In the NFL, H๏τ seats are common. Those who don’t perform one week can easily be cut from teams the next. But there might be no position where job security is as thin than at kicker.
While there’s no indication that he’s headed out the door (for now), San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody certainly had an evening to forget as a streak of rough performances continues.
On Monday Night Football, the Niners were taking on the NFC’s top team – the Detroit Lions – at home and ended up losing 40-34.
It would be disingenuous to pin the loss solely on Moody, but the kicker’s two missed field goals (one from 51-yards, one from 58-yards) – and costly missed extra point – adds up to the exact point total San Francisco needed in order to come out with a victory. Add a horribly attempted onside kick to that poor scoring touch and it wraps up an awful night for the 25-year-old.
Moody’s been having a tough stretch over the past five games – only converting five of ten field goals in that span. Currently, he’s 23-32 for field goals on the season, a 71.9 conversion percentage that has him 38th in the NFL.
After the game, Moody gave a frank ᴀssessment of his performance to reporters in the locker room.
Jake Moody says this feels like one of the lowest moments of his football career #FTTB #49ers pic.twitter.com/cM7CT0oQLx
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) December 31, 2024 
Two missed FGs and a missed extra point spelled a rough night for 49ers kicker Jake Moody
Fans blasted him on social media, with some Niners fans calling for him to be cut from the team
‘Definitely probably one of the lowest times in my career dating back to when I first started football,’ Moody told reporters.
‘Confidence, you know, you gotta keep it high. You have no other choice as a kicker, you just gotta keep staying confident in yourself. Otherwise you’ve got nothing. So, gotta stay confident, just keep going from here.’
While Moody backs himself, the internet decisively does not – with countless posts on social media mocking the kicker and Niners fans demanding that he be cut from the team.
One sports fan posted to X, formerly Twitter, ‘Jake Moody cost me a fantasy football championship. He just gained the biggest hater of all time for the rest of his life. Wish him nothing but the worst from this point on.’
‘Jake Moody is an all time bust. Not surprising considering the school he went to,’ wrote one Michigan State fan – mocking Moody, who attended Michigan.
One angry Niners fan said ‘Career over in SF! Cut this bust,’ while another remarked, ‘Get this guy a cutoff ʙuттon up and a tire gague, because that’s what he’ll be using this time next season.’
Moody was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. In his NFL career, he’s converted 44 of 57 attempted field goals for a career FG percentage of 77.2. Last season, he was named to the Pro Football Writers ᴀssociation’s All-Rookie Team.
In a season that has been de-railed by serious injuries to key players, the Niners have lost seven of their last eight games and will miss the playoffs. They end their season on the road next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
