Chris Boswell or Tyler Loop: Toss-Up — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Too close to call — the edges cancel out.

Chris Boswell and Tyler Loop grade out even this week. Boswell's best edge is the consensus rank (K6 to K12), Loop's best edge is red-zone opportunity (1.9 to 1.2 stalls per game) — and they cancel out. Start whichever player's game you trust more this week.

Chris Boswell

K6PITvs ATL

9.09.09.0 Projected Points

Start· medium

Tyler Loop

K12BALvs IND

8.58.58.5 Projected Points

Start· high

Why Chris Boswell

Start· medium

Starting PK and one of the league's most accurate. Big leg with proven cold-weather clutch production.

Boswell is the K12 play with a 22.8 implied total, 2.1 projected FG tries and 1.2 red-zone stalls per game feeding the leg.

2.1 FG tries projected, just over the 2.0 league median this week.
PIT's offense stalls in the red zone 1.2 times a game (2025) — that's where kicker points come from.
Vegas has PIT at 22.8 points as 3-point favorites.
84% on field goals (2025), with a 50-plus make in 6 games.

The call

Consensus K12 at 9.0 projected points is squarely startable in a 12-team league — no replacement-level kicker beats that baseline.
Pittsburgh's 22.8 implied total plus 1.2 red-zone stalls per game funnels drives into field-goal tries: 1.9 makes on 2.1 attempts with 2.4 extra points projected.
He's the locked-in PK1 with no designation, hitting 84% (27/32) and connecting from 50-plus in six games with a 60-yard long, so distance isn't a cap on his range.
Only real wrinkle is an open roof with no forecast yet — check wind before kickoff, but nothing in the sheet suggests a problem.

Why Tyler Loop

Start· high

Starting placekicker who handles kickoffs. Accurate inside 50 but limited range, hitting just 1-of-4 from 50-plus as a rookie with a long of 52.

K10 with a 26.5 implied total, 88% accuracy (30/34) and 1.9 red-zone stalls per game — 1.7 FGs plus 2.6 XPs is a top-10 floor.

2.0 FG tries projected, right at the 2.0 league median this week.
BAL's offense stalls in the red zone 1.9 times a game (2025) — that's where kicker points come from.
Vegas has BAL at 26.5 points as 3.5-point favorites.
88% on field goals (2025), with a 50-plus make in 1 game.

The call

A 26.5 implied team total is among the best kicker environments on the board: 2.6 projected extra points give him a scoring floor before a single field goal.
Baltimore stalls in the red zone 1.9 times per game, which converts drives into the 2.0 attempts projected here — volume plus touchdown equity is the ideal kicker mix.
He's 30-of-34 (88%) on the season and locked in as PK1 with no injury designation; the retractable roof removes most weather downside even with no forecast yet.
Only real cap is the 50-plus profile — one make from that range with a long of 52 — so the upside is volume-driven rather than bonus-leg driven.

Latest on Loop

Minter backs Loop as Ravens add kicker competition in Moody

Baltimore signed Jake Moody to the practice squad three days after Tyler Loop missed two kicks in the preseason finale.

ESPN · Aug 31, 2026

Jesse Minter still has confidence in K Tyler Loop

Jamison Hensley breaks down the kicking situation for the Ravens.

ESPN · Aug 31, 2026

K Tyler Loop struggles in preseason finale

Jamison Hensley discusses whether Tyler Loop's job is in jeopardy after a lackluster preseason.

ESPN · Aug 29, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Chris Boswell	Tyler Loop
Projected points	9.09.09.0	8.58.58.5
Consensus rank	K6	K12
Projected FG attempts	2.1	2.0
Red-zone stalls / game	1.2(2025)	1.9(2025)
Implied total · spread	22.8-3.0	26.5-3.5
Field-goal %	84.4%(2025)	88.2%(2025)
Depth chart	K1	K1