Tag: Stephen Gostkowski

Tennessee Titans’ Week 3 Player of the Game: Stephen Gostkowski

The Titans got a huge contribution from Stephen Gostkowski in Week 3.

By the skin of their teeth, the Tennessee Titans pulled off a miraculous victory in Minnesota, led by kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

The former New England Patriot — whom many were ready to write off after a dreadful Week 1 performance in Denver — was a perfect 6-for-6 today, including a game-winning 55-yard field goal with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter.

Furthermore, it was Gostkowski who kept the Titans in the game for much of this contest, as the offense routinely stalled on drives throughout. In fact, Tennessee’s first 12 points came off the foot of its veteran kicker.

Gostkowski hit three of his field goals from 50 or more yards, an impressive feat for any kicker, let alone one coming off hip surgery.

After missing three field goals and two extra points in the first two weeks, a 100-percent hit rate today showed Gostkowski’s “yips” could be behind him and the Titans can rightly have confidence in him moving forward.

Through three weeks, Gostkowski’s nine field-goal makes are already more than the collective of misfits the Titans paraded at kicker in 2019.

With the Titans playing close games in each of their first three contests, having confidence at the kicker position in 2020 is nothing short of a luxury.

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Titans’ Stephen Gostkowski reacts to game-winning FG in Week 2

Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski reacted to his game-winner from Week 2.

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Tennessee Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski once again found himself needing to make a kick near the end of regulation to win a game in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and once again the veteran delivered.

Gostkowski’s 49-yard field goal proved to be the game-winner, and it was one of two long kicks he made on the afternoon.

The other make came from 51 yards out at the end of the first half and only happened because the Jags botched a squib kick, which was ultimately a crucial mistake in the contest.

The only downside of Gostkowski’s day was a missed extra point, but that was overshadowed by his two long makes and some booming kickoffs that resulted in touchbacks.

Gostkowski, who was given a vote of confidence from head coach Mike Vrabel after his horrid showing in Week 1 where he missed three field goals and an extra point, was just happy to come through for his teammates.

“It was a great situation to be put in,” Gostkowski said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “To get a chance to win at the end of the game, that’s what you practice for. Luckily we were able to come through today. It’s exciting to get the win and get the Titans to 2-0.”

While we can’t say the Titans’ field goal unit is out of the woods quite yet after just one good game from Gostkowski, things are certainly moving in the right direction.

Keys to the game: Jaguars vs. Titans

Here’s a look at four things the Titans must do to secure the victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars this week.

The Tennessee Titans may be 1-0 heading into Sunday’s matchup with the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars, but put plainly, the way they pulled out the 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos was sloppy.

There’s plenty of fixing to do as the team looks to remain undefeated in their home opener.

Here’s a look at four things the Titans must do to get the victory over the Jags.

Feed Derrick Henry

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Good things happen when you give Derrick Henry the ball… period. This especially applies to the Jaguars, because, well, Henry has absolutely owned them in the past.

Henry rushed for 116 yards last week, and could post another performance of over 100 yards this week against Jacksonville.

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Vic Fangio explains decision to not call timeouts late vs. Titans

Broncos coach Vic Fangio could have saved as much as 44 seconds with a timeout against the Titans on ‘Monday Night Football.’

Leading the Titans 14-13 late in Monday’s game, Broncos coach Vic Fangio decided to preserve the team’s timeouts instead of attempting to stop the clock when Tennessee was driving for a go-ahead score.

With 1:33 remaining in the game, Derrick Henry rushed for 13 yards down to Denver’s 16-yard line. The clock ticked all the way down to 0:49 before the Titans ran another play.

After another run, Tennessee called a timeout and then Henry ran out of bounds. After that, the Titans had an incomplete pass. Before those plays clocked the stop, though, the Broncos allowed 44 seconds to burn off the clock.

Fangio was asked to explain his decision after the game.

“It was two-fold,” Fangio said. “One, their field goal kicker obviously had been having his problems so I didn’t want to extend the drive where they could get closer.

“Number two, we would have used a timeout, but we got the running back out of bounds. We would have used a second timeout, but they threw an incompletion which would have given us one when we got the ball back so that was part of the thinking there.”

Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed two field goals, had a field goal blocked and missed an extra point leading up to that drive. When it mattered most, he converted a 25-yard field goal to take the lead.

Fangio seemingly implied that he didn’t stop the clock in part because he didn’t trust Gostkowski to convert a field goal. That turned out to be a costly gamble.

“With this close of a game you can’t expect him to miss them all,” Broncos defensive lineman Jurrell Casey said after the loss. “They drove down there and got in good field position for him and he capitalized when they needed him to make it the most.”

