Phil Dawson Flattered by Teammates' Reaction to 400th Field Goal

SANTA CLARA – The fact Phil Dawson was called upon at all to kick a field goal in the first quarter was a disappointment for the 49ers, who had a first-and-goal situation at the 3-yard line.

But Carlos Hyde’s 4-yard loss and an 8-yard sack of Colin Kaepernick’s pushed the ball back for Dawson to attempt the equivalent these days of an extra point.

But there was something special about this 33-yard kick. Dawson split the uprights, and long-snapper Kyle Nelson broke into a sprint into the end zone to retrieve the ball out of the net.

Dawson was greeted by a number of his teammates, who came off the sideline to congratulate him on his 400th field goal of his 18-year career.

“I’ve always tried to be just one of the guys on the team,” Dawson said. “I never wanted to be the weird kicker that did his own thing. To have that kind of reception means a lot to me given my efforts through the years. I try to be a football player and just go kick the ball on fourth down, so I’ll remember that for a long time.”

Dawson ranks No. 10 on the all-time list of made field goals. The Raiders’ Sebastian Janikowski enters Monday’s game with 401 career field goals.

Said Dawson, “Obviously he’s doing great and climbing the charts himself. It’s nice to have a little active competition.”

Jason Elam, whose final season was in 2009, is next on the list at No. 8 with 436.

Dawson’s milestone provided the 49ers with their first points in a game they would drop, 30-17, to the New England Patriots on a rainy day at Levi’s Stadium.

“In a team game it’s hard to feel good about individual accomplishments,” Dawson said. “Probably when it’s all said and done and I’m no longer a member of the team, I’ll enjoy it a little more. My focus today was not on the 400 but trying to help this team win the game and we came up short in that area.”
 

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