Ira Kaufmanand#039;s 10 49ers-Bucs picks – JoeBucsFan.com Ira Kaufman’s 10 picks from 49ers-Bucs
The other team is better. The Bucs were hoping the 49ers would destroy themselves on Sunday, causing a huge upset. Instead, San Francisco won the turnover battle on a 2-0 run en route to a 27-14 win that got a little heartwarming toward the end.
Tampa Bay never let up after a disastrous third quarter in which San Francisco went on TD runs of 98 and 79 yards to go up by 20 points. In the end, despite the visitors’ fight, the better team won.
It wasn’t a surprise, either, when the Bucs lined up and came up short at home against Philadelphia on Monday night. And just like the Lions were too strong for Tampa Bay five weeks ago.
he Bucs didn’t play the Titans or Bears on Sunday — and it showed. They are who we thought they would be, a pedestrian team in a division where a pedestrian could be good enough to win a Division Two title.
While they made it interesting at the end, the Bucs were undermined by the usual suspects. They still can’t play damn football, and for the second time in three weeks, they made opposing pitchers look like vintage Dan Marino.
Brock Purdy posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating, mostly because his targets always seemed open. Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle combined for 13 catches for 245 yards and a pair of scores.
Todd Bowles was so focused on containing Christian McCaffrey (103 yards from scrimmage) that something had to give. As a result, Kittle and Aiyuk ran free all afternoon.
McCaffrey averaged just 3.7 yards on 21 carries, but he opened the scoring by catching a 4-yard pass from Purdy. And yes, he was open. Baker Mayfield stepped up in the pocket against a deep and relentless pass rush, completing 29 passes for 246 yards.
He made great throws in tight coverage and never let his teammates feel like the play was ever broken. Tampa Bay’s special teams enjoyed solid play, and the offensive line held up pretty well in pass protection, as two of San Francisco’s four sacks came on last downs.
It was shocking to see Tristan Wirfs get away with a late hit, but hey, he’s human and was a little confused at that point. Here’s how the 49ers passed Seattle atop the NFC West and dropped the Bucs a full game behind New Orleans:
* Trailing just 13-7 at halftime, the Bucs didn’t show up for the third quarter. The biggest play was Aiyuki’s 76-yard TD catch from Jamel Dean down the left sideline. Considering the 49ers started the ball at their own 2-yard line after a Jake Camarda punt, it was a punt.
Tampa Bay was outscored 177-42 during the stretch. Jamel Dean * Speaking of Dean, between injuries and ineffectiveness, his 2023 season was completely forgettable. * On the other hand, Antoine Winfield Jr. continued to shine with 16 hits.
YaYa Diaby also excelled with 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. His success rate increases significantly. * The disappointing numbers are in the Buc ground game. This time it averaged 3.7 yards on 18 carries for 66 yards.
Par for the course. No wonder Mayfield passed 37 times in the second half alone. * Mike Evans caught a 1-yard TD flip in the second quarter, but the 49ers did a good job of him.
He was targeted 12 times but had just 43
yards from five yards out. * Fred Warner
himself had a day with 12 stops, a forced
fumble and half a sack. No two ways
about it…the man is a great player.
Returner/receiver/kicker Deven
Thompkins. * It’s a tribute to Mayfield’s
ingenuity that the Bucs went 7/14 on third
down against the NFL’s No. 1
quarterback.
* Deven Thompkins provided a late spark
with a 51-yard punt, the Bucs’ longest
since Bobby Rainey’s 58-yard return
against Jacksonville in 2015. * Calijah
Kancey did not make the postgame stat
sheet. Cross zeros.
* The Bucs fell to 4-6 in their last six
games with their fifth loss, but all is not
lost in the hapless NFC South. This is
because the distribution is cumulative 14-26.
Every other division leader has at least 7
wins, so it’s starting to look like 8-9 might
be enough for the NFC’s 4th playoff seed
again. What an unfortunate situation.
Ira Kaufman discusses recent executive
action, playoff talk, Fresh Overhype,
Bucs-Niners predictions and insights and
more
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