Rookie kicker Jake Moody is on a heater right now for whiffed field goals.
He has missed at least one field goal attempt or extra point in the 49ers' last three games. Thankfully, his missed kicks haven't cost the 49ers a win in any of their playoff games thus far, but it did prove costly in the regular season finale. Moody missing kicks isn't anything new. It's what he did a fair amount of times in the middle of the regular season.
And even when Moody makes a kick, it is never done so cleanly. There have been plenty of scares with his field goal making barely splitting the uprights from skewing heavily to the right. To make matters worse, Moody hasn't been missing from incredibly deep yardage. A lot of it has been done in the 40 or 30 yard range. Those are supposed to be easy money.
Luckily, the 49ers have a couple of weeks before playing the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That time off can be beneficial for Moody, and most importantly the game is being played in a dome at Allegiant Stadium. Kicking in a dome is always the easiest with the elements not playing a factor. So, will the kicking woes of Moody improve in the Super Bowl?
Time off is really the only benefit here. All of his misses seem to be overthought. It's more of a mental issue or lack of confidence and not from elements. Besides, Moody has kicked in a dome when the 49ers played the Vikings. He missed a kick in that game. Don't forget that the 49ers actually have played in Allegiant Stadium already in the preseason against the Raiders. Moody missed a field goal there as well.
None of his misses this season haven't looked to be due to the weather conditions. It just looks like he is so tight when he is going to make kicks. Almost like he is just winging it out there without any idea which way it is going to go. Hopefully the time off is enough for him to gather himself and feel strong going into the Super Bowl. Points will be a premium against the Chiefs and the 49ers cannot afford Moody to continue his kicking woes.
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