No panic from Bears Coach Fox on Gould's FG slump

In his 11-year career, Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould has never experienced a slump as severe as the one in which he currently finds himself.

Gould has missed five of his last 14 field-goal attempts, including misfires from 40 and 36 yards in the second half during Sunday's overtime home loss to San Francisco, the second of which would have won the game in regulation.

Gould began the season by connecting on his first 17 attempts but is now 26-for-31. The only season in his career in which Gould missed more than five field-goal tries was his rookie year (2001), when he missed six of 27.

But coach John Fox isn't panicking, noting that Gould was good from 40 and 51 yards in the first half.

"It's like any player, or any evaluation process," Fox said. "I watched him kick a couple pretty good kicks (Sunday) as well."

"It's like missing a block. It's like missing a pass. It's like dropping a ball, giving up an explosive pass. You go back to work and try and get better and perfect your craft. You move on to the next one."

Gould assures everyone that the sky is not falling, but he has been working hard on "some technical things" to get back on track.

"I did about 30 balls on Monday, which I have never done in my career," he said. "I watched a lot of film trying to correct some of the mistakes I've made. (Wednesday) went well. I know how to do my job on Sundays. I just have to bounce back and have a good game."

Despite his slump, Gould is still the ninth-most-accurate FG kicker in NFL history with an 85.4 percent success rate. He's third in league history with a 75 percent accuracy rate from 50 yards or farther.

"I'm pretty confident going out there and doing my job on Sundays," he said. "This is something that I know how to rebound (from). I'm glad I have great teammates, great coaches, great owners and an organization that have been very supportive since Sunday.

"There are guys that have been former teammates five years ago that are texting me. So you get up the next morning, lift, go to work, do it like you normally have and just focus a little bit more to do your job."

Health beat:

Wide receiver Eddie Royal returned to practice on a limited basis for the first time since he suffered a knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 1.

Tight end Zach Miller (ribs), linebackers Shea McClellin (ankle) and Sam Acho (shoulder) and cornerback Tracy Porter (ankle) also were limited.

Wide receiver Marquess Wilson (foot), linebacker Pernell McPhee (knee) and safety Antrel Rolle (knee) did not practice.

Extra points:

Over the last six weeks, Jeremy Langford has more yards from scrimmage (533) than any NFL rookie.

The fourth-round pick from Michigan State has 323 rushing yards and 210 receiving yards. Langford had 7 catches for 109 yards in Week 10, a franchise record for a rookie running back. …

Jimmy Graham and Greg Olsen are the only tight ends with more catches (219) since 2013 than the 208 by Martellus Bennett, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve (ribs) Tuesday.