Jake Moody goes from no job to kicking a winning field goal for the Bears against the Commanders

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — For all the big plays D’Andre Swift contributed Monday night for the Chicago Bears, he knew it wouldn’t have resulted in a victory without one big kick by the newest guy on the team, Jake Moody.

So Swift made sure to head on over to Moody and get to know him after a 38-yard field goal as time expired lifted Chicago past the Washington Commanders 25-24 on a rainy night.

“I introduced myself to him on the sideline,” Swift said with a big smile after accounting for 175 yards from scrimmage and a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown. “First time I spoke to him. He did a great job. … Happy to have him on the team.”

Moody went from high NFL draft pick by San Francisco in 2023 to playing in the Super Bowl for the 49ers to a guy without a job after coach Kyle Shanahan’s club cut him for missing two kicks in Week 1 this season.

Chicago added him to its practice squad.

“I didn’t necessarily fully know who he was when he got here,” said Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for one score and ran for another. “Being able to hear about his story when he got here … I know he’s been through some tough moments. So having this moment for him, I know, is important. It’s important for us.”

Moody finally got a chance to play Monday because the usual Bears kicker, Cairo Santos, was sidelined by a quadriceps injury.

“I’m glad to be on the team. Glad to be a part of this,” Moody said. “Can’t wait to formally meet everybody else at some point.”

Surely, they’ll all be glad to shake his hand after his role in stretching their winning streak to three games.

As it is, some teammates hoisted Moody on their shoulders and paraded him on the soggy field after Monday’s win improved Chicago’s record to 3-2.

“It’s a pretty cool series of events. A couple days ago, I didn’t know I was playing,” said Moody, who also made kicks from 41, 47 and 48 yards. “To get lifted up by my teammates, it’s an amazing feeling. Really glad I got to share that.”

Bears coach Ben Johnson said he never had a doubt about the final make — even after Moody had a 48-yard attempt blocked on the initial play of the last period.

“We’ve seen him in practice now for a number of weeks, and we know what he’s capable of. He’s made big kicks in big games over the course of his career so far. None of it was surprising,” Johnson said. “I think that’s who he is, and I think that change of scenery was really good for him.”

As if making the winning kick wouldn’t be a big enough deal on its own, there was that not-so-little matter of overcoming what had happened 15 minutes of game time earlier: The block left Chicago trailing 17-16, a deficit that would grow to 24-16.

The Bears cut it to 24-22 on Swift’s long TD — aided by safety Quan Martin’s missed tackle — but the Commanders were putting together a clock-draining drive later in the final period when quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt botched a handoff with a little more than three minutes to go.

That gave the Bears the ball on their own 44-yard line, and Williams directed them down the field to give Moody another shot.

He came through.

“You’ve got to always think about the next kick, not think about the previous kick,” Moody said. “All I had to do was kick it straight.”

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