Tag: Kai Forbath

Looking back at Washington’s 2012 run to the playoffs

We look back at that run to the playoffs in 2012. What a fun season.

It seems hard to believe but it has been ten years since the 2012 team stormed down the home stretch to win the NFC East.

Washington (3-6) had seemingly fallen out of playoff contention. All that was missing was the Redskins being mathematically eliminated.

The bye week could not have come at a better time. The Shanahan’s Mike (head coach) and son Kyle (offensive coordinator) made whatever adjustments were needed, because Washington came out and destroyed the Eagles 31-6.

On Thanksgiving Day the offense raced out to a 28-3 halftime lead and the team held on for a 38-28 win over Dallas. Next was a Monday Night Football contest at RFK where huge luck appeared to fall on Washington. Robert Griffin fumbled, but the ball bounced right up to receiver Josh Morgan who ran it in 13 yards for a touchdown. Washington beat the Giants 17-16, and were .500 at 6-6.

Griffin was then injured against the Ravens when he once again did not slide as the Shanahans repeatedly had instructed him. Kirk Cousins connected with Pierre Garcon in the last minute, ran the two point conversion and Washington (7-6) won in overtime when Richard Crawford made the punt return of his career.

Griffin being out for the Browns game, Cousins passed for 329 yards and two touchdowns as the Redskins won in Cleveland 38-21, raising their record to 8-6.

In Philadelphia, Griffin returned (though noticeably ailing) but played courageously, going 16 for 24, 198 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-20 win over the Eagles. Washington was 9-6 headed to the season finale at RFK against the Cowboys for the NFC East title.

The running game would be nothing short of phenomenal, running 42 times for 274 yards, led by Alfred Morris who enjoyed his best game in the NFL, running 33 times for 200 yards. Griffin, still ailing, managed to run amazingly for 63 yards in only six carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run in the 28-18 win over the Cowboys.

Washington had won their last seven consecutive games, finishing 10-6, atop the NFC East.

In the playoff game the offense again seemed so precisely planned, scoring quickly, gaining a 14-0 lead. But Griffin tweaked his knee and was visibly worse, limited even more.

Griffin would stay in the game much too long limping around. Everyone could see, he was not going to be able to contribute anything else. Finally, the rookie of the year from Baylor further injured the knee, ending his day.

He too had been guilty in the entire drama, being overheard on the sideline informing tackle Trent Williams he indeed was injured, but not to say anything. Sadly between Mike Shanahan, James Andrews and Griffin there was more than enough blame to go around.

Cousins this time when entering the game was ineffective. The offense was shut out the final three quarters for a 24-14 defeat to Seattle.

It had been a magical seven-game run, and what is most often overlooked is kicker Kai Forbath was a major contributor. Being picked up in October, Forbath then connected on his first 17 attempted field goals, a new NFL record.

Ten years ago the 2012 Washington Redskins were certainly not a great team. However, they certainly had a fascinating and exciting seven-game winning streak to finish the season.

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Cowboys place Greg Zuerlein on COVID list, to work out Brett Maher

The Cowboys were said to be holding kicker workouts on Wednesday; Zuerlein’s status and availability for Sunday is still not known. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Kicker Greg Zuerlein has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, according to the Cowboys. As of Tuesday afternoon, it is not known if Zuerlein tested positive for the virus or was deemed a close contact of someone else who received a positive test.

Until the kicker’s exact status is made public, it is also unclear if he would be eligible to return to action before Sunday’s game versus the Falcons at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Zuerlein got no kicking opportunities in Week 9’s loss to Denver, save for three kickoffs. He missed a field goal in each of the two previous games, and two in the season opener. He is 14-of-18 on three-point tries, 21-of-23 on extra points for the season.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Cowboys would be looking at new options on Wednesday.

Currently, the Cowboys do not have a backup kicker. When Zuerlein was on injured reserve during training camp, the team brought in Lirim Hajrullahu for a short preseason stint. The former CFL All-Star was re-signed to Dallas briefly as special teams coordinator John Fassel assessed Zuerlein’s Week 1 troubles.

Brett Maher is reported to be one of the kickers being looked at. Maher played for Dallas in 2018 and for most of 2019, going 49-of-66 on field goals and 68-of-69 on PATs. Maher made multiple kicks of 60-plus yards as a Cowboy, but was released late in the 2019 season over accuracy issues.

