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Niners' Kyle Shanahan confident in Jake Moody after bounce-back performance: 'He kicked his ass off'

49ers kicker Jake Moody seemingly survived a position battle when San Francisco released Greg Joseph on Aug. 4 due to mounting injuries elsewhere.

He also survived a rocky start to Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders, coming out the other side looking primed for a better third season.

Moody made five of six field goal attempts in San Francisco's 22-19 victory over Las Vegas, overcoming an early miss and a near-disastrous attempt from 26 yards out with two massive boots in the final minute of regulation to deliver a win.

"I think that was a hell of a day for him," head coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame, via 49ers Webzone. "I thought he kicked his ass off and it gives us a lot of confidence."

Moody started his day with a 30-yard make, which he followed up by converting an extra point on the 49ers' lone touchdown of the game. However, his 53-yard attempt three minutes before halftime went awry, and he turned his 26-yard third-quarter try into an adventure, barely sneaking it past the left upright.

From there, though, Moody was money. He locked in to nail three long field goals in the final frame.

His 50-yarder knotted things at 16 apiece. Then, he made a 44-yarder to tie the game again, 19-19, with 41 seconds remaining.

His performance to that point likely would have been looked on positively, if not a bit begrudgingly. The 49ers have been used to the rollercoaster of rostering Moody -- the former third-rounder went 24 of 34 last season for a paltry 70.6 field-goal percentage.

Moody's early mistake and near miss, followed up with a pair of redemptive boots, would've been par for the course.

Only the 49ers weren't done. San Francisco's defense sacked Raiders QB Cam Miller twice, subsequently causing the Las Vegas rookie to throw a desperate third-and-17 interception to safety Jaylen Mahoney. Set up at the Raiders' 41-yard line, the Niners missed on two pass attempts before settling for a 59-yard game-winning attempt by Moody.

He nailed it, was mobbed by teammates and carried to the sideline.

"It was a great operation, great snap, great hold," Moody said. "I got to see the ball for a long time. Usually when you get to see the ball for a while, that's a good thing. I hit it really well; the guy rushing the edge tripped me, so I fell on the back and didn't even get to see it. It was pretty cool to have everybody pick me up off the ground. Yeah, it was fun."

At the end of the day, it was a kick that won't officially count toward anything the 49ers accomplish in the coming season.

For a kicker whose job at one point seemed in jeopardy, though, the hope is it provides a ripple effect, a bounce-back game leading to a bounce-back season.

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