The San Francisco 49ers are advancing to the NFC Championship Game after a heart-stopping finish against the Green Bay Packers.
While the 49ers-Packers NFC divisional-round battle pitted two rising signal callers against one another, it also involved a matchup between two rookie kickers.
Jake Moody, a third-round pick out of Michigan by San Francisco, and Anders Carlson, a sixth-round pick out of Auburn by Green Bay, needed to deliver in critical moments during Saturday's tight-knit contest.
No. 1-seeded San Francisco ended up coming back late to top No. 7-seeded Green Bay 24-21, with missed kicks making headlines.
Between the two misses -- one by each rookie -- it was Carlson's that hurt more. Green Bay led 21-17 and drove 67 yards on six plays that eventually set up a 41-yard field goal try. But, with 6:21 on the clock, Carlson sent it wide left.
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Shortly after the miss, FOX sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi said he had spoken to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur about Carlson, to which LaFleur gave a pretty brutal comment.
"[LaFleur] basically said, 'When he goes out there, I just pray,'" Rinaldi said on the broadcast.
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Carlson made two of three attempts (66%) in the loss to San Francisco. He went 27 of 33 (81.8%) in the regular season and 34 of 39 (87.1%) on extra points.
It's not the greatest look if a head coach doesn't trust their kicker, especially in high-pressure environments such as the playoffs. But if Carlson's regular-season record worried LaFleur to that degree, the Packers could've brought in a veteran ahead of time.
Former Packer Mason Crosby, who featured in 12 postseasons with the franchise from 2007 to 2021, was moved on from this past season. Crosby, who made 31 of 35 (88.6.%) of his playoff attempts and all 70 PATs, played three games for the New York Giants this season and currently is a free agent.
San Francisco saw its rookie Moody miss from 48 yards out just before halftime, which Green Bay had blocked. That would've put the 49ers up 10-6 had Moody converted.
Moody, who later drilled one from 52 yards, went 21 of 25 (84%) during the regular season and 60 of 61 on PATs.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan will need Moody to keep scoring with confidence as the stakes increase next time out in the NFC Championship Game. San Francisco will host either the No. 3 Detroit Lions or No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