Kai Forbath, who went 10-for-10 on field goals and 10-for-10 on extra points for the Cowboys during a three-game spell in 2019 (when he took over for Maher), is among the experienced NFL kickers not currently on a roster.

Fassel has said that punter Bryan Anger would be the team’s emergency kicker for an in-game situation. He’s also suggested that wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, defensive end Azur Kamara, and center Tyler Biadasz all have some degree of kicking skill, though the Dallas coaching staff is certainly not considering using any of them in an actual game if there is time to secure the services of a free agent specialist.

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Cowboys improved place kicking in 2020 with additions of Zuerlein, Fassel

The Cowboys special teams improved in nearly every area,, including the field goal team, which benefited from the signing of Greg Zuerlein.

The Dallas Cowboys entered 2020 with a goal to improve their special teams unit, and they succeeded. The Cowboys special teams unit was arguably the worst in the entire league in 2019-20, and Mike McCarthy knew that that would have to improve for his new team to compete in his inaugural season.

The organization brought in special teams coordinator John Fassel, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, as well as a few key contributors on the field, put a greater coaching emphasis on the third phase of the game, and the results were noticeable as Dallas’ special teams improved more than any other team in the NFL.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at one area of the special teams where Dallas made measurable upgrades, place kicking.

Rams place Whitworth and 2 others on IR, sign K Matt Gay

The Rams made a handful of expected moves official on Tuesday.

The expected have now become official. On Tuesday, the Rams announced that they have placed Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rapp and Kai Forbath on injured reserve.

The moves come just one day after Sean McVay said they were all expected to land on IR, following the injuries they suffered in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks. Each player will be forced to miss at least three games, though Whitworth is expected to be sidelined for about 6-8 weeks, according to McVay.

Additionally, the Rams have signed kicker Matt Gay, who was most recently on the Colts’ practice squad before being released earlier this month. He’ll compete with Austin MacGinnis at kicker as the Rams once again search for consistency at kicker.

Gay was a fifth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2019 but struggled as a rookie. He went 27-for-35 on field goals last season and missed five of his 48 PATs.

Sean McVay shares injury updates on Taylor Rapp, Kai Forbath

The Rams came out of Sunday’s win banged up with three players likely heading to injured reserve.

The Los Angeles Rams came away with a win over the Seahawks on Sunday, but they paid the price in the process. Three players are heading to injured reserve after getting hurt in the game, including Andrew Whitworth.

Taylor Rapp and Kai Forbath will join Whitworth on IR, Sean McVay said Monday. Rapp injured his knee in the first half of Sunday’s win, while Forbath hurt his ankle in the second half.

Rapp’s injury is a Grade 2 MCL sprain, which is expected to keep him out 3-4 weeks. Forbath has a lateral sprain, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Additionally, Samson Ebukam has ankle inflammation but it sounds like a minor issue.

The Rams are already without Terrell Burgess for the rest of the year after he broke his ankle, but fortunately Jordan Fuller is back. He was activated off IR prior to Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.

The depth at safety will certainly be tested, with Nick Scott likely to get more playing time as a result.

Rams kicker Kai Forbath has ankle injury, questionable to return Sunday

The injury hits keep on coming for the Rams.

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In the same game that the Rams lost Andrew Whitworth and Taylor Rapp to injuries, they also saw their kicker get hurt, too. Kai Forbath exited the game in the second half with an ankle injury and was ruled questionable to return.

Johnny Hekker was practicing field goals on the sideline as the Rams’ emergency kicker.

Forbath was signed by the Rams off the Bears’ practice squad earlier this year, and this is his second game kicking for the team. He missed an extra-point attempt in the third quarter.

Rams still have a kicking conundrum to solve during bye week

Is Kai Forbath really the answer at kicker?

We’re now eight weeks into the regular season and the Los Angeles Rams still have not securely filled the void at kicker left by Greg Zuerlein. They gave rookie Samuel Sloman a shot after picking him over Lirim Hajrullahu and Austin MacGinnins in camp, but he only lasted seven games. Kai Forbath was signed off the Bears’ practice squad to replace Sloman, but he missed a 48-yarder on Sunday against the Dolphins – and it wasn’t even close.

MacGinnis is back on the Rams’ practice squad and will have a chance to once again prove himself to the coaching staff, but even he’s not a proven solution for Los Angeles’ kicking woes. In eight games, the Rams’ kickers have already missed seven attempts: four field goals and three PATs.

