Moody gave ‘best kick’ on crucial missed field-goal attempt vs. Rams

Moody gave ‘best kick’ on crucial missed field-goal attempt vs. Rams originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jake Moody’s missed 55-yard field-goal attempt played a pivotal role in the 49ers’ epic collapse in their 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

But San Francisco’s kicker doesn’t have any regrets about the crucial play, telling reporters after the game that he gave his best effort on the attempt that sailed wide left and kept the door open for an improbable Los Angeles comeback.

“I felt really good going out there, felt really confident,” Moody told reporters after Sunday’s loss. “Feel like I hit it well. Great snap, great hold. Just pulled it a touch. That’s basically it … Situationally it sucks that it had to happen at that point, but I gave it my best kick, and it’s not like I wasn’t prepared for the moment or anything. I felt really prepared, really confident, just happened to miss a little left.”

The 49ers led 24-17 with 2:47 remaining in the fourth quarter as Moody lined up to attempt a kick that all but would’ve iced the game had it split the uprights. Instead, the Rams swiftly responded with a game-tying touchdown drive that spelled the beginning of the end for San Francisco.

Moody acknowledged that the gravity of the situation is unfortunate, but missed kicks are a part of the game, and the focus needs to remain moving forward to ensure he makes his next attempt.

“It happens. Like I said, it sucks situationally when it did happen,” Moody said. “Just got to move forward and make the next kick.”

When asked if there’s anything he learned from the kick, Moody shared there wasn’t much he could takeaway from his missed kick in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss.

“Just focus on the next one,” Moody said. “Simple as that. There’s stuff to learn from sometimes, but I felt like I approached the kick like I do any other kick. I feel like I hit it well. There’s not anything I regret doing. just move on to the next one. There’s not much I can learn from that one, other than I just missed it. So, yeah, just move on to the next kick.”

Moody entered Sunday’s game having made 7-of-8 attempts from 50-plus yards during his NFL career, including a perfect 3-for-3 on such kicks during the playoffs, indicating his key miss against the Rams is much more of an anomaly than a concerning trend.

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