Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers had a sweet ending to their second preseason game, as kicker Jake Moody nailed a 59-yard field goal as time expired to seal a 22-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend.
It was a busy day for Moody, who made five of his six field goal attempts, including the game-winner. Moody had makes from 30, 26, 50, 44, and 59 yards on the day, while his lone miss came from 53 yards.
Of course, the successful day came with some controversy as the kicker narrowly missed a 26-yard field goal to open up the second half, right after missing the 53-yard field goal. But, it was still a good day for the third-year pro and was hopefully a sign of things to come in 2025.
Earlier this offseason, Moody was battling for the starting job with veteran kicker Greg Joseph, but the 49ers released the latter before the preseason even started to add bodies at other positions. At that point, it wasn’t clear who was ahead in the battle, but some beat writers suggested that Joseph had been having a better camp with his accuracy.
In San Francisco’s first preseason game, Moody didn’t attempt a field goal, while making his lone extra point, so last weekend was his first major challenge. And special teams coach Brant Boyer believes it’s a major turning point for the kicker.
“It could change his career,” Boyer said of Moody’s 59-yard field goal. “It’s one of those kicks where, what I really liked about his response from the 52-yard miss, I believe. He showed a lot of character in that moment where he came back and hit two clutch ones. The one to tie it, and the one to win it. I think he showed the moxie he has and the confidence he’s starting to gain.
“I think it was critical for him. It was awesome to see the kid and how he rebounded in that moment. I think what’s even better is how his teammates reacted around him. I think that that is really cool. I think what a lot of people forget is that he was injured a lot last year, and he went through a tough time. Things like that happen in this league, and it’s a matter of how you respond. He faced some adversity and he dug himself out of it and he’s doing a really nice job.”
Boyer revealed that Moody has been around or over 90 percent on his kicks this offseason, while working with a new snapper (Jon Weeks) and punter (Thomas Morstead).
“I think he’s done a really good job,” the special teams coach said of his kicker. “I think he’s 90-plus percent since we’ve been here, and he’s responded well to the situations we put him in. We try to create situations for him, and I really think that the two veteran guys that are snapping and holding for him have helped him a bunch too. As a group,...
