The ankle injury that forced K Jake Moody to be taken off the field further exacerbates the San Francisco 49ers’ injury troubles. Prior to the incident, Moody had already made two field goals, but his escort off the field after the injury did not appear good.
The injury occured due to Moody trying to make a tackle on a kickoff return. He was attempting to tackle Arizona Cardinals returner DeeJay Dallas when his foot became stuck beneath his torso.
His kicking foot sustains a high ankle sprain mechanism, trapping his right foot. Wishing him well, Christ wrote on X.
Should the injury be a high ankle sprain, the 49ers kicker may miss a considerable length of time from the game. With the average recovery time of several weeks for those kinds of injuries, San Francisco would need to locate a temporary substitute.
In addition to Moody’s injury, the 49ers also experienced more misfortune with two other players. Both S Ji’Ayir Brown and S Talanoa Hufanga left the game due to injury; Brown also had an ankle problem.
Hufanga left the game rather early, with the 49ers claiming that a wrist issue had initially cast doubt on his availability. Later on, he was declared ineligible to compete, which is concerning for a player who has already experienced numerous injury setbacks.
In Week 11 of 2023, Hufanga tore his ACL, which prevented him from playing the rest of the regular season and the 49ers’ subsequent run to the 2024 Super Bowl. Later in the season, he sustained an ankle injury that prevented him from playing in the Week 4 victory against the New England Patriots.
Hufanga has had a great rookie season and has disappointed both the team and the player. He was an All-Pro in 2022 and had four interceptions that season. In 2023, he added three more interceptions while playing for San Francisco.
San Francisco is currently short on natural safety, much like what has been happening with the defensive tackle unit over the last few weeks. Malik Mustapha and George Odum are on the team, but there’s a reason they’re backups.
At least Odum has a great deal of experience. The 31-year-old is in his sixth year in the NFL and his third with the 49ers. But in two seasons and change, he hasn’t started a single game for the Niners.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, Mustapha was selected as a fourth-round choice by the 49ers, who acquired him this past offseason. Hufanga missed the game against the Patriots, but the 22-year-old defensive back, who has recorded nine combined tackles this season, started in his place.
Mustapha excelled while attending Wake Forest for his academic education. He recorded 80 combined tackles and one interception in his last season with the Demon Deacons. During his three years at Wake, he had three interceptions.
