The San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasn’t without drama, as the 49ers came away with a 23-20 victory thanks to Jake Moody’s game-winning walk-off field goal.
Moody, a 2023 third-round pick by the 49ers, had previously missed three consecutive field goals against the Bucs in an error-ridden game. After Moody’s third missed try, 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel appeared to take a swipe at long snapper Taybor Pepper’s throat on the sidelines.
Samuel explained the heated sideline moment after the game.
“Just like frustrated in the heat of battle,” Samuel told reporters. “It was a close game, and I kind of got out of character a little bit, but I’ll talk to Moody.”
When asked specifically about his altercation with Pepper, Samuel said, “I wasn’t talking to him. Nah, he just came over.”
Pepper was also asked about the sideline spat after the game and said that Samuel told the special teams group “to lock in.”
“We know what our job is, and we got us,” Pepper said.
Moody ended up redeeming himself with a walk-off 44-yard field goal to help the 49ers advance to 5-4. Moody was 13-of-14 on field goal attempts entering Sunday’s game, and it remains to be seen whether the team will trust him taking kicks for the rest of the season.