No one’s voice carried more than Samuel’s after Moody’s third and final miss.
“He had a little dog in him, a little motivation to go out there and make the (winning) field goal,” Samuel said. “I was talking to him at first and wasn’t saying nothing crazy. I was frustrated in the time. He went out there and won the game for us. He wasn’t bothered by it so we move past it.”
Moody, after missing the three previous games with a high ankle sprain, made a 28-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead but then hooked a 49-yarder wide left. He rebounded to make a 33-yarder, but then came the fourth-quarter flurry, with him hooking a 50-yarder left before slicing a 44-yarder right, that latter one touching off the Deebo Dispute with 3:09 left and the 49ers ahead 20-17.
The Bucs responded with a game-tying field goal from 26 yards, by one-time 49ers temp Chase McLaughlin, before Brock Purdy directed a last-minute drive that allowed for Moody’s 44-yard winner.
“Really, really wanted a chance to redeem myself,” Moody said. “I felt really confident, really good going that direction. It was the same exact spot as the previous kick, so I felt really confident. What happened with the previous one I was able to make an adjustment.”
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Moody credited his teammates and coaches for trusting him, for “picking me up” in an “emotional game.”
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Moody, who struggled at the end of last season’s rookie year, said an apology from Samuel wouldn’t be necessary, and not just because of the “heat of the moment” circumstances.
“We won, so that’s all that matters,” Moody said. “There doesn’t need to be. It’s heat of the moment. It happens. I do have to make those kicks at the end of the day. That’s all I’m focused on, not anything like (an apology).”
Moody blamed his first and third misses Sunday on changing winds, and he thanked Pepper for rushing to his side in the confrontation with Samuel.
“He had my back. Just making sure everyone stayed calm and collective, nothing got too crazy,” Moody said. “It’s a lot of emotions that happened in the game. We were able to quiet it down and just focus on the last one.”