Tag: Nick Folk

Kicker Nick Folk doesn’t have retirement plans, wants to play in 2022

Nick folk wants to keep playing the game of football.

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New England Patriots kicker Nick Folk is showing that he can still be one of the top kickers in the NFL, even at 36 years old.

He had a solid 2021 regular season. He went 36 of 39 on field goals in 2021, and has not missed a kick from inside 50 yards since the opening game of the 2020 season, even while dealing with a knee injury this season. His 36 converted field goals in 2021 were a career-high for him. His 92.9 conversion percentage in 2020 was also a career-high.

Though it might be a time for the kicker to consider retirement, he said he would love to keep playing football beyond this year. Per Zack Cox of NESN.com, Folk is focused on the game at hand as he prepares for the Patriots’ opening playoff game on Saturday,

“I’d love to keep playing,” the 37-year-old said Thursday in a video conference. “I feel pretty good where I’m at right now. I’m kicking well with Jake (Bailey) and Joe (Cardona), so I’d love to keep playing. But I think the biggest focus is just on Buffalo. I haven’t really given it too much thought. I know I’d love to keep playing, but I’ve really been trying to really focus on this game and then try to go from there.”

New England signed folk in October 2019. He has been able to seamlessly slide into the role of starting kicker for the Patriots, following a career-ending injury to Stephen Gostkowski.

With special teams being placed at a premium, especially during playoff games, Folk may play a big role in the outcome of Saturday’s game. He has played in five career playoff games, going five-of-six on field goals and making all 11 of his extra-point attempts.

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Winners and losers from Patriots’ commanding win over Titans

It wasn’t pretty, but the New England Patriots knocked off the top-ranked team in the AFC.

It wasn’t pretty, but the New England Patriots knocked off the top-ranked team in the AFC and improved to 8-4 with a 36-13 win — extending the win streak to six games.

The Tennessee Titans, who were riddled with key injuries, put up a fight and left the first half with a 68-yard rushing touchdown from Dontrell Hilliard. The defense also kept Mac Jones out of the end zone for a majority of the game after he threw an opening-drive touchdown to Kendrick Bourne. That’s where, as it has happened many times this season, Nick Folk had to come through and put points on the board.

Here are the winners and losers from the game.

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Winners and losers from Patriots’ suffocating win over Falcons

Defense wins championships. This defense is the real deal, and they were all winners vs. the Falcons.

The New England Patriots can look forward to a ten-day break following the 25-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

Bill Belichick’s team is now on a five-game win streak and Mac Jones continues to prove why he’s the best rookie in this draft, by far. The Patriots’ offensive line is among the best in the NFL and the defense is shaping up to be alongside the Buffalo Bills as the most elite at this point in the season.

The Patriots now have back-to-back matchups with the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills ahead, with plenty of time to rest up and plan. Belichick is exactly where he wants to be in mid-November and the Patriots are surging at the right time.

Here’s the winners and losers from the win over Atlanta. For another straight week, there are no losers.

Everything we know about Chargers’ 27-24 loss to Patriots

Highlighting everything notable from the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the New England Patriots.

The Chargers fell to the Patriots by the score of 27-24.

To recap Week 8, here is everything we know:

It was over when…

Nick Folk connected from 30 yards with a little over two minutes remaining.

Notable numbers

The Chargers were 4-of-12 on third-down situations.

The Patriots won the time of possession battle, 35:24 to 24:36.

Quarterback Justin Herbert was picked off twice.

Herbert was sacked three times.

The Chargers allowed a punt return average of 20 yards.

The Chargers’ first down yards per play average was only 4.94 yards.

Stars of the game

RB Justin Jackson: 3 carries for 79 yards, long of 75

RB Austin Ekeler: 124 yards from scrimmage, touchdown

S Derwin James: 12 tackles, tackle for loss, forced fumble

WR Josh Palmer: First NFL receiving touchdown

Quick takes

Bill Belichick knows how to get the better of Justin Herbert. In two games, Herbert averaged just 216 yards, had a completion percentage of 50, threw for two touchdowns, four interceptions, and was sacked six times.

