Gostkowski On Bounce-Back Game: 'No One's Harder On Themselves Than Me'
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots are going to need kicker Stephen Gostkowski, now as much as ever, to kick better and more consistently. No. 3 picked a good time to right the ship after a season filled with struggles.
Gostkowski was a perfect 6-for-6 kicking in the Patriots' 26-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, including 4-for-4 on field goals. He hit a 28-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the first half to put the Patriots up 17-0, and followed that up with a 48-yard kick then two straight 45-yarders.
It was Gostkowski's first game without a missed kick since Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks. He missed an extra point in Week 11 at the San Francisco 49ers and then missed a 39-yard field goal try in Week 12 at the New York Jets.
Gostkowski has been a tough self-critic through his curious struggles kicking the ball, which has somewhat been a reflection of issues for kickers across the NFL. Gostkowski has always been tough on himself, but has never lacked confidence.
"It's sometimes stubborn to a fault. As long as I'm out there and getting a chance to play, I expect to do well," Gostkowski told reporters after the game. "No one is harder on themselves than me when I do bad and I don't plan on changing anytime soon."
The Patriots offense will be much less explosive without Rob Gronkowski, especially in the red zone. It will be up to Gostkowski to make sure he continues to make the kicks he's supposed to make, if and when the offense stalls out - which hasn't always been the case for him in 2016.
It also won't get any easier with the temperatures dropping and the threat of snow looming in the Northeast. Gostkowski sounded prepared to adjust to the coming changes.
"When you play in New England you can have cold weather, hot weather, windy weather, or snow," said Gostkowski. "It's a daily change out there and it's not a climate controlled environment so you're fine-tuning every day. Your body feels different, but you're going to go through all that during a long season so it's no different from any other season I've had."
The Patriots will have to hope that Gostkowski can keep it going after Sunday's perfect day. But as the kicker himself said, "It's a start."
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
