When Jake Moody, signed off the street by the Chicago Bears just weeks after being released by the San Francisco 49ers, lined up for a 38-yard field goal as the clock hit zero, the tension in the air went far beyond the scoreboard. This wasn’t just a kick to decide a game; it was a chance at redemption, an opportunity for Moody to silence doubt and rewrite the narrative of his NFL career.

Chicago had rallied from a brutal 24-16 fourth-quarter deficit, only securing their chance because Washington’s offense decided to give up a key possession. It was Washington’s quarterback Jayden Daniels’ fumble on a simple handoff to running back Jacory Crosley-Merritt that set up the miracle drive. Bears running back D’Andre Swift, who ran for 34 crucial yards on that final possession alone and finished with an eye-popping 175 total yards from scrimmage, had put Moody in position.

Jake Moody sealed the game with a 38-yard field goal as time expired, just hours after being elevated to the game-day roster due to Cairo Santos’s being sidelined with a quadriceps injury.

“I mean, I like to say you’re only as good as your next kick,” Moody philosophized. “So you can’t dwell on the past. You’ve got to move on and focus on the next kick.” He also added a quick shout-out to Scott and Tori, who “made that operation really easy on me.”

The Bears had squandered a 13-0 lead earlier, highlighted by the fact that Moody missed an attempt on the night, a blocked field goal in the 3rd quarter. That miss contributed directly to the Commanders erasing that cushion and taking the lead on a Zach Ertz TD catch that made it 24-16.

All Moody needed was trust

But the narrative shifted because of Washington’s mistakes, three critical turnovers that included two lost fumbles by Daniels and Merritt and a red-zone interception by Daniels. Combined with the Commanders’ continued struggles on third down, converting only 32.7 percent of their attempts coming into the game, those miscues proved especially costly.

Kicker Jake Moody, who was waived by the 49ers after going 1-for-3 on field-goal attempts in Week 1 against the Seahawks, became a hero for the Bears just over a month later. The kicker’s new team certainly embraced the chaos. Caleb Williams, the sophomore QB, was visibly ecstatic, screaming, “Let’s f—ing go, baby,” for his guy. 

Moody went 4-for-5 on field goals on Monday, including a game-winning 38-yard kick through the rain as time expired, sparking his new teammates to lift him on their shoulders in celebration of the narrow 25-24 victory. Though new to Chicago, Moody quickly earned recognition, with quarterback Caleb Williams acknowledging his impact after the game.

“I really didn’t know who he was when he first joined the team,” Williams hilariously said on the ESPN broadcast postgame. “And then I saw him kick a 65-yarder in practice. For what he was able to do coming here, I know he’s had some tough times recently, but being able to come in here, rainy, windy, all of this, and come through for us, I’m proud of him, happy for him, and happy for us as a team.”

In three NFL seasons, Moody has converted 74.2% of his field goal attempts, going 24-for-34 last season with San Francisco. His clutch performance on Monday night, in challenging conditions, marked a resounding redemption. Looks like all he needed was a little trust and support to come out and perform. And Chicago gave him just that.

The win moved the Bears to a respectable 3-2. More importantly, it confirmed that the job of a specialist is less about perfection and more about relentless, immediate rebirth. He went from being an early-season casualty, jettisoned after 2 Week 1 misses, to the hero under the MNF lights.