Aside from the Patriots’ solid defensive game plan, a handful of Herbert’s throws were off the mark and his decision-making was questionable. However, the offense’s lack of execution also included…

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s play-calling on early downs continued to hinder the unit. As opposed to letting Herbert throw the ball, designed run plays were called far often than not.

Lombardi’s decisions put Herbert in many unfavorable positions, and it did not help that the team’s skill players struggled with dropped passes in crucial situations throughout the duration of the game.

Last season, the Patriots defense got to Justin Herbert with primarily twists/stunts. This time around it was blitzes on the right side of the line, which continues to be exploited.

Justin Jackson is the clear-cut RB2. Larry Rountree turned four carries into just 11 yards.

The run defense looked (slightly) better today with the presence of Justin Jones. Even though they allowed a total of 141 yards, the group allowed an average of only 3.6 yards per carry. Still an evident issue nonetheless.

Mac Jones was held to just 218 yards passing, but he mustered big plays that went for 44 yards and 33 yards. Jones also took advantage of the favorable field positions, which were attributed to…

The punt coverage unit, which allowed returner Gunner Olszewski to average 20 yards per punt, continues to be an issue.

Recapping the newest additions performances:

Andre Roberts: Returned three kicks for an average of 23.7 yards and a long of 29 yards.

Dustin Hopkins: Made all three extra points and his lone field goal attempt from 48 yards out.

The Chargers still have some work to do in terms of discipline. Too many costly penalties, including a Michael Davis hold on third down that turned into a touchdown.

Kind of fitting that the former Chargers had big plays. Adrian Phillips picked off Herbert twice and Hunter Henry recovered the onside kick at the end to seal the deal.

What’s next?

The Chargers are on the road to take on the Eagles next Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2:05 pm PT.

Here’s what was on Nick Folk’s mind ahead of game-winning field goal vs. Texans

The Patriots knew what he had to do to mentally prepare.

Nick Folk was the New England Patriots’ MVP against the Houston Texans.

The 36-year-old’s game-winning field goal sealed the 25-22 win and his 13 total points on the day were instrumental. Folk hit two 52-yard field goals in the game, which is the longest distance he’s hit from since the 2015 season.

Mac Jones drove the Patriots down the field on their final drive while having the score tied up, leaving Folk with 20 seconds remaining and a chip shot to win the game. Folk drilled it and pushed the Patriots to a 2-3 record on the season.

What was he thinking ahead of the kick?

“Thinking of my routine, what I gotta do to be ready,” Folk said, transcribed by NESN.” … Get ready for a kick.”

He gave a ton of the credit to the offense for putting him in position.

“They just put a great drive together,” Folk said. “I just told them at the end, ‘Way to finish it.’ Cause that was all on them. They did a great job of finishing it. … Great way to end the game, seven-minute drive.”

The Patriots will have to score much more than field goals to get a victory against the Dallas Cowboys next week.

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Patriots fans react to the come-from-behind win over Texans

Patriots fans are alarmed, but relieved with the win over Houston.

Stressful is the only way New England Patriots fans can describe the Week 5 victory over the Houston Texans.

Bill Belichick’s squad squeaked out a 25-22 come-from-behind victory with 13 of the points coming from Nick Folk. Two of the field goals were knocked down from 52 yards and Folk’s game-winner was a chip shot with less than 20 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Patriots gained momentum following the Texans’ punt that went zero yards after bouncing off their own players’ helmet. Mac Jones led the team to score on four consecutive drives — one of which was a touchdown on third down to Hunter Henry.

It wasn’t pretty, but here’s how Patriots fans felt following the win.

Tom Brady, Bucs sink Patriots as last-gasp field goal doinks off goalpost

The New England Patriots lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went a late field-goal attempt hit the upright

The scenario is familiar. Commonplace in Foxborough. However on Sunday night Oct. 3, it was different for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

After 20 seasons of New England fans watching the GOAT deliver game-winning drives in the fourth quarter for the Patriots, New England fans were on the other side.

