49ers seek Moody replacement after kicker injured vs. Cardinals

49ers seek Moody replacement after kicker injured vs. Cardinals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — An NFL placekicker usually isn’t a team’s most important player, especially on a team laden with star players like the 49ers.

But in San Francisco’s crushing 24-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, second-year kicker Jake Moody’s injury loomed large after the one-point defeat.

On the kickoff after the 49ers’ defense blocked a Cardinals field-goal attempt and ran it in for a touchdown to extend their lead to 19-10 with 4:59 remaining in the second quarter, Arizona return man DeeJay Dallas returned Moody’s ensuing kick to the Arizona 38-yard where the 49ers kicker met him and attempted to tackle him before rolling over on his right ankle.

After he was examined on the field by the 49ers’ medical staff, Moody hobbled toward San Francisco’s sideline where he sat for a couple of minutes before he was taken off the field in a cart. He initially was questionable to return before the 49ers officially ruled him out later in the game.

Coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after the game that Moody suffered a high ankle sprain and that the 49ers will work out replacement kickers immediately with a quick turnaround before the “Thursday Night Football” matchup with the Seattle Seahawks just four days away.

“Yeah, they’ll work on that stuff right away,” Shanahan said of the 49ers finding a temporary Moody replacement. “With kickers, they’re almost independent contractors so we’ll get them in as fast as possible and get the best guy we can and I’m sure it will have to be for a few weeks. I’m not sure, but I know they told me a high ankle and that’s never soon.”

Moody spoke postgame about his injury, and while he likely will miss at least multiple weeks, he’s relieved the injury wasn’t worse.

“Thankfully I didn’t feel anything break or crack or anything as I did when I did break it,” Moody said. “So yeah that was good. But I knew something was wrong immediately. It’s just unfortunate.”

The 24-year-old has experienced a similar injury before, but not as a kicker. Moody revealed that he once broke the same ankle on a similar play in eighth grade, except he was playing safety and was attempting to tackle the opposing team’s running back before his leg spun underneath him.

While Sunday’s injury was preventable had the 49ers’ special teams unit tackled Dallas before he got to Moody, Shanahan never will dissuade his kicker from attempting to make a stop.

“Same as everybody. You try and tackle and you don’t tell guys to keep their ankle out of it,” Shanahan explained. “You hope it doesn’t come to him and he doesn’t have to make a tackle, but you also don’t tell guys to turn it down and let them score. So that’s part of football.”

The 49ers were left without their kicker for two-plus quarters, and his absence loomed large in the second half.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was able to successfully kick a 26-yard field goal in place of Moody to close out the first half, but San Francisco’s offense then opted to go for it on fourth-and-23 from the Arizona 27-yard line on its second drive in the third quarter due to Shanahan deeming the attempt too far out of Wishnowsky’s range, essentially resulting in a turnover-on-downs punt.

Trailing by one point with 1:32 remaining in the game, the 49ers’ offense had a chance to march down the field for a potential game-winning score before quarterback Brock Purdy threw a backbreaking interception that sealed San Francisco’s fate. Had the 49ers advanced into Arizona territory, Shanahan revealed that the offense needed to get the ball to the Cardinals’ 15-yard line for Wishnowsky to attempt a potential game-winning field goal.

But alas, as Moody’s injury indeed was a big blow to the 49ers’ offense, it was other costly mistakes at inopportune times that proved to be the difference.

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