Analyst Has A Big Concern About Jake Moody

The San Francisco 49ers need to address their kicking situation.

Jake Moody might be one of their weakest links right now, and he didn’t do much to make his case in the preseason.

That’s why analyst Matt Maiocco has some legitimate concerns about whether they should keep him around.

“I just wonder if the 49ers can open the season with him. I asked Kyle Shanahan about that straight up after the game and his answer was he had one of the best games he’s ever seen against the [Las Vegas] Raiders. That might be kind of a major overstatement considering he did miss a 53-yarder, which isn’t an easy kick, quite clearly against the Raiders. He also just hooked that 26-yarder just barely inside the left upright before making the 44-yarder to tie the game and the 59-yarder in walk-off fashion. So what do the 49ers do with Jake Moody? I guess they’ll start the season with him, but then how long do they keep him if those inconsistencies continue?” Maiocco said.

Moody did have a somewhat strong outing in the preseason against the Raiders, making a 59-yard game-winning field goal.

Nevertheless, as Maiocco pointed out, he also missed a 53-yarder and followed that up with another subpar performance in the finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Moody missed one extra-point attempt and sent a kickoff out of bounds.

Of course, the preseason is the time to make those types of mistakes, but he was already on thin ice, and there’s no guarantee he won’t do the same when the games count.

Shanahan has been nothing but supportive of his kicker, yet it’s hard to feel encouraged about what he’s seen recently.

Moody, who was very good as a rookie in 2023, is most likely going to get the benefit of the doubt to start the season, but the biggest question will be how long a leash the 49ers are willing to give him.

It’s getting more and more common around the league to see players miss routine extra-point attempts and field goals.

If the Niners want to get back to contention, they can’t afford to leave points on the table.