The Detroit Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers in a 40–34 thriller on Monday night, but the key asterisks there are 49ers kicker Jake Moody's two missed field goals and PAT. Indeed, it's pretty easy to connect the dots that, had Moody made those kicks, the end of the game could have looked a lot different.
Moody does not need an article or reporter to tell him this; surely, there is no one more upset about how it all went down than the kicker himself. But perhaps the reaction from his teammate George Kittle made him feel better.
As both teams were exiting the field at halftime, cameras caught Kittle saying something to Moody after a missed 51-yarder. Asked later what Kittle said, Moody said the tight end "patted me on the back, said, 'You believe in yourself?' I said 'Yes.' He said, 'I believe in you, then. We know you work hard. We trust you. Keep going. You got this." You know, just words of encouragement."
Jake Moody reveals what George Kittle said to him as they were exiting the field at halftime.
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 31, 2024
MOODY: "He said, 'Do you believe in yourself?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Well I believe in you then.'"
KITTLE: "He's got the leg for it, we just gotta get his confidence in himself." pic.twitter.com/SuKesjQ9OK
Asked about the moment himself, Kittle told reporters he's "a huge fan of Jake," and the kicker has made some huge plays for the team in the past. “Tonight was a really tough night for him, and I feel horrible for him. … All I said was, 'Hey man, you got great kicks ahead of you. Just keep going. Just keep believing in yourself.'"
"It's one of those games, it's gonna go one of two ways," the tight end continued. "You're gonna let it define you, or you're gonna say, ‘No, I'm not gonna let that define me. I'm gonna go back out there and I'm gonna make a ton of kicks.' He's got the leg for it. We just gotta get his confidence in himself.”
Moody will have one final chance chance to take Kittle's advice on Sunday, when the 49ers travel to play the Arizona Cardinals in the season finale.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 49ers' Jake Moody Shares George Kittle's Inspiring Message After Key Misses vs. Lions.
