LANDOVER, MD – After a sleepless night and a frigid shower, Jake Moody was mobbed by virtual strangers for doing a job he didn’t know he’d have until the day before.
Such is the life of an NFL kicker.
Moody’s 38-yard field goal – through the Maryland mist and at the final gun – defeated the Washington Commanders 25-24 in his Chicago Bears debut Monday night.
“(I)t feels amazing, obviously,” said Moody, a third-round pick out of Michigan two years ago by the San Francisco 49ers, who waived him last month after he failed to find a consistent groove with them.
“Hitting a game winner is always a good time. Doing it for a new team, my first game – it’s huge. … So, glad to be a part of a team like this, and we’re going to keep moving forward.”
Moody, who joined Chicago’s practice squad Sept. 12, found out Sunday he’d be filling in for Cairo Santos, whose injured quadriceps muscle wouldn’t allow him to play. Over the ensuing 24 hours, Moody continued to get familiarized with his new teammates while also tossing and turning in an uncomfortable hotel bed − he thought it was a twin − when he wasn’t getting scalded in the bathroom.
“(T)ook a nice ice shower before the game and that might be the new tradition that I start, we’ll see,” he said after also being flummoxed by a hotel showerhead that only operated at extreme temperatures.
But whatever makes for a successful routine.
Prior to Monday, when he converted four of five field-goal attempts and his lone extra-point try, Moody had been something of an adventure with the Niners. His 74.2% field-goal conversion rate in Silicon Valley – including 10 misfires in 34 attempts in 2024 – was a non-starter, especially when he missed two of three in this season’s opener.
Since then, he’s been biding his time behind Santos, working with performance coaches and rebuilding his confidence – which didn’t waver even after his 48-yard try to start the fourth quarter, one that would have given Chicago the lead but came off his foot low, was blocked.
“Just get reps, simple as that,” said Moody, who won the Lou Groza Award in 2021 as college football’s top place-kicker. “I like to think if you’re over-prepared for something, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t be confident.”
Santos, who made the trip to Washington, also provided welcome assistance on a wet and windy night.
“He’s kicked here a fair amount, and he was able to kind of help me with the wind, with the field surface, all that stuff,” said Moody.
“Shoutout Cairo. He’s been a great help through all of it.”
But it was Moody who was helped off the field by his appreciative and victorious – if still unfamiliar – teammates, who enjoyed their third consecutive victory at the Commanders’ expense nearly a year after losing on a Hail Mary in this same building.
“Amazing,” running back D’Andre Swift said of Moody. “I introduced myself to him on the sideline – first time I spoke to him. He did a great job.
“Resilient, man. I’m proud of him. Happy to have him on the team, too.”
Said Bears quarterback Caleb Williams: “I didn’t necessarily fully know who (Moody) was when he got here. So being able to hear about his story when he got here, being able to see him work and being able to kind of have this moment – I know he’s been through some tough moments, and so having this moment for him I know is important.
“Kudos to him, and we love him for that.”
Moody loved it, too, even if he was only temping for Santos for one prime-time night.
“It’s a pretty cool series of events,” he said. “A couple days ago, I didn’t know I was playing and to get lifted up by my teammates. It’s an amazing feeling, and I’m really glad I got to share that moment with them.”