After the Titans converted the late field goal, Denver got the ball back with 17 seconds. Had the Broncos called a timeout after Henry’s 13-yard rush, the team could have gotten the ball back with as much as 61 seconds, possibly enough time to get within field goal range for kicker Brandon McManus.

Instead, Denver’s offense only managed to get to the 43-yard line before running out of time, losing 16-14 at home in Week 1.

Fangio has come under scrutiny for his clock management as the Broncos’ coach, rightfully so. He needs to get better in that area of coaching if Denver is going to turn these heartbreaking defeats into close victories.

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Twitter recap of Broncos’ 16-14 loss to Titans

The Denver Broncos led 14-13 with 17 seconds left. Then Tennessee Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski hit a 25-yard field goal for a 16-14 win.

In front of empty nearly stands due to coronavirus health precautions, the Denver Broncos lost to the Tennessee Titans 16-14 in Week 1, breaking a seven-game home-opening win streak. Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski was terrible until he hit the game-winning field goal with 17 seconds left to play. Here’s a Twitter recap of the game.

 

For the Broncos’ first scoring drive of the season, tight end Noah Fant caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Lock. The drive was 10 plays for 63 yards. Kicker Brandon McManus made the extra point kick.

 

https://twitter.com/FTBeard1/status/1305720977221853184?s=20

Running back Melvin Gordon made a one-yard touchdown run, with McManus kicking the extra point. The scoring drive was nine plays for 75 yards.

This field goal brings Gostkowski’s NFL career total to 375.

Left offensive tackle Garret Bolles played well throughout the game, showing progress by not committing a holding penalty. Fant was effective during the first half with five catches for 81 yards and one touchdown. Lock  also played well, throwing 22-33 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown. Gordon’s debut as a Bronco yielded 14 carries for 78 yards and one touchdown.

But losses of starters linebacker Von Miller, receiver Courtland Sutton, running back Phillip Lindsay, and cornerback A.J. Bouye before and during the game left the Broncos shorthanded, especially in the fourth quarter.

Next week, the Broncos have an away game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It should be a challenge for this young squad.

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Stephen Gostkowski’s disastrous night ended with Titans game-winner, amazing quotes

What a roller-coaster ride.

For 14 years, Stephen Gostkowski was the most dependable of kickers for the New England Patriots, the heir to legend Adam Vinatieri.

Now, he’s a member of the Tennessee Titans, and in their opening game of the season — an eventual 16-14 win over the Denver Broncos — he had a rare awful game in which he eventually redeemed himself.

In the first quarter, he missed from 47 yards out. With eight seconds to go in the second, he had a 44-yarder blocked. Midway through the third, an attempt from 42 yards was wide left. And early in the fourth, after a Jonnu Smith touchdown catch, he missed a point after try.

But all was redeemed in the end when he hit this chip shot — which must have not felt that way for him — from 25 yards out with 17 seconds to go:

Gostkowski made the wrong kind of personal history on Monday night:

But he’s still clutch!

At one point during his awful night, he took off his sock and shoe. Here’s why, via NFL.com:

“When I’ve been practicing in the summer, I practiced without socks all summer and then I started putting ’em on,” Gostkoswki said. “I mean, I would’ve taken my pants off to make that last kick, to try something different. I wasn’t doing very well, I had to switch something up, maybe just for mental sake. You know, just kind of a weird quirk I guess.”

And I love head coach Mike Vrabel’s quote about it:

“It’s like sitting there and being like, well it’s been red 10 times on roulette so I’m gonna bet black because it’s been red 10 times and it doesn’t work that way,” Vrabel said. “I just felt like we were gonna be able to make the field goal and that was the right play. That’s the proper way to approach it and everybody did their job on the last one.”

Will Vrabel trust him again after this week? Stay tuned.

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Titans’ Stephen Gostkowski ’embarrassed’ with Week 1 performance

Stephen Gostkowski was disappointed in his Week 1 performance, but the Titans remain confident in their kicker.

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The Tennessee Titans saw the same problem from last year rear its ugly head in the Week 1 contest against the Denver Broncos, as kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed three field goals (one was blocked) and an extra point.

Normally you don’t want to get crazy after just one game, but the Titans are coming off a season in which they had the worst field goal unit in the NFL, so immediately panicking is a perfectly justifiable reaction.

Thankfully, when the Titans needed a clutch kick to win the game late in regulation, Gostkowski was able to deliver.

