49ers seek Moody replacement after kicker injured against Cardinals

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

SANTA CLARA – An NFL placekicker is typically not the most important player on a team, especially on a team full of 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 played a big role following the 1-point loss.

At kickoff, after the 49ers defense blocked a Cardinals field goal attempt and ran it for a touchdown to extend their lead to 19-10 with 4:59 left in the second quarter, Arizona returner DeeJay hit Dallas Moody's return kick to the Arizona 38-yard where the 49ers kicker hit him and attempted to tackle him before rolling onto his right ankle.

After being examined on the field by the 49ers' medical staff, Moody limped to the San Francisco sideline, where he sat for a few minutes before being carried off the field in a cart. It was initially questionable whether he would return before the 49ers officially ruled him out later in the game.

Coach Kyle Shanahan announced after the game that Moody had suffered a severe ankle sprain and that the 49ers would immediately find a replacement kicker ahead of their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks in just four days.

“Yeah, they’re going to work on it right away,” Shanahan said of the 49ers’ search for a temporary replacement for Moody. “The Kickers are almost independent contractors so we'll get them involved as quickly as possible and get the best guy we can, and I'm sure that will take a few weeks. I'm not sure, but I know they told me I have a high ankle and that never comes quickly.”

Moody spoke about his injury after the game and although he will likely be out for at least several weeks, he is relieved the injury wasn't more serious.

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

The 24-year-old has had a similar injury before, but not as a kicker. Moody revealed that he once broke the same ankle in a similar spot in eighth grade, except he played it safe and tried to tackle the opposing team's running back before his leg also twisted underneath him.

While Sunday's injury could have been avoided if the 49ers' special operations team had attacked Dallas before Moody, Shanahan will never dissuade his kicker from attempting a stop.

“The same as everyone else. You try to tackle and you don’t tell guys to keep their ankle out of it,” Shanahan explained. “You hope it doesn’t happen to him and he doesn’t have to make a tackle, but you also don’t tell the guys to decline and let them score. So that’s part of football.”

The 49ers were without their kicker for more than two quarters and his absence became apparent in the second half.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was able to successfully kick a 26-yard field goal in place of Moody to end the first half, but the San Francisco offense then opted to give it away on 4th-and-23 from the Arizona's 27-yard line to attempt its second drive of the third quarter as Shanahan felt the attempt was too far out of Wishnowsky's reach, essentially resulting in a turnover on downs punt.

With 1:32 left in the game, the 49ers' offense had a chance to march down the field and score a potentially game-winning score before quarterback Brock Purdy threw a game-winning interception that sealed San Francisco's fate. Had the 49ers advanced into Arizona territory, Shanahan revealed that the offense would have to get the ball to the Cardinals' 15-yard line for Wishnowsky to score a potential game-winning field goal.

But unfortunately, Moody's injury was actually a major blow to the 49ers' offense, but it was other costly mistakes at inopportune times that made the difference.