Robbie Gould's Kicking Woes Could Cost the 49ers Down the Line

It has been a less than ideal first six games for 49ers kicker Robbie Gould. His kicking woes could cost the 49ers down the line in close game situations.

When the San Francisco 49ers placed the franchise tag on kicker Robbie Gould they thought they were retaining one of the best kickers in the NFL. Gould only missed one field goal attempt in 2018 finishing 33-of-34. It felt like a no-brainer to keep Gould off the market as a 49er. 

Well so far through six games, he has been atrocious. 

Gould is 12-of-19 on the year and has missed at least one field goal attempt in five of the games this season. Robbie Gould’s kicking woes could cost the 49ers down the line. Each and every game that passes he is proving to be unreliable. It is almost getting to the point where the 49ers are better off going for it on fourth down. 

Considering he is being paid as the second highest at his position, this is outright unacceptable. Gould spent all offseason holding out and complaining to be released, yet is missing an attempt almost every game. I understand that some of his kicks have been an issue with the snap since there has been a revolving door at he long snapper position. 

But that is why he is getting paid the big bucks. He is supposed to be good enough to get around that hump. Robbie Gould’s kicking woes is a major red flag for the 49ers. There is going to be a game down the line where they have to depend on him to make a field goal in close game situation. 

I doubt that Kyle Shanahan feels confident enough to roll him out there for the attempt. Thankfully for the 49ers’ sake they haven’t had to be in a situation where they needed Gould to make a clutch field goal. However, the 49ers are an elite team. They are bound to be in a close game situation eventually.

On a positive note, there is still time for Robbie Gould to hit his stride and regain his form. To make matters better for him, Long snapper Kyle Nelson is returning to the 49ers after serving a 10 game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Nelson has been the 49ers’ long snapper since 2014, so he has the experience and familiarity with Robbie Gould. 

His return also means that the excuse of the snap being a reason for Gould’s misses will be invalid. It all starts Sunday against the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s stadium. Robbie Gould needs to get out of his slump and end his kicking woes.