NFL Player News

Zuerlein missed his only field-goal attempt and made his only official PAT try in Sunday's 37-15 loss to the Steelers.

Zuerlein's 35-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter was blocked, keeping the Jets' deficit at the time at eight points. He also had a PAT blocked, but that play was erased by a penalty on the Steelers, and the Jets subsequently opted to go for two. The Jets' margin for error is nearly nonexistent at 2-5, and Zuerlein's inaccuracy has been a major factor in two of those losses, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Jets look for alternatives prior to a Week 8 trip to New England. The veteran kicker has made only eight of 13 field-goal attempts this season, with no successful kicks from beyond 40 yards.

Fairbairn converted all three field-goal attempts and his lone extra-point kick in Sunday's 24-22 loss to Green Bay in Week 7.

Fairbairn made kicks from 23, 35 and 52 yards in the loss and is 16-of-18 field-goal attempts through seven contests. The Texans went for two points after one of their two touchdowns, but Fairbairn was able to post double-digit scoring for a third consecutive game and the fifth time in seven weeks.

Bates made his only field-goal attempt while going 4-for-4 on extra-point opportunities in Sunday's 31-29 win over the Vikings.

Bates did not attempt a field goal until the final moments of the contest, nailing a game-winning 44-yarder with 15 seconds left in Minnesota. The kicker is a perfect 10-for-10 on field-goal tries this season while also making 20 of 21 PATs over six games in 2024. Bates will look to keep it up when Detroit welcomes the Titans to Ford Field in Week 8.

Hopkins missed his lone field-goal attempt and only extra-point kick in Sunday's 21-14 loss to Cincinnati in Week 7.

Hopkins was wide left on a 49-yard field goal attempt and missed left on the extra-point try. He had a strong season for the Browns last year, but things haven't gone as smoothly for the placekicker or the Browns' offense in 2024. Hopkins has missed five kicks in seven games, the same number of misses over 15 games last season.

Pineiro converted on his lone extra-point attempt in Sunday's 40-7 loss to the Commanders.

Pineiro saw just one opportunity to kick in Sunday's blowout loss, and this could become a recurring theme with the Panthers' recent offensive struggles. The 29-year-old has now made all 11 of his point-after tries and nine of his 10 field-goal attempts through Carolina's first seven games. He's expected to continue being reliable; however, it's unclear how many kicking opportunities he'll have in Week 8, when the Panthers travel to Denver.

Grupe connected on his only field-goal attempt and his only extra-point try during Thursday's 33-10 loss versus Denver.

The Saints' offense struggled due to starting quarterback Derek Carr being sidelined for the second week in a row. New Orleans scored 27 points during the second quarter of last week's loss to Tampa Bay, but it's scored just 10 points in seven other quarters over the last two games. Nevertheless, Grupe has converted all 11 of his field-goal tries through seven contests this season, and his only misses have come on two of 20 PATs. Grupe will look to remain perfect from the field when the Saints take on the Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 27.

The 49ers placed Wright (shoulder/back) on injured reserve Saturday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Wright injured his shoulder and back in Week 6 against the Seahawks as he stepped in as the starting placekicker for Jake Moody (ankle). Anders Carlson was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, and he is expected to be the 49ers' placekicker for as long as Wright and Moody are sidelined. Wright must miss at least the next four games, and the earliest he could return is Week 12 against the Packers on Nov. 24.

Carlson was elevated to the active roster Saturday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

This was presumed with the injuries to both Jake Moody (ankle) and Matthew Wright (shoulder/back) in consecutive weeks. Carlson was one of the league's worst kickers during the 2023 regular season in terms of extra-point conversion (34 of 39), and he also missed six of his 13 field-goal attempts from 40-plus yards out for the Packers. It'll be interesting to see if the second-year kicker can correct those issues with his second lease on life in the NFL.

The 49ers are expected to elevate Carlson from the practice squad Saturday in advance of Sunday's contest against the Chiefs, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

San Francisco lost Jake Moody to a right high-ankle sprain Week 5 and Matthew Wright to shoulder and back injuries Week 6. The former is in line to miss about one month, while the latter is slated to be placed on injured reserve Saturday, setting up Carlson to be the team's placekicker Sunday and likely a few more contests after that. A sixth-round pick of the Packers in 2023, Carlson got just one campaign as the regular kicker in Green Bay due to frequent misses (27-for-33 on FGAs, 34-for-39 on PATs in 17 regular-season games) and didn't win a job battle out of training camp. He'll have a chance to bounce back working in conjunction with the 49ers offense.

Wright (shoulder/back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game versus the Chiefs.

Working in place of Jake Moody (ankle) in Week 6 at Seattle, Wright emerged from the game with shoulder and back injuries that didn't allow him to practice Wednesday through Friday. Per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers are expected to place Wright on injured reserve Saturday and subsequently elevate Anders Carlson from the practice squad. Considering Moody is expected to be out about one month, Carlson presumably will get a few chances to serve as the 49ers' regular placekicker.