Bears kicker Robbie Gould: ‘I just missed both of them’

SAN DIEGO – Kicker Robbie Gould had been the lone bright spot for the Bears’ special teams. He made his kicks, while the coverage units struggled.

That was until Monday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

Gould missed a 47-yard attempt on the Bears’ first possession and his 34-yard try in the third quarter hit the left upright. His misses loomed large until the Bears’ defense made a stand in the final minutes and held off the Chargers for 22-19 victory.

“Yeah, I just missed them,” Gould said. “I obviously didn’t play very well tonight. I didn’t do enough to help the team win. I’m just glad the guys played well and overcame the two field goals. I’ve got to do a better job.”

That’s three consecutive misses for Gould, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. He had made 17 in a row before missing a 51-yarder last week on his final try in the Bears’ loss against Vikings at Soldier Field.

Still, Monday night was an odd outing for Gould. He had missed two field goals in a game only twice in his career. On Dec. 1, 2013, Gould missed 66- and 47-yard attempts in a 23-20 overtime loss against the Vikings. He had arrived in Minneapolis that day, just hours after his wife gave birth to their first child.

Gould blamed only himself for his misses against the Chargers.

“I just missed both of them,” he said. “Here’s the thing: I got to make them. It’s what I’m going to do. You guys expect anything out of me other than that? I’ve got to make them. I have to do my job more for the team to be above the line to win at times. I didn’t do that tonight. Other guys played well. I didn’t do my job. That’s what it is. I didn’t play well.”

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