Saints' Blake Grupe: Logs one field-goal try Week 7
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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.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Converts two FGAs in Week 6
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Grupe connected on both field-goal attempts and was 3-for-3 on point-after tries during Sunday's 51-27 defeat versus Tampa Bay.
Grupe saw his workload bump back up after attempting just one field goal over the previous two contests. The second-year kicker hit field-goal tries of 42 and 29 yards in the second quarter, and he's now converted all 10 of his FGAs and all but two of his 19 PATs through the first six games of the season. Grupe and the Saints' offense will look to put up another strong outing versus the Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Misses second PAT versus Chiefs
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Grupe converted on 1-for-2 point-after tries during Monday's 26-13 loss against Kansas City.
Grupe did not attempt a field goal for the first time this season, and he missed a PAT for just the second time. The second-year kicker has now logged just four field-goal tries since Week 1. After rolling to back-to-back blowout wins to start the season, the Saints' offense has sputtered over the past three games. This only figures to get worst with quarterback Derek Carr expected to miss multiple weeks due to an oblique injury sustained Monday night. Grupe will hope to see more opportunities during next week's game versus the Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 13.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Logs full practice Friday
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Grupe (right hip) practiced in full Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Considering Grupe followed up Thursday's absence with no practice limitations at all one day later, the DNP likely was for maintenance purposes. He's now set to handle place-kicking duties for the Saints on Monday at Kansas City, which so far has amounted to 8-for-8 on field-goal attempts and 13-for-14 on point-after tries through four games.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Sits out practice Thursday
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Grupe was held out of Thursday's practice due to a right hip injury.
Grupe ranks fifth among NFL kickers with at least three appearances at 9.3 points per game, which is powered by 8-for-8 on field-goal attempts and 13 of 14 point-after tries. He now has a health concern in tow, though, leaving his status up in the air ahead of Monday's game in Kansas City. The Saints have a kicker in Charlie Smyth on the practice squad, so there's a contingency plan in place in the event Grupe isn't able to suit up Week 5.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Perfect on kicking attempts Week 4
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Grupe nailed his only field-goal attempt and all three of his extra-point tries during Sunday's 26-24 defeat versus Atlanta.
Grupe has now converted all nine of his field-goal attempts through the first four games of the season. His only miss this year came on a blocked PAT during a 44-19 win against the Cowboys in Week 2. The second-year kicker is off to a good start after he went 30-for-37 on field-goal tries over 17 games last season. He'll look to keep it up during next week's road matchup against the Chiefs on Monday, Oct. 7.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Hits two FGs in Sunday's loss
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Grupe went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts during Sunday's 15-12 loss to the Eagles.
Grupe connected on field-goal tries of 34 and 38 yards to remain perfect through the first three games of the season. The 5-foot-7 kicker didn't get any point-after tries Week 3, as the Saints came up short on a two-point conversion attempt following their lone touchdown of the game. Grupe has been one of the NFL's most productive kickers thanks to the Saints' high-scoring offense over the first two games of the year. This unit will look to get back on track during next Sunday's road matchup versus the division-rival Falcons.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Has one PAT blocked Sunday
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Grupe nailed his only field goal attempt and five of six extra-point tries during Sunday's 44-19 victory versus the Cowboys.
Grupe's lone miss came when his extra-point attempt was blocked following the Saints' final touchdown of the game. The 26-year-old recovered with a 26-yard field goal for the final score of the game late in the fourth quarter. Through two games, Grupe has gone 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts while converting all but one of his 11 PATs. He could have another productive outing if the Saints' offense continues to roll during next Sunday's home matchup versus the Eagles.
Saints' Blake Grupe: Nails all four field-goal tries
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Grupe was 4-for-4 field-goal attempts and 5-for-5 on point-after tries during Sunday's 47-10 victory against the Panthers.
Grupe showed out with four made field-goal attempts that all came from 39 yards or beyond. This included a career-long 57-yarder in the first quarter, followed by a 44-yarder and a 52-yarder in the second quarter. Across 17 regular-season games in 2023, the second-year pro out of Notre Dame went 30-for-37 on field-goal tries and only 14-for-19 on attempts of 40 or more yards. Therefore, Grupe going 3-for-3 on such attempts Sunday is an encouraging sign for his production moving forward this season. He'll look to remain perfect during next Sunday's road matchup in Dallas.
Grupe went 1-for-1 on field-goal attempts and converted his lone PAT in Sunday's 16-10 preseason loss to the 49ers.
Grupe hit a 52-yarder early in the third quarter, and he now gone 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 2-for-2 on point-after tries this preseason. The second-year kicker also went back to handling almost the entirety of the Saints' kicking duties after first-year player Charlie Smyth hit the game-winning field-goal attempt in the team's preseason opener. While the latter kicker handled New Orleans' first kickoff of the second quarter, his scant usage seems to indicate that there isn't a legitimate kicking competition going on here this preseason. The Saints will wrap up their preseason schedule this coming Sunday with a final exhibition against the Titans.
Saints' Blake Grupe: Converts 30 field goals and 40 PATs
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Grupe knocked through 30 of 37 field-goal attempts and all 40 of his point-after-tries in 17 games during the 2023 season.
Grupe hit two field-goal tries and all six PATs during the Saints' regular-season finale, thus wrapping up his rookie campaign with six straight made field goals. The undrafted product out of Notre Dame won New Orleans' starting kicker job over veteran Wil Lutz this preseason, and, while the rookie was far from perfect, he made a solid impression with 70 total kicking conversions. He also went 16-for-18 on field-goal tries of 39 yards or less. Grupe will look to improve his consistency as a long-range kicker during the 2024 season.
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Saints' Blake Grupe: Perfect in Week 17 win
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Grupe converted on 3-for-3 field-goal attempts and 2-for-2 point-after tries during Sunday's 23-13 victory over Tampa Bay.
Grupe made a significant impact for the first time since the Week 12 loss to Atlanta. The rookie out of Notre Dame went just 1-for-2 on field-goal tries over the previous four contests, but he converted three field goals of 28 to 45 yards Week 17. Grupe also remained perfect on his 33rd and 34th PATs of the season, and he has now converted 28 of 35 field-goal tries over the first 16 games of his career. He'll look to finish his rookie season strong when the Saints vie for a potential playoff spot with a Week 18 win versus Atlanta.
Grupe was 2-for-2 on point-after tries during Thursday's 30-22 defeat versus the Rams.
Grupe did not have much on his shoulders Week 16, as the Saints crossed into the red zone only once during Thursday's loss. New Orleans also fell behind 17-7 at halftime, and this ballooned out to a 30-7 deficit early in the fourth quarter. These combined factors likely affected Grupe's chances for any field-goal tries. The undrafted rookie has now gone a perfect 32-for-32 on PATs this season. He'll look for more field-goal opportunities during the Week 17 divisional matchup versus Tampa Bay.
