49ers never woke up from special teams nightmare, and Week 1 proved it

The San Francisco 49ers' special teams is awful.

Such a statement could have been applied to the 2024 version under then-coordinator Brian Schneider.

Or it could be said about the revised unit under respected coordinator Brant Boyer after one week of action in 2025.

Boyer's changes to the crucial but often overlooked third phase of the game were noteworthy, bringing in punter Thomas Morstead and long-snapper Jon Weeks while also putting embattled kicker Jake Moody in a high-profile training camp competition against veteran Greg Joseph.

Moody ultimately won that competition, although there were few signs of a decisive win.

So, the regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks had to prove justification, right?

Right?

Special teams a nightmare in 49ers' Week 1 showdown vs. Seahawks

Perhaps things got off to an ominous start in the showdown at Lumen Field when newly acquired wide receiver and return specialist Skyy Moore muffed his first punt in a Niners uniform. While he ultimately recovered it before being pushed out of bounds, it wasn't necessarily a good sign for a player who was benched for the same issues during his Kansas City Chiefs tenure.

Then, there was Moody.

The third-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft hit the left upright on a would-be go-ahead 27-yard attempt in the second quarter, which only forced nightmares in the minds of San Francisco fans everywhere.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't even give Moody a chance for retribution on the 49ers' next fourth-down try, opting to go for it and converting instead. However, Moody's next try was ultimately blocked, although not necessarily because of the kicker's gaffe:

Brutal. At least Moody made a game-tying try in the fourth quarter.

The Niners ultimately won their Week 1 NFC West showdown 17-13, but one can only wonder how the script would have been without the special teams gaffes that seemed not to end during the offseason's turnover. Maybe it wouldn't have been such a nail-biter.

Perhaps things turn around for the better in short order.

For now, though, special teams continues to be a San Francisco disaster, just as it was a year ago.