Deebo Samuel was not happy with San Francisco 49ers long snapper Taybor Pepper and kicker Jake Moody after a third missed field goal during Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. He accidentally swiped the latter in the face while grabbing at the throat of the former.
It is unclear as to why exactly Samuel went at Pepper but it was not a good look…
Moody was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by San Francisco. He entered the weekend with a 87.2% field goal percentage, making 34 of 39 attempts in 22 games over the last two years.
However, Moody was sidelined for each of the 49ers’ last three games with a right ankle injury. The 24-year-old was cleared to return on Sunday in Tampa Bay. However, he did not look fully healthy.
Moody missed a field goal from 49 yards right before halftime and yanked a 50-yarder early in the fourth quarter. Both makes would’ve given his team the lead. Instead, they were down by four.
Fortunately, San Francisco was able to take back the lead with seven minutes left and immediately forced a punt. Five plays later, Moody trotted onto the field for a 44-yard attempt.
He missed again.
At that point, Deebo Samuel went over to the specialists and gave them a piece of his mind. In doing so, he grabbed at the long snapper’s neck with an open-hand punch. His hand swiped across the kicker’s face on the follow through. Taybor Pepper charged back in anger but Jake Moody stopped him from getting physical.
It did not appear as though Pepper’s snaps were to blame for the three misses, but maybe there was something more to the equation that went unseen. Who knows.
Either way, the awkward situation quickly became irrelevant (for now) when Moody hit a 44-yard attempt as time expired to give the 49ers their fifth win of the season in walk-off fashion.
