Robbie Gould strained his left leg while warming up for the Bears loss to Minnesota. The injury limited him to extra points on Sunday. The Bears placed him on the season-ending injured reserve on Tuesday. They signed NFL veteran kicker Olindo Mare to replace him.
Gould has been the Bears' kicker since 2005, which was also the last year he missed a game. He is the fifth-most accurate field goal kicker among active NFL kickers with a percentage of 85.597. His steadiness has been one of the Bears' most consistent features under Lovie Smith.
Mare has played for four different teams over a 14-year career. He has a career field goal average of 81 percent, and will now be the oldest member of the team.
Gould wasn't the only player placed on injured reserve. Defensive backs Sherrick McManis and Craig Steltz were just also shut down for the season for injuries sustained on Sunday. Steltz suffered a chest injury while McManis injured his knee.
