Tag: Robbie Gould

Several ex-Giants will play in Sunday’s conference championship games

Several former members of the New York Giants will take the field on Sunday in the AFC and NFC Championship Games.

The AFC Championship Game and the NFC Championship Game will be played on Sunday to determine who moves ahead to square off in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs will meet the red hot Tennessee Titans, while the NFC will feature a game between Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers and the team that passed on him in the 2005 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers.

Both games promise to be physical and entertaining, so no real sidebar is needed as far as rooting interest goes. But in case you were wondering, several former New York Giants will take the field on Sunday.

Here’s a quick look at each.

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via USA TODAY Sports

Kalif Raymond, WR, Tennessee Titans

Raymond entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Holy Cross, originally signing with the Denver Broncos in 2016.

After a brief cup of coffee with the New York Jets, Raymond would sign with the Giants in 2017 and then re-join the team in 2018. Ironically, he made a brief stop with the Titans between those two stints, again finding his way back to Tennessee in 2019.

Raymond appeared in six games for the Giants, primarily on special teams. He recorded one reception for 12 yards, lost one yard on one carry, while returning 13 punts for 61 yards and 11 kickoffs for 186 yards. He also recorded three special teams tackles.

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NFL playoffs: Ranking the 8 kickers in the Divisional round

Justin Tucker leads the way among the 8 kickers left in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

The playoffs heighten the stakes as each round moves forward. No shock there. However, it ramps up the pressure on the kicking game more. What coaches should be confident when they send out their kicker and what teams should turn away rather than watch?

8. Titans: Greg Joseph

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

There should be no surprise the Titans bring up the rear when it comes to the kicking game. They are on kicker No. 4 in Greg Joseph. Overall, the Titans have made all of eight field goals in 2019. Joseph had been on the practice squad of the Panthers like Harrison Butker, played in 14 games with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 hit 17-of-20 field goal attempts. He is 9-of-9 for Tennessee on PATs and has not kicked a field goal for the Titans.

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Robbie Gould named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month

The 49ers are getting their kicker’s best at the right time.

Robbie Gould’s rocky 2019 campaign came to a strong end with an NFC Special Teams Player of the Month award for December.

Gould wrapped up his season by drilling all nine of his field goal attempts and 13 of his 14 extra points. That’s pretty pedestrian for the standard Gould set in his first two years in San Francisco, but it was his best month of the year in a season where he missed a career-worst eight kicks and missed three games with a quad injury.

The 37-year-old found his footing just in time to come through in the biggest moments of the season. He drilled a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Saints, then did it again two weeks later to knock off the Rams at Levi’s Stadium. Both of those wins played massive roles in the 49ers getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

San Francisco signed Gould this offseason to a four-year, $19 million contract with $10.5 million guaranteed for moments like the ones he had in December. While he struggled through most of the year, he’s starting to make kicks again when the stakes are the highest.

The 49ers planned on being a playoff team this year, and kicking is essential in the postseason. Gould has been one of the most reliable kickers in the league the last two years. Now he’s finding that form again just in time for San Francisco’s postseason run.

Robbie Gould named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

The 49ers are getting big-time games from their kicker when they need them most.

It’s been a rough season for 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, but the 15-year veteran bounced back in Week 16 with two field goals against the Rams, including a game winner. His 33-yard kick with no time left won the game for the 49ers, and earned him Week 16 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Gould drilled both of his field goal attempts against Los Angeles and all four of his extra points.

It’s been a rocky 2019 season for the 37-year-old Gould. He’s missed a career-worst eight field goals, plus an extra point. He also dealt with a quad injury that forced him out of three games.

Still, San Francisco is putting trust in their kicker down the stretch. They played for a field goal in the final seconds at New Orleans, and did the same at home against the Rams. Twice Gould has delivered to secure wins for the 49ers.

A bad 2019 season will be forgotten if Gould gets back to form from the last two seasons when he was the most accurate kicker in the NFL. The 49ers have already played a slew of one-possession games, and it’s only going to get more difficult in the postseason. Points are harder to come by in the playoffs, so having an accurate, trustworthy kicker is paramount.

Gould needs to put his struggles behind him in time for football in January, and earning an NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in Week 16 is a good start.

Who was good, who was bad in the 49ers’ 34-31 win vs. Rams

The 49ers got some up-and-down performances in a back-and-forth game Saturday night.

The 49ers got a much-needed 34-31 victory over the Rams on Saturday night. It wasn’t perfect, but San Francisco made plays when they needed to at key points and pulled out the win to move to 12-3 and put themselves in position to win the division in Seattle the final week of the season.

Here’s who was good and who wasn’t Saturday night:

Good: Fourth quarter Jimmy Garoppolo

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers’ quarterback dominated the final 15 minutes Saturday night. In the final frame, he guided a touchdown drive and a drive that led to the game-winning field goal. His stats reflected his tremendous play as well. He went six-of-nine for 134 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Twice on the final drive of the game Garoppolo delivered completions on third-and-16 to keep the drive alive, including a 46-yard heave to Emmanuel Sanders to get the team in field goal range. Considering the duress he was under most of the night, his fourth quarter was extremely impressive.

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WATCH: Jimmy G makes clutch throw, Robbie Gould hits game-winning FG

Jimmy Garoppolo and Robbie Gould were clutch for the 49ers in their win over the Rams.

The 49ers needed some big-time throws from their quarterback on their final drive Sunday night.

