After 49ers kicker Jake Moody missed a third field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, star wide receiver Deebo Samuel took it upon himself to address the situation on the sideline.
The team captain's choice of words led to a physical altercation with long snapper Taybor Pepper, who broke down the fourth-quarter incident following San Francisco's 23-20 win.
"[Samuel] was telling [Moody] to lock in," Pepper told reporters after the game. "We know what our job is. We got us. It's hard being a specialist. As a young developing specialist like Jake is, the best mental exercise you can have is -- I mean, I don't know how much better it gets than missing three straight and having to step up and hit an almost 50-yard game-winner.
"So I'm super proud of Jake."
Taybor Pepper explains that Deebo Samuel told Jake Moody to "lock in," sparking a sideline scuffle after a missed kick pic.twitter.com/dFoI5SRbGp
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Samuel struck Pepper in the throat after the snapper came to Moody's defense. The second-year NFL kicker, who was playing in his first game back from an ankle injury, told reporters he doesn't believe Samuel needs to apologize for his actions, especially after Moody sent a game-winning field goal through the uprights in the contest's final seconds.
JAKE MOODY CALLED GAME pic.twitter.com/Z1ndyK89Zv
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 10, 2024
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Right now, Moody's focus is on improving.
"It's an emotional game," Moody said of the scuffle. "Stuff like that happens all the time. We just move past it. We won, so that's all that matters. ... There doesn't need to be [an apology]. Like I said, heat of the moment. it happens. I do got to make those kicks at the end of the day, so that's all I'm focused on."
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Jake Moody reflects on his up-and-down kicking day and Deebo Samuel's frustration after his third miss pic.twitter.com/Yp1R5vU5hF
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Pepper also expressed the importance of having Moody's back as the 49ers tried to secure a victory, and is sure he'll speak with Samuel about the incident "sometime."
"Just a high-emotion game," Pepper said. "Football is high emotion. Jake was having a little rough patch there; [I was] standing up for Jake because there was still time on the clock, so the game wasn't over. And everybody knows what happened in the end. It's not over until the clock hits zero. They all count three when it's a field goal. I always got [No. 4's] back."
After the win, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters he didn't see the altercation and isn't "too worried" about it. Samuel and Moody will talk it out, the wideout said after the win, and he expects everything to be fine.
"I'll talk to Moody, and we'll get past it."
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 10, 2024
Deebo Samuel discusses his "frustrated" reaction to Jake Moody's missed kick pic.twitter.com/ylZ9SNmN4E
As Moody said, the 49ers were able to pull out the win -- even with some missed kicks and thrown fists.
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