49ers' kicker/punter Gould awarded NFC special teams player of week originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Robbie Gould was pressed into a greatly expanded role Sunday in the 49ers’ playoffs-clinching overtime victory against the Los Angles Rams.
On Wednesday, the NFL announced Gould was recognized as NFC special teams player of the week for his contributions as a kicker and punter in the 49ers' 27-24 victory in the regular-season finale.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Gould wins the player of the week award for the 10th time. He has also won special teams player of the month five times in his 17-year career.
In his usual role as the kicker, Gould made a 42-yard field goal with no time remaining in the first half to pull the 49ers to within 17-3. He also made the winning kick in overtime.
And he did it with fullback Kyle Juszczyk filling in as the holder after punter Mitch Wishnowsky sustained a concussion late in the first half.
Sports
Gould was called upon to punt, and he delivered. He averaged 45 yards on two punts with no return yardage in his first punts in an NFL game since 2007.
His 43-yard punt with no return after the two-minute warning was a big play. The 49ers’ defense held the Rams to a three-and-out, allowing Jimmy Garoppolo to march the team down the field for a touchdown. Gould’s extra point sent the game to overtime.
“Losing Mitch is an issue and they have a good punt returner and good return team,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said afterward. “Robbie hit that one, and we had that good roll. Robbie was huge.”
Gould also handled the kickoff chores, and the Rams did not start a possession past their own 25-yard line after any of his five kickoffs. He pinned the Rams to the 18 with his kickoff in overtime.
“He kicked off really well there at the end, making it much tougher for them to get that field goal at the end,” Shanahan said. “I was real proud of those guys.”
RELATED: 49ers overreactions: Three reasons Jimmy G unlikely to return
In 13 regular-season games, Gould made 20 of 23 field-goal attempts and 39 of 40 extra points.
He is the NFL’s active leader with 420 made field goals in his career and ranks seventh all-time in field-goal accuracy at 86.6 percent.
