If there's one position where the Kansas City Chiefs should have a huge advantage in Super Bowl LVIII, it's at kicker. The Chiefs will be going into the game with Harrison Butker, who was the fourth-most accurate kicker in the NFL in 2023 after a season where he hit a career-high 94.3% of his field goal attempts. On the other hand, the 49ers will be going into the game with rookie Jake Moody, who ranked 20th overall in accuracy.
Moody's numbers are actually similar to the last two rookies to kick in a Super Bowl: Evan McPherson and Jake Elliott. The Bengals kicker only hit 84.8% of his kicks in 2021, just 0.8% better than Moody, but he was perfect in the Super Bowl going 2-for-2 with makes from 29 and 38. As for Elliott, he hit just 83.9% of his field goals during his rookie year, but he was perfect in the Super Bowl with makes from 25, 42 and 46. Elliott has been so good in the Super Bowl that he has since tied the career record for most field goals (5) without a miss in the big game.
As you can see above, we haven't seen a rookie miss a field goal in nearly 30 years, although that miss did come from the 49ers. It's also worth noting that Jim O'Brien more than made up for his miss by hitting the GAME-WINNING field goal in Super Bowl V.
For whatever reason, rookies have been unfazed by the intense pressure that comes with kicking in a Super Bowl, a game where there's a fine line between famous and infamous if you're a kicker. Although there will be more than 100 million people watching the game on Sunday, Moody doesn't think he'll be feeling any extra pressure. "I've been in a bunch of big games, whether it's been in college or the NFL now, going through the playoffs. I feel like I'm prepared for it," Moody told the media this week, via NFL.com. "It's the same kick; Just trust the routine, trust the process. It's no different than any other kick."
The former Michigan kicker has been in high-pressure situations before. During the 2023 College Football Playoff, Moody went 3-for-3 in a 51-45 loss to TCU, a total that included hitting a 59-yarder just before halftime. "It's no different than in college," Moody said of kicking. "The posts are the same size. Ball is the same. Holder and snapper are just as good, if not better in the NFL."
When it comes to the Super Bowl, Moody will actually be kicking in the same stadium where he attempted his first career NFL field goal. In the 49ers' first preseason game back in August, Moody went 0-for-2 while kicking at Allegiant Stadium with misses from 40 and 58. Despite those numbers, Moody is looking forward to the fact that he won't have to worry about the weather this week. "Can't really beat indoor weather for being a specialist," Moody said. As for Butker, he's kicked at Allegiant Stadium several times, going 4 of 5 with his only miss coming from 46 yards. Butker also has plenty of Super Bowl experience with six field goal attempts in three career games. The Chiefs kicker has only missed once and that came when he knocked a 42-yard attempt off the upright in last year's 38-35 win over the Eagles. Butker is one of the best kickers in the NFL, but as last year proved, even the best can struggle in the Super Bowl. On paper, the Chiefs should have the advantage at kicker this week, but when it comes to the Super Bowl, sometimes you have to crumple of the paper and throw it out the window. If Moody performs like the rookie kickers before him, the 49ers could end up having an unexpected advantage at one of the game's most important positions on Sunday.