Sean McVay and John Bonamego will have some extra time to mull things over during the team’s bye week, deciding whether to continue forward with Forbath or give MacGinnis a chance. Based on McVay’s comments Monday, it sounds like Forbath will remain the top option.

“Obviously it was disappointing to see the result on the one field goal that we attempted to try to cut it to a one-possession game and miss-hit that,” he said. “I do think you want to still demonstrate a little bit of patience, understanding that one kick – that was big – it didn’t help us yesterday, but I think you want to give a guy a chance to continue to compete and evaluate. With that small inventory that we had from yesterday, we’ll continue to evaluate both of those guys and Kai will remain in that role right now.”

The trade market is an option for the Rams if they don’t feel great about either of their current candidates. However, it’s rare for a team to part ways with a good kicker via trade, given the low return that comes with it.

The free-agent market is barren, too, providing no better options to Los Angeles than Forbath and MacGinnis. In all likelihood, the competition between those two will be ongoing into Week 10 against the Seahawks, thanks to the expanded practice squad that allows the Rams to keep two players in-house.

Until they find a consistent solution to this problem, they should keep scouring for candidates. Because although their kickers haven’t cost them a win yet, that could very well happen in the second half of the season if things don’t improve.

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6 takeaways from Rams’ sloppy 28-17 loss to Dolphins

The Los Angeles Rams’ offense was a disaster in Miami. Their defense wasn’t. Here are a few key takeaways from the team’s Week 8 loss.

The Los Angeles Rams may have physically traveled to Miami for a Week 8 matchup against the Dolphins, but only the defense seemed to show up to the game. The Rams suffered a 28-17 loss to the Dolphins in their final game before their Week 9 bye.

It felt like their Week 6 loss to the 49ers would be the most embarrassing loss by the Rams this season, but alas, they found a way to top it in Miami.

Here are six takeaways from a frustrating Week 8 defeat.

Tyler Higbee, Kai Forbath among Rams’ five inactives vs. Bears

Brycen Hopkins is active for the first time this season.

The Los Angeles Rams will surprisingly be without tight end Tyler Higbee on Monday night after he was listed as questionable with a hand injury. He’s among the Rams’ five inactives against the Bears, along with Kai Forbath, Xavier Jones, Brian Allen and Trishton Jackson.

Higbee injured his hand last week against the 49ers but it wasn’t initially believed to be serious. He clearly didn’t make enough progress during the week to be ready for this game, even with an extra day for it to heal.

Brycen Hopkins is active for the first time in his career, giving the Rams a third tight end behind Gerald Everett and Johnny Mundt. Raymond Calais is also active and could contribute on special teams as a kick returner.

Everett’s role will be even greater tonight with Higbee out, hoping to build on back-to-back weeks with at least three catches. It’d be fun to see Hopkins out there in two-tight end sets with Everett, but it’s not highly likely due to his inexperience.

With Forbath inactive, Sloman will obviously remain the Rams’ kicker, which Sean McVay said on Saturday. But if he struggles against the Bears, the competition at kicker will heat up quickly.

Sean McVay explains the Kai Forbath signing and what it means for Samuel Sloman

Kai Forbath won’t join the Rams until Sunday due to COVID-19 restrictions, so it’s likely Samuel Sloman will remain the kicker this week.

In the first six weeks of the season, Samuel Sloman missed as many extra point attempts as Greg Zuerlein missed in the previous four seasons combined. That’s a simple way to put Sloman’s struggles into perspective, and it’s without mentioning his two field goal misses from 29 and 53 yards.

It’s been a rocky start to Sloman’s NFL career and the Rams are running out of patience. This week, they signed veteran Kai Forbath off the Bears’ practice squad, bringing in some competition at the all-important position.

But Forbath isn’t replacing Sloman, who remains on the 53-man roster. He will just put some pressure on the rookie kicker moving forward.

Sean McVay was asked Thursday about the decision to sign Forbath, and it came down to needing more consistency in the kicking game.

McVay indicated in his media session that Forbath could conceivably kick on Monday night against the Bears, but COVID-19 protocols make that a challenge. Considering he won’t arrive until Sunday, it’s hard to imagine the Rams making a switch that quickly without seeing Forbath kick.

Forbath’s arrival is obviously bad news for Sloman, but this doesn’t mean it’s over for the rookie, says McVay.

McVay has some familiarity with Forbath, having been in Washington during the same time period. He said that played a role in the Rams’ decision to sign Forbath, as well as his experience in the NFL.

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