearly three decades. Combining a passion for stats and storytelling, Jay takes readers beyond the field for a unique look at the game and the people who play it. Prior to joining Bengals on SI, Jay covered the Cincinnati Bengals beat for The Athletic, the Dayton Daily News and Pro Football Network.