Break it up! Deebo Samuel gets aggressive with 49ers special teams after third missed field goal

The San Francisco 49ers have received plenty of praise for building one of the most talented offensive and defensive units in the league, but the star-studded roster has come at the expense of their special teams unit.

San Francisco has posted a 40-20 regular season record over the past three seasons, and they’ve made three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances and two Super Bowl appearances during that span. When they’ve lost, the special teams unit has often been to blame.

The special teams unit is often overlooked, but it’s a vital phase of the game. At its core, the game of football is a battle for field position. The margin of victory in the NFL is slim, and the difference between winning and losing can come down to the hidden yards gained on special teams. Even on drives that don’t produce points, a good punting operation can set up the offense for success on subsequent drives by pinning the opposing team near their own end zone.

The Niners entered their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 4-4 record and in desperate need of a victory, particularly with the NFC West in a gridlock. Throughout the game, it appeared that the special teams unit would cost the Niners another victory.

Deebo Samuel lashed out at teammate after special teams blunders

San Francisco kicker Jake Moody returned to the lineup after missing the last few games with an injury, but he had a day to forget. Moody missed three field goal attempts, two of which came in the fourth quarter. 

After the third miss, 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel had seen enough. The broadcast captured Samuel confronting Moody and long snapper Taybor Pepper on the sideline after this miss. Samuel swiped at Pepper’s neck, which pushed the longer snapper into Moody. Pepper appeared to exchange some words with Samuel and had to be held back by Moody as the wideout walked away.

Moody’s first miss went wide left on a 49-yard field goal attempt that would have given San Francisco a 13-3 lead in the second quarter. He had another opportunity to cut into the team’s 17-13 deficit early in the fourth quarter but ultimately missed again. His third miss went wide right on a 44-yard attempt that would have extended the team’s lead to 23-17 with roughly three minutes remaining.

Even after missing three of his five field goal attempts, Moody was given one last chance for redemption, and he didn’t waste the opportunity. Moody clinched the game with a walk-off 44-yard field goal to close out a 23-20 victory. 

The ugly win improved the Niners to a 5-4 record and tied them with the Arizona Cardinals, who currently hold first place in the NFC West due to divisional tiebreakers. The Cardinals can improve to a 6-4 record with a win over the New York Jets, and the Los Angeles Rams could improve to a 5-4 record with a win on Monday Night Football.