The San Francisco 49ers horrific 2024 campaign continued in Week 17, as they suffered a hard-fought 40-34 loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions on “Monday Night Football.” It was another tough game for kicker Jake Moody, and after the game, star tight end George Kittle came to his defense.

In a game where San Fran lost by six points, Moody missed his two field goal attempts, while also missing one of his five extra point attempts. It continued a trend of struggles for Moody, but that didn't stop Kittle from uplifting him after the game, as he stepped in to shield the talented kicker from some of the criticism he's received as of late.

“I'm a huge fan of Jake,” Kittle said after the 49ers loss. “Tonight was a really tough night for him, and I feel horrible for him…It's one of those games, it's gonna go one of two ways. You're gonna let it define you, or you're gonna say, ‘No, I'm not gonna let that define me. I'm gonna go back out there and I'm gonna make a ton of kicks.'”

Even George Kittle couldn't stop Jake Moody from getting bashed by 49ers fans

San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody (4) sits on the bench after missing a field goal during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
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While Moody has battled injuries throughout the year, his struggles kicking the ball have hurt San Francisco this year. He's now made just 23 of his 32 field goal attempts on the year, which is a pretty stark drop after he hit 21 of his 25 field goal attempts last season. And with another pair of tough misses in the books, fans took aim at him on social media on Monday night.

The 2024 campaign certainly hasn't gone Moody's way, and he struggled at the worst possible time for San Francisco. Thankfully, the team only has one more game before they can turn the page to next season, and Moody will look to close things out on a high note when the Niners take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18.