They got them. Jimmy Garoppolo completed an 18-yard pass to Kendrick Bourne on a third-and-16 to keep the drive alive early. Then facing another third-and-16, Garoppolo uncorked a bomb to Emmanuel Sanders for 46 yards.

That allowed the 49ers to run it once with Tevin Coleman, then kneel to run the clock to three seconds. That set up Robbie Gould for a game-winning 33-yard field goal.

That’s Gould’s second game-winner at the buzzer this season, and it moved the 49ers to 12-3 to set up a showdown with the Seahawks for all the NFC West marbles in Seattle in Week 17.

WATCH: George Kittle is a monster, Robbie Gould wins it for 49ers

The 49ers got the ball back vs. the Saints with 53 seconds left. Then George Kittle took over and Robbie Gould capitalized.

The 49ers were finally on the right end of a last-second field goal. George Kittle dragged Saints defenders for 38 yards and got the 49ers into field goal range on a fourth-and-2 from their own 33. A facemask got the 49ers to the Saints’ 14-yard line.

That set up Robbie Gould for a 30-yard field goal, and the veteran stepped up and drilled it.

49ers injury report: Matt Breida back in practice, George Kittle out

The 49ers are getting healthier just in time to face their toughest road test of the year.

The 49ers opened practice for Week 13 with some mostly good injury news.

Kicker Robbie Gould was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, while running back Matt Breida was in action on a limited basis for the first time since hurting his ankle in Week 10 against the Seahawks.

Tight end George Kittle didn’t go Wednesday, but head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Kittle “definitely can’t go everyday with the stuff he’s got.”

He also said defensive end Dee Ford could still play Sunday even though he’s out of practice again with a hamstring injury that kept him inactive for last week’s game vs. Green Bay. The same goes for left tackle Joe Staley, who’s working through a surgically-repaired finger.

The next two days of practice should give a better indication of just how healthy the 49ers will be going into their showdown in Baltimore.

Here’s the full participation report from Wednesday:

Did not participate

DE Dee Ford (quad, hamstring)
TE George Kittle (knee, ankle)
T Joe Staley (finger)

Limited participation

RB Matt Breida (ankle)
WR Dante Pettis (knee)
WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder)
WR Emmanuel Sanders (ribs)

Full participation

K Robbie Gould (quad)
DT Jullian Taylor (jaw)

49ers could get 4 key players back for showdown with Ravens

The 49ers may get healthy just in time for their toughest test of the season.

The 49ers might be as healthy as they’ve been all year when they roll into Baltimore on Sunday for a showdown with MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday indicated in his press conference that left tackle Joe Staley, defensive end Dee Ford, running back Matt Breida and kicker Robbie Gould were all progressing well and game-time decisions.

That’s a much better prognosis than last week when it became clear early in the week that San Francisco would face the Packers without their four starters.

The 49ers have survived a slew of injuries thanks to some quality depth on their roster, but they’re not going to reach their peak until they’re at full strength. Getting Staley, Ford, Breida and Gould back would put San Francisco as close to peak health as they’ve been all season.

Staley had surgery a finger he dislocated and fractured against the Seahawks in Week 10. Breida aggravated an ankle injury that same game and hasn’t played since. Ford hurt his hamstring the following week against the Cardinals, and Gould injured his quad in practice leading up to the Seattle game.

Gould told Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area that he plans to play Sunday.

Ford’s return would come at a good time after Damontre Moore, who replaced Ronald Blair, broke his forearm Sunday night. San Francisco is suddenly thin at defensive end, and putting Ford back in the lineup would be a nice boost for the pass rush.

The offensive tackles also struggled Sunday night. Justin Skule, Staley’s backup, was pulled in the second quarter in favor of Daniel Brunskill. Staley’s return to the lineup to shore up Jimmy Garoppolo’s blind side would help the offense immensely.

Breida’s insertion back into the lineup would give the running game an element of explosiveness its been missing with him banged up. He’s a home run threat every time he touches the ball. While the 49ers’ other backs are talented, Breida is simply a different type of electric that helps power San Francisco’s rushing attack.

The 49ers won’t practice until Wednesday, at which point we’ll get a better idea of how close each of those players are. Shanahan’s update Monday is optimistic though, and that’s as good as they can hope for given how bad the injury situation has been to this point.

 

Marquise Goodwin a healthy scratch vs. Packers

The 49ers’ speedy wide receiver is a healthy scratch for Sunday Night Football.

There was a small surprise on the 49ers’ inactives list for Sunday night vs. the Packers. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin is a healthy scratch. George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders are all officially active.

Here’s the full list of inactives:

QB CJ Beathard
OT Joe Staley
RB Matt Breida
DE Dee Ford
K Robbie Gould
WR Marquise Goodwin
TE Levine Toilolo

Goodwin had a huge game last season vs. the Packers on Monday Night Football with four catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He won’t get a chance to replicate that effort this year.

Toilolo is also a healthy scratch. There was some speculation pregame that Gould would play when he was warming up well before kickoff, but the nature of his injury and position makes it tough to activate him unless he’s 100 percent healthy.

Last week the 49ers didn’t have much choice with their inactives given how injured they were, but they’re much healthier going into Sunday night, which allows them to sit Goodwin and Toilolo.

San Francisco elected to go deep at defensive line with Jullian Taylor and DJ Jones both active. They’ll also be deep at linebacker with Azeez Al-Shaair and Elijah Lee both active.

Here are the Packers inactives: