Veteran offensive tackle Trent Williams has been in the NFL since 2010. But in the 49ers’ 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium, he experienced something completely new to him.
That new occurrence was a product of Skyy Moore‘s 98-yard return on the opening kickoff before he was finally tracked down at the Arizona 1-yard line. As a result, Williams and the 49ers’ offense took the field for the first time needing just a couple of feet for a touchdown, which Christian McCaffrey immediately obtained for an instant lead.
“That’s a first for me. Out of 15 years, that’s a first,” Williams told reporters postgame. “Skyy jumped us off, man. He’s a difference-maker.”
As a whole, San Francisco’s special teams have improved significantly throughout the 2025 NFL season, from the danger of Moore as a returner to the consistency of kicker Eddy Piñeiro.
“It’s definitely refreshing when you’ve got special teams that can go out there and make a difference,” Williams added.
Of course, the 49ers didn’t mind getting McCaffrey an easy touchdown to kick things off, but it’s not often that a kick return goes that far but still comes up just short of the end zone.
Moore shared a very relatable reason for getting caught barely before reaching the goal line.
“I was running out of gas,” Moore explained with a laugh. “I looked at the board and saw somebody getting close, so I tried to jump at the end, but it didn’t work. We’ll get it next time.”
And though it was a career first for him, it’s hard to imagine Williams would be mad at getting more opportunities for one-yard touchdown drives in the future.
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