TAMPA, Fla. — As kicker Jake Moody walked off the sphere following his third missed area purpose of the sport Sunday, San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was there to greet him close to the sideline.
Samuel had simply watched Moody miss from 44 yards after earlier failures from 49 and 50 yards. That got here on prime of Samuel’s personal frustrations concerning the offense’s continued incapability to complete drives with touchdowns reasonably than area purpose makes an attempt.
All of it spilled over as Samuel confronted Moody, with long-snapper Taybor Pepper getting into the combination as nicely. After some back-and-forth and small shoves between Samuel and Pepper, issues calmed down.
“Usually I do not even get like that, however simply annoyed within the warmth of battle, a detailed sport and I form of bought out of character a bit of bit,” Samuel mentioned. “However I will discuss to Moody and we’ll get previous it.”
A bit of greater than three minutes later, the strain between Moody and Samuel was a team-wide celebration. With three seconds left, Moody bought his shot at redemption.
Entering into the identical course from the identical distance and on the identical hash, Moody was in a position to issue within the wind that had pushed his earlier strive proper. On the sideline, teammates together with tight finish George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner could not watch.
Moody stepped up and squeezed the try inside the correct upright for a 23-20 victory as time expired. It was the primary walk-off kick of Moody’s younger profession.
“[I] actually, actually wished an opportunity to redeem myself and felt actually assured, actually good going that course,” Moody mentioned. “[I] noticed what occurred with the earlier one and was in a position to make an adjustment and put it by way of.”
The kick sealed a much-needed highway win for the 49ers, who improved to 5-4 and have gained consecutive video games for the primary time this season. Nevertheless it did not come with out loads of drama, most of which centered on Moody and the particular groups.
Making his return from a excessive proper ankle sprain suffered in an Oct. 6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Moody had a powerful week of follow earlier than his Sunday struggles, coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned.
“He seemed nice within the week,” Shanahan mentioned. “You are solely nearly as good as your final kick. He did a hell of a job profitable that sport for us on the finish.”
The Niners felt strongly sufficient about Moody’s return that they launched kicker Anders Carlson from the follow squad to provide Moody, who was 13-of-14 earlier than the ankle sprain, his job again. Carlson had gone 5-of-5 on area purpose tries in Weeks 7 and eight, together with a pair from 50-plus yards.
In accordance with Moody, his first miss from 49 went extensive left as a result of the wind that had been pushing the ball again to the correct died down. He mentioned he pulled the 50-yard try simply extensive left, after which his miss from 44 yards was the results of the wind coming again and shoving the ball excellent. It led to the heated second with Samuel.
Pepper mentioned Samuel’s message to Moody was to “lock in,” however Pepper wished to defend his kicker.
“It is exhausting being a specialist,” Pepper mentioned. “Generally, it is feast or famine. … Soccer is excessive emotion. Jake was having a bit of tough patch there, so standing up for Jake. There was nonetheless time on the clock, so the sport wasn’t over. Everyone is aware of what occurred on the finish. It is not over till the clocks hit zero. All of them rely three when it is a area purpose. I’ve all the time bought 4’s again.”
Certainly, the Niners bought yet one more alternative after a penalty-plagued protection allowed a game-tying area purpose to the Bucs with 41 seconds left. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy calmly accomplished 4 straight passes to get to Tampa’s 26, setting the stage for Moody’s winner.
For his half, Moody mentioned “there does not should be” any kind of apology or dialogue, although Samuel mentioned he deliberate to speak with Moody to make sure they’ll transfer on.
“I believe he has a bit of canine in him,” Samuel mentioned. “I wasn’t saying nothing loopy to him. I used to be simply form of annoyed on the time. However he went on the market and gained the sport after all, and he wasn’t bothered by it, so we transfer previous it.”
Within the midst of the wild kicking day, the 49ers additionally welcomed again working again Christian McCaffrey from the Achilles tendinitis that stored him out the primary eight video games. McCaffrey wasn’t precisely eased in, enjoying 57 of 65 offensive snaps and posting 107 scrimmage yards on 19 touches.
It was McCaffrey’s fifth season debut with 100 or extra scrimmage yards since he entered the league in 2017. Solely Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill has extra (six) in that span.
Regardless of the heavy workload after such a protracted layoff, McCaffrey mentioned he got here out feeling “fairly good,” though he wished to order judgment for Monday morning.
“I by no means go in anticipating something,” McCaffrey mentioned. “It is simply if my quantity’s known as, I wish to be on the market. I believe once I return and take a look at the tape, I am positive there’s going to be some stuff that, simply getting again right into a really feel of an actual sport, that is the third time I’ve had the pads on eight weeks. So simply getting again right into a groove, that was actually good for me to do. I believe there is a couple issues that possibly I did not really feel like myself one hundred percent, however that is regular when you have not performed in a very long time, and I will be taught and develop from these and simply preserve trucking alongside.”
