With six field goals, victory over Titans is Gould-plated
Without any doubt now, Jimmy G is pretty special. But guess what? So is his swift kick of a sidekick, Robbie G.
The G-Men. Jimmy Garoppolo and Robbie Gould. The golden duo teamed up once again to keep the 49ers’ Express rolling on Sunday with a third straight victory, a 25-23 mettle-tester over a genuine playoff contender, the Tennessee Titans. This is getting serious, people, and isn’t that a kick in the pants go along with six blasts through the uprights?
Garoppolo, in his first Levi’s Stadium start, threw for 381 yards and engineered a sensational, almost magical final-minute drive. Fabulous, fabulous stuff. And Gould? With apologies to Ray Wersching, the veteran placekicker only had perhaps the greatest kicking day in franchise’s 71-year history.
As terrific as Garoppolo looked, it was Gould who pretty much saved the day with six field goals, with the climactic sixth coming from 45 yards out as time expired, touching off the wildest postgame celebration the 49ers have ever experienced at Levi’s.
OK, back to Wersching. Ol’ Ray did have a pretty big hand — er, foot — in winning Super Bowl XVI back in 1982, the franchise’s first NFL championship. He kicked four field goals in the 26-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and he had two momentum-turning squib kicks in that game as well. Slightly bigger stakes, no question.
Then again, three of Wersching’s field goals were chippies — 22, 26 and 23 yards. That’s not even extra-point distance in today’s NFL. His other field goal was from 40 yards out. But best day ever? Nah, we’ve got to go for Gould.
Gould’s field goals Sunday were from 38, 48, 28, 50, 48 and 45. And he made his only PAT, essentially a 33-yard field goal nowadays. To sustain the momentum of the 49ers’ season turnaround may not be the Super Bowl, but it’s setting a firm foundation for the future, which could ultimately lead to one.
Joe Staley doesn’t go back to Wersching’s day, but he’s been around for more than a decade with the 49res, and he’s never seen a better kicking day.
“No, I have not,” Staley said. “I thought the Chicago Bears game was pretty special for Robbie (when he made five field goals), but he one-upped it today. I kept on telling him after every kick, `God, you’re so good, you’re so good, you’re so good.’ He loves to hear that, you know. He loves himself.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan is still a young guy who’s been around some pretty stellar kickers, but he’s never seen a better game from one, either.
“Robbie’s playing as good as anyone I’ve ever had,” Shanahan said. “Whenever he goes out there, I never think he’s going to miss it. He’s been automatic. I just hope he’s not getting too fatigued. I wish I didn’t have to use him so much. I wish we were scoring touchdowns more, but the fact that every time we call on him, he makes it ... he’s been unbelievable this year.”
Gould has now made 20 field goals in a row after his 6 for 6 day. He has only two misses all season — a 47-yard wide right Oct. 15 at Washington and a 27-yarder that was blocked in Philadelphia on Oct. 29. He also missed an extra point way back in Week 3 against the Rams that’s still driving him nuts.
For the year, Gould stands at 36 for 38 on field goal tries. He’s made 15 field goals during this three-game winning streak, and he’s 14 for 14 for the season at Levi’s. But none were bigger in his mind than the one that closed out Sunday’s thrilling win. He’s had few bigger during his 13 years in the league.
“I had a lot of satisfaction, to be honest with you,” he said. “You want to play playoff football? You have to make every kick and every point count. My favorite part of making a kick like that is watching the other sideline go completely silent. I usually talk to myself before I get ready to kick those kicks just to get myself excited.”
Punter Bradley Pinion, who also serves as Gould’s holder, attested to the fact to Gould talks to himself before big kicks, and said he was jabbering away as he was lining up the angle for the game-winner.
“Yeah, I was sitting on the ground just listening to him, and he’s saying things like, `Finish it, finish it,’“Pinion said. “I know if he’s saying something to himself, all I have to is catch the ball and put it on the ground. He’s going to put it through every time. Even if I don’t get the laces right or something’s off, he can make a quick adjustment. But the greatest thing about Robbie -- he’s got a killer mentality.”
Gould claimed he didn’t feel all that much pressure going out for the final kick, even with so much riding on it.
“You don’t think about it,” he said. “Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you how long it was. I just trust the keys based on what I see, where I’m going to aim. And like I’ve said. The guys have been pretty special. This has been my favorite season I’ve ever played in 13 years. I know some people might say, well, your record is what it is. But there’s something to be said about the brick by brick that Kyle and (general manager) John (Lynch) and the organization are putting together. It’s pretty fun to watch it all kind of jell.”
Garoppolo, for one, knew he didn’t have to say anything to Gould as he went to finish the winning day.
“Absolutely not,” said the savior quarterback. “He’s in the zone. I know how that is. Just going out for the two-minute drill, we went and handled our business and he handled his. That’s what a good team does.”