Jake Moody's showing against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday might have made a few fans nervous with the playoffs drawing near, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has enough confidence in his rookie kicker to move into the postseason without adding a veteran backup in the days ahead.
The 49ers selected Moody in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and in doing so made the choice of handing the kicking duties on a Super Bowl contending squad to a rookie instead of trying to bring back tested veteran Robbie Gould. For the most part, Moody had a solid rookie season, connecting on 21-of-24 field goal attempts and all of his extra point attempts coming into Sunday's season finale against the Rams. But Moody didn't exactly head into the playoffs on a confidence-inspiring note, as he logged his first missed extra point attempt of the season against the Rams while also missing his first field goal attempt of less than 40 yards.
Moody hadn't missed a kick since October and was 60-of-60 on extra points before missing in the second quarter against the Rams. His misses left an impact in the end, with the Rams able to pull out a 21-20 victory on a fourth quarter touchdown and two-point conversion.
When speaking to reporters after the game, Shanahan expressed disappointment over Moody's misses but also gave praise to the performance Moody has had as a rookie up to this point.
"I mean, it's never good when you miss them, especially having two like that and the extra point," Shanahan said. "And I think it was his first one inside the 40, maybe all year, but he's had a hell of a year. He's done a hell of a job up to this point and just had a rough day today."
The 49ers had veteran kicker Zane Gonzales on the roster during the offseason and preseason before cutting him loose with an injury settlement on September 5. Shanahan was asked after the loss to the Rams if the team had any plans to add similar kicking depth in the days ahead and replied by saying the 49ers will be sticking firmly with Moody.
"No, he's been great all year. I know he was rough on those two today, but no, we're good with Jake," Shanahan said.
Moody was not seen in the locker room after Sunday's game, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