Brady directed a 7-play, 48-yard drive that culminated in a Ryan Succop field goal to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 19-17 victory over the Patriots in the homecoming game.

The Patriots got the ball back as the rain, which had fallen through the game, came down harder.

Mac Jones, who at one point completed 19 passes in a row, drove the Patriots into Buccaneer territory.

Nick Folk had made 36 field goals in a row and was sent on to the field to attempt a 56-yard field goal.

The kick was long enough but hit an upright and the Bucs were 3-1 and the Patriots were 1-3.

“Great to win against a really good football team.” Brady said. “I was just trying to keep my poise … Good to get a win on the road. We had a tough one the road last week. Good to rebound.

“…  It’s a great town, a great city, a great area. I love it up here,” Brady said about Boston.

 

 

Instant analysis from Patriots’ underwhelming loss against Saints in Week 3

Mac Jones still has a long way to go, along with this entire team.

The New Orleans Saints came to Gillette Stadium fully prepared.

Sean Payton’s gameplan was to throw as many looks at Mac Jones as possible and fluster him early and often. It worked — resulting in a day where the rookie had 270 yards for a touchdown and three interceptions. Jones was sacked twice in the game, but he was hit 11 times and it was obvious in his body language as the game progressed.

One of the key components to spark the Patriots’ offense is the rush attack, which wasn’t present against New Orleans. The Patriots totaled 49 yards on 17 attempts, with 2.9 yards per carry. James White was carted off the field early with a hip injury and his absence had a lot to do with the team’s inability to spark any offense out of the backfield.

Jonnu Smith may have struggled the most for the Patriots. He was targeted six times and only had one catch for four yards. His dropped catch that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown was the turning point in the game.

The 21-3 deficit was too much to overcome.

On the bright side, two Patriots receivers showed up in a promising way. Kendrick Bourne finished the game with six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Jakobi Meyers racked up nine receptions for 94 yards. Nelson Agholor had a quiet day and has struggled to distinguish himself as a top pass-catcher in this group.

Here’s a look at Bourne’s touchdown that gave the Patriots life.

Two new defenders to the team, Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux, also proved why they’ll be huge going forward. Judon finished the game with three tackles, 2.5 sacks and was a menace the entire game. Godchaux plugged the middle the entire game and recorded five tackles.

Looking ahead, the Patriots are going to have an extremely difficult time containing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense that has a highly-motivated Tom Brady. Stephon Gilmore’s absence is clearly hurting the team and the offense has struggled to find its identity. Without White on the field, the search for that identity will be much more difficult.

Bill Belichick has his work cut out for him to muster up a winning season with this group.

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Patriots fans react to startling loss against Saints in Week 3

It may be time to pump the brakes on expectations for this Patriots team.

It’s really difficult to believe the New England Patriots will be ready for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week.

All three phases of the ball were lackluster in the Patriots’ 28-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints at home. Mac Jones finished the game throwing throwing for 270 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions on 51 attempts. James White was carted out of the game with a serious hip injury and the rush attack couldn’t recover from his absence.

Jonnu Smith dropped a crucial pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, leading to a 21-3 lead for the Saints to start the second half. Outside of Matthew Judon, Davon Godchaux, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers — there wasn’t much to be excited for.

Here’s how Patriots fans reacted to the loss.

Patriots elevate QB Brian Hoyer and K Nick Folk from practice squad

The New England patriots made a pair of roster moves on Sunday.

Ahead of their game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the New England Patriots elevated Brian Hoyer and kicker Nick Folk from the practice squad.

As it stands right now, the Patriots now have two kickers on their active roster, but New England made kicker Quinn Nordin inactive for Sunday’s game. With Hoyer’s promotion, he will likely be the backup to Mac Jones. Jarrett Stidham is currently on injured reserve, while Garrett Gilbert is on the practice squad.

Folk will start in Week 1. Nordin went six-of-eight on field goals in the preseason. He struggled with extra points, going three-of-seven throughout the preseason.

The Patriots and Dolphins are set to kick off at 4:20 p.m. ET.