What Gould jokingly claims Ramsey said during brief skirmish originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
INGLEWOOD — The rivalry between the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams exists in all phases of the game, even on special teams, as was seen in Sunday’s 31-14 49ers win at SoFi Stadium.
Rarely does a kicker get into a physical altercation with an opposing team member, but it was nothing new to Robbie Gould, who squared off with Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey after a point-after attempt.
Ramsey seemed to purposely “bump” into Gould, who then had some words for the cornerback. Ramsey came back and put both hands on the 49ers kicker and gave a shove that caught the attention of the referee, but no flag was thrown.
“It’s just a rivalry game,” Gould said after the game. “I think everyone understands the significance of it. I think he asked me for my jersey for Christmas, probably. That’s probably the easiest thing to say in those situations, but we won and move on to the next.”
Long snapper Taylor Pepper shared that this wasn’t the first time Ramsey added a little extra physicality after a kicking attempt. The 49ers’ special teams group knows exactly how to handle the situation.
“After last year I was told to not intervene so we could get a penalty,” Pepper said. “We know who Jalen is. We know all those guys. It’s a rivalry game in the NFL. It’s going to get chippy, it’s going to get lots of words exchanged, and poke little buttons here and there.”
Gould, who dealt with a knee contusion after tackling a returner in the 49ers’ Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, is not afraid of a little physicality in games.
“I think any rivalry game that’s kind of what it is,” Gould said. “It’s physical, it’s chippy, you respect them for what they’ve been able to do but at the end of the day everyone here is trying to win a Super Bowl.”
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The 49ers have now swept the Rams in their two-game season series and sit one game behind the Seattle Seahawks in the division. The importance of coming away from Los Angeles with a win was critical.
While Pepper understands that the competition between the two teams has manifested in all phases of the game, he is surprised that Gould has been a specific target of Ramsey.
“Not against a kicker, but it’s kind of badass of you ask me,” Pepper said. “I like it. But I stay out of it now. I just supervise and if it gets out of hand I’ll step in, but we’re trying to get a penalty if he does that again.”