49ers rookie K Jake Moody ready to move on after missing first two NFL kicks
The San Francisco 49ers’ ugly 34-7 loss on Sunday was only made uglier by two missed field goal kicks from Jake Moody.
The rookie third-rounder missed from 40 yards and 58 yards, but given the stakes, the kicker isn’t overly concerned.
“I’m glad it happened now,” Moody said, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s already washed away,” Moody added. “I was hoping we could have one more just so I could prove that hose were flukes. Those were not normal. I wanted one more just to kind of feel better. But I just have to wait until next week.”
The former Michigan Wolverines star has been nearly flawless during training camp and is confident his mistakes this week won’t carry on into next week. Once benched for Michigan after missing three kicks in one game, Moody went on to win the Lou Groza award for college’s best kicker just a year later.
Moody confident missed kicks were ‘flukes’
Moody assured reporters after the game on Sunday that he’s not about to start tweaking his routine now.
“I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing because it’s been working,” Moody said. “You’re going to have games like that regardless of who you are. Just move on to the next one and make the next kick. That’s all that’s going through my head right now: Just make the next kick.”
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed his confidence in the younger kicker as well after the game.
“I’m not (concerned),” Shanahan said. “It’s unfortunate because I know the pressure on him and everyone’s looking. I know he missed those two today. He’s been great in practice. He’s hit them all.”
At No. 99 overall, Moody became just the fourth kicker to be taken in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft this century. He was 69-84 (82.1%) on field goals and went 148-148 on extra points during his time in Ann Arbor. He was also the highest-drafted kicker since Florida State’s Roberto Aguayo in 2016, who went No. 59 overall.
Given his reputation and high draft slot, Moody is expected to be the 49ers’ kicker solution long-term. The team moved on from Robbie Gould after six seasons this offseason.
Moody gets his next shot to prove himself to the 49ers faithful on Saturday night. San Francisco travels to Denver to face the Broncos for an 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff.