Although the San Francisco 49ers celebrated a narrow 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a small altercation occurred on the sidelines.

Following kicker Jake Moody’s third missed field goal, receiver Deebo Samuel confronted the special teams group. He was seen grabbing the neck of long snapper Taybor Pepper and briefly making contact with Moody’s facemask.

Despite this tense moment, Moody managed to make a 44-yard field goal just as the game ended, securing the 49ers’ second consecutive win this season.

49ers players share insights on Deebo Samuel’s incident

Though it looked like a fight was brewing, the three players involved said the situation was simply an effort to realign their focus, with Pepper supporting his kicker.

“(Samuel) was just trying to get (Moody) to concentrate,” Pepper explained after the game. “We all know our roles and we support each other.”

Samuel later acknowledged he had “lost his temper a bit” out of frustration but clarified that he didn’t overstep any bounds. He mentioned plans to discuss it with Moody to ensure they could put it behind them. Samuel suggested that the moment might have motivated Moody to succeed with the winning kick.

“I think he found some extra motivation to make that field goal,” Samuel commented.

Meanwhile, Moody expressed that no apology was necessary from Samuel.

“It’s an emotional game, and things like that happen frequently. We just brush it off. We won, so that’s what truly matters,” he stated. “In the heat of the moment, it happens. At the end of the day, I just need to make those kicks.”

The victory likely helped alleviate any remaining tension among the 49ers players. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated he did not witness the incident but felt “not too concerned” about it.