The 36-year-old was just happy to get the opportunity to redeem himself, but was disappointed in his performance nonetheless, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“It’s definitely an opportunity I didn’t deserve, but grateful I got it for the team,” Gostkowski said. “The guys that went out there and busted their butt, I really put them in a tough spot – you don’t always get that lucky to get a chance to redeem yourself. I am just happy the guys got to celebrate.

“I am disappointed in myself, and embarrassed and frustrated. But at the end of the day we won, and luckily guys are happy going home.”

Gostkowski also joked that he “would have taken my pants off to make that last kick to try something different” in response to a question about removing his sock during the game.

As you’d expect, head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t ready to give up on his kicker and former teammate just yet.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill echoed that sentiment.

Clearly the Titans are going to give Gostkowski more opportunities to get himself straightened out, especially with his track record and given the fact that he wasn’t the only one apparently shaking off rust.

However, he was brought in to stabilize Tennessee’s kicking game, and so far he has failed miserably at that.

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Stephen Gostkowski saves Titans after atrocious kicking night

Stephen Gostkowski was about be out of a job and a goat and then he kicked a game-winning field goal for the Titans.

What could be more 2020 than kicking a game-winning field goal and likely losing your job?

That’s the situation Tennessee Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski finds himself in after Monday’s 16-14 victory over the Broncos in Denver.

Gostkowski, a great kicker for the New England Patriots until injured last year, missed his first three field-goal attempts and an extra point before hitting the game-winner from 25 yards with 17 seconds to go.

Gostkowski missed three kicks early last season against Miami, two PATs and a field goal in a 43-0 victory. However, this was a national-TV calamity until the end.

A cool moment before the game-winning kick saw his former Patriot teammate, DB Malcolm Butler, come over and give the shaken kicker a pat and some kind words.

Kicking woes are not new for Tennessee, which managed to hit a total of eight field goals in 2019 while using roster five kickers at different times of the season.

What was bizarre on the Denver sidelines was Coach Vic Fangio failing to use his timeouts to preserve clock for his offense if Tennessee scored. And, then in a total stunner, he failed to call one to try and freeze Gostkowski.

Gostkowski has New England heritage like Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Not sure those ties that bind will be enough to keep him employed in Tennessee after the struggles.

 

Contract details for Titans’ deal with K Stephen Gostkowski

How much are the Titans paying Stephen Gostkowski in 2020?

On Thursday morning, the Tennessee Titans announced that they had agreed to terms with kicker Stephen Gostkowski — and now we know what the contract entails.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Gostkowski’s deal is for one year and is worth $2.75 million, but can go as high as $3.25 million if he hits incentives based on field goal percentage.

Per Over the Cap, Gostkowski’s contract ranks 15th among NFL kickers based on annual average. Not a bad deal for a kicker who has been one of the elite players at his position during his 14-year career.

Signing the 36-year-old was a move the Titans had to make.

After seeing lackluster performances from kickers Greg Joseph and Tucker McCann during their training camp competition and coming off a season in which Tennessee had the worst field goal unit in the NFL, the Titans needed to shore up the position with a more experienced option.

Gostkowski certainly qualifies as such. After all, he has made several big kicks in huge spots during his career and his 87.4 percent success rate ranks fifth in league history.

The Titans will get their first look at Gostkowski in a real game when Tennessee heads to Denver to take on the Broncos in the season-opener on Sept. 14 at Empower Field at Mile High.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel explains Stephen Gostkowski signing

Vrabel says his relationship with Gostkowski had nothing to do with the signing.

The Tennessee Titans made a big signing on Thursday morning with the addition of veteran kicker Stephen Gostkowski, which led to the team also waiving fellow kicker, Greg Joseph.

Normally, you wouldn’t make a huge deal about an addition at kicker, but the Titans had the worst field goal unit in the NFL last season and Gostkowski was the best option available to shore up the position thanks to his vast experience, which is something the Titans were lacking at kicker.

Before practice on Thursday, head coach Mike Vrabel explained why the Titans decided to go ahead and sign Gostkowski, which was a no-brainer and a move that speaks for itself.

Vrabel also stated that the veteran’s kickoffs looked good during his tryout. That’s important to note because the Titans struggled to achieve touchbacks in 2019.

Prior to nabbing the former New England Patriot, the Titans had a major question mark at the position. The two players vying for the starting role, Joseph and Tucker McCann, both lacked experience and weren’t exactly shining during training camp.

Even though neither player will earn the starting job now, it’s possible one of them end up on the practice squad after final cuts are made, as Vrabel hinted the Titans could carry a second kicker.

It would certainly make sense for the Titans to carry a second kicker as an insurance policy after all the struggles of last season, especially with the practice squad rosters being expanded to 16 players.

Joseph would be the favorite to get the nod there if he passes through waivers.

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