One of the stars from the Chicago Bears’ Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders was kicker Jake Moody. Moody, who was elevated from the practice squad, started in place of an injured Cairo Santos and exceeded expectations in his first game action since Week 1 when he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
The 25-year-old Moody scored half of Chicago’s 25 points as he went 4-for-5 on field goals, which included the game-winner from 38 yards out. If you’re the Bears, you couldn’t ask for anything more from Moody. And if you’re Moody, it was a good opportunity to swipe the slate clean.
While that was great to see, Chicago was hoping to have Santos back on the field for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. However, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported on Friday that Santos was ruled out with a thigh injury. This means Moody will be elevated once again from the practice squad to kick against the Saints.
Jake Moody Gets Another Chance to Prove Himself After Stellar Outing in Week 6
When there was an initial indication that Santos might be out ahead of last week’s game, Bears fans were nervous, to say the least, about Moody potentially kicking against the Commanders.
The former third-round pick was very inconsistent in his time with the San Francisco 49ers. As a rookie in 2023, he made 84% of his field goals (21-of-25) and was 6-of-9 from 40-plus yards out.
Things started to go sideways for Moody last season, as he only made 70.6% of his field goals (24-of-34), including 10-of-20 from 40-plus yards away. Things didn’t get better for Moody at the start of this season, as he missed a 27-yard field goal and had a 36-yard field goal blocked.
That said, it seems Moody has put those issues behind him, which is good for the Bears and for him. The only miscue he had in Week 6 was a blocked field goal from 48 yards to end the third quarter. But one could say it wasn’t Moody’s fault, as the Bears’ field goal protection was poorly executed.
Nonetheless, the Bears hope for no blocked field goals on Sunday against the Saints and that Moody can build off his strong showing from Week 6. Another good performance in Week 7 could go a long way for Moody, who is also auditioning for other teams.