Jake Moody's Game-winner Could Be ‘career Changing,' Brant Boyer Believes

Jake Moody's game-winner could be ‘career changing,' Brant Boyer believes originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The final score doesn’t matter in the NFL preseason, but the results on the field can be career altering, even during exhibition games.

Jake Moody’s 59-yard game-winning field goal last weekend in Las Vegas offered a thrilling moment in an otherwise anti-climactic portion of the NFL calendar, but special teams coordinator Brant Boyer believes it can have a lasting impact on the third-year kicker moving forward.

“I mean, it could change his career,” Boyer told reporters regarding Moody’s kick. “It’s one of those kicks where, what I really liked about his response from the 52-yard miss, I believe. He showed a lot of character in that moment where he came back and hit two clutch ones. The one to tie it, and the one to win it. I think he showed the moxie he has and the confidence he’s starting to gain. I think it was critical for him.

“It was awesome to see the kid and how he rebounded in that moment. I think what’s even better is how his teammates reacted around him. I think that that is really cool. I think what a lot of people forget is that he was injured a lot last year, and he went through a tough time. Things like that happen in this league, and it’s a matter of how you respond. He faced some adversity and he dug himself out of it and he’s doing a really nice job.”

JAKE MOODY 59-YARD GAME-WINNER ????

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— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 16, 2025

Moody converted 5 of his 6 field-goal attempts in San Francisco’s 22-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, supplying 15 of the 49ers’ 22 points in the preseason victory.

After converting 84 percent of his field-goal attempts as a rookie in 2023, Moody saw that number dip to 70.4 percent during the 2024 NFL season. As Boyer pointed out, Moody did deal with a high-ankle sprain suffered while attempting to make a tackle in San Francisco’s week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, an ailment that certainly played a role in Moody’s steep decline from his debut campaign.

Most NFL kickers have pressure ingrained into their responsibilities, but Moody’s is amplified further by the draft capital the 49ers invested in him after San Fransico used a third-round pick on the Michigan product in 2023.

While Moody has shown the ability to hit big kicks in big spots, consistency remains the biggest obstacle as he enters his third NFL season. Boyer and the 49ers hope his booming game-winner in Las Vegas serves as a catalyst to get him on track entering the regular season.

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