49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan heaped praise on his kicker Jake Moody after the preseason victory.
“I think that was a hell of a day for him,” Shanahan told reporters in his postgame press conference, per Kirk Larrabee. “I thought he kicked his a** off and gives us a lot of confidence.”
Moody connected on five field goals, accounting for most of the 49ers’ 22 points. He drilled a 59-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. It is his longest field goal of his career.
“It was a great operation, great snap, great hold,” Moody said about the game-winning kick. “I got to see the ball for a long time. Usually when you get to see the ball for a while, that’s a good thing. I hit it really well; the guy rushing the edge tripped me, so I fell on the back and didn’t even get to see it. It was pretty cool to have everybody pick me up off the ground. Yeah, it was fun.”
Moody has met San Francisco’s lofty expectations early in the NFL career.
49ers’ Jake Moody is living up to lofty expectations in San Francisco
The 49ers drafted Moody in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. San Francisco caught everyone’s attention by using a day-two pick on a special teams player.
But Moody has been excellent over the past two seasons, making the pick look defensible.
Moody went 21-of-25 during his rookie season, but did take a step back in 2024. In fact, he missed 10 field goals and one extra point attempt during the regular season.
But Moody’s spirits were high on Saturday.
“Obviously it feels really good,” Moody added. “Glad I got a couple chances after the miss earlier to bounce back, get on track, get a couple different situations to throw myself in. I’m glad I got all those chances. I really appreciate the offense getting me in position, and that pick at the end, that was awesome.”
Moody admitted that he is living his dream by playing with the 49ers. Nailing a game-winning kick certainly helps.
“It was awesome,” Moody concluded. “That’s the kind of stuff you dream of, making long game-winning kicks and getting picked up off the ground, celebrating with your teammates, so that was a pretty cool feeling.”
Hopefully Moody can rebound and have a great 2025 season this fall.
