The San Francisco 49ers are facing a tough situation as they expect to be without their kicker for a considerable amount of time. Head coach Kyle Shanahan disclosed after the team’s recent loss to the Arizona Cardinals that kicker Moody suffered a high-ankle sprain.
“Yeah, they’ll work on that stuff right away,” Shanahan mentioned, as reported by David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “With kickers, they’re almost independent contractors, so we’ll get them in as fast as possible and get the best guy we can. I’m sure it’ll have to be for a few weeks. I’m not sure [about the severity of the injury], but I know they told me a high-ankle, and that’s never soon.”
The injury occurred when Moody was trying to make a tackle on a kickoff in the second quarter. Shanahan explained, “I mean, you try to tackle. You don’t tell guys to keep their ankle out of it. You hope that it doesn’t come to him, and he doesn’t have to make a tackle, but you also don’t tell guys to turn it down and just let them score. It’s part of football.”
Moody was seen in a walking boot after the game and is set to undergo an MRI to fully assess the extent of the injury. The 49ers do not currently have another kicker on their practice squad and will need to swiftly add one as they prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky stepped in to kick a 26-yard field goal late in the first half. However, the 49ers were unable to score in the second half, resulting in a disappointing 24-23 loss to the Cardinals.