49ers kicker Robbie Gould deserves a Pro Bowl nod in 2018

Veteran San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, coming off being named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week, deserves a nod in the Pro Bowl after this season.

A perfect 5-of-5 field-goal line marked the day for San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould during the team’s 15-14 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 13.

If you didn’t watch the game and can do simple math, you’ll see Gould provided all the scoring offense for the Niners’ second win of 2017.

No wonder Gould was named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.

Included in those five field goals was the game winner — a 24-yard attempt — to give San Francisco the late lead with just four seconds remaining:

Have a day in Chicago, @RobbieGould09!!! #SFvsCHI pic.twitter.com/qiW5xvpOVt
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 3, 2017

“This one means a lot to me in a lot of different ways,” said Gould, the former Bears kicker, via 49ers.com. “I was pretty excited. To come in here and get a win like that and kick a game-winner, I don’t think I could have written that any better to be honest with you.”

Of course, this was just one game. And single games aren’t enough to justify a Pro Bowl selection, right?

True. But there are more than a few reasons to give Gould a nod this January.

Making a Case for Robbie Gould and the Pro Bowl

There are usually no more than two kickers assigned each season to the Pro Bowl, and some often go in as alternates.

But let’s first take a look at Gould’s season numbers in his first year with San Francisco:

Robbie Gould 2017 Kicking Table
				Game	0-19	0-19	20-2	20-2	30-3	30-3	40-4	40-4	50+	50+	Scor	Scor		Scor	Scor	Scor	Scor
Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	FGA	FGM	Lng	FG%	XPA	XPM	XP%
2017	35	SFO	K	12			5	4	8	8	13	12	2	2	28	26	52	92.9%	17	16	94.1%
Care	Care			188	2	2	94	93	112	101	120	91	33	25	361	312	58	86.4%	423	415	98.1%
11 y	11 y	CHI		166	2	2	86	86	101	90	103	75	31	23	323	276	58	85.4%	383	379	99.0%
1 yr	1 yr	NYG		10			3	3	3	3	4	4			10	10	47	100.0%	23	20	87.0%
1 yr	1 yr	SFO		12			5	4	8	8	13	12	2	2	28	26	52	92.9%	17	16	94.1%

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/6/2017.

Gould has missed just two field goals this season, one of which was blocked, but his 92.9 successful-conversion rate is tied for fourth with Miami Dolphins kicker Cody Parkey.

OK, not bad. But consider this — he’s made both of his attempts from 50-plus yards. Between 40 and 49 yards, Gould is 12-of-13. Only Tennessee Titans kicker Ryan Succop has more here (15), meaning Gould is tied with Los Angeles Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein, who is a perfect 12-of-12.

Zuerlein has a slightly better field-goal conversion percentage overall (94.7) and has missed just one extra-point attempt as well, albeit on more attempts (36). But if you want your primary competition, there you go.

More from Niner Noise

But if the ever-wise Pro Bowl selection process winds up adding two kickers, or Zuerlein backs out (the 9-3 Rams could push deep into the playoffs, after all), it’s almost impossible not to add Gould.

Gould has made the Pro Bowl once before back in 2006 with the Bears. This was the same season he was also named first-team All-Pro — a year he led the NFL in field goals (32) but had a lower conversion rate than what’s posted this season (88.9).

You can have a say in this, of course. All you need to do is head over and vote for your favorite players to make the Pro Bowl.

Next: Exclusive Niner Noise interview with 49ers DE Solomon Thomas

Go vote. And be sure to include Gould while you’re doing it!