On Sunday, the San Fransisco 49ers improved to 9-4 with a crushing defeat of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35-7.
It was quarterback Brock Purdy’s first career start following the injury of starter Jimmy Garoppolo (foot). It was yet another “out of character” game for Tampa Bay as they failed to put up points to keep up with their opponents.
Penalties Kill Bucs in Big Moments
The Bucs had eight penalties, giving up 62 yards to an explosive San Fransisco offense. A grand majority of the penalties also came on big plays.
The 49ers benefited a lot from this as three of the Buccaneers’ penalties gifted the Niners with a first down.
In the first quarter, Tom Brady connected to Mike Evans on a deep ball for a touchdown that would have tied the game up early at seven. However, a holding on Buccaneers’ tackle Donovan Smith negated the touchdown, and Tampa Bay would have to settle for a punt.
Smith is one of the most penalized players in the league. He has gotten 58 penalties since he came into the league in 2015.
Head coach Todd Bowles on the penalty issues: “We cannot have the penalties. That’s the Bucs beating the Bucs. He [Smith] had some this week and he had some last week. He has got to play better.”
Lack Luster Performance Overall Keeps Tampa Bay From Competing
Defensively, the Bucs were able to let the rookie Purdy spread the ball around to his targets at will. No San Fransisco player had more than five targets in the game and this was successful in keeping Tampa Bay on their toes constantly throughout the game. Mr. Irrelevant (Purdy was the last pick in the 2022 Draft) finished the day 16-21 (76%) through the air.
The 49ers’ leading receiver was Brandon Aiyuk who had 57 yards and a touchdown. Deebo Samuel also played well with 43 yards through the air and 21 yards on the ground with a rushing touchdown. Samuel was carted off of the field with an ankle injury, adding to the 49ers already stockpiled injury list.
The Buccaneers run defense looked off as well. Christian McCaffrey was able to gain 119 yards and a touchdown on the day. The battle at the line of scrimmage was lost as the defensive line was not able to put as much pressure on Purdy as they would have liked.
San Fransisco finished with 404 total yards on the day.
Offensively, Brady threw two interceptions and finished with a low 36.1 QB rating. To say the least, he looked off. Other than a late game touchdown pass to Russell Gage, he was not getting a lot of help.
The Buccaneers run game was not pretty. Rachaad White finished with 56 yards. However, he was averaging a mere four yards a carry. Leonard Fournette also had a quiet game with just 13 yards. He was more prevalent in the passing game with 33 receiving yards.
Bowles on the team going forward: “Anytime you win, it’s coaching and playing together. Anytime you lose, it’s coaching and playing together. And we got to coach it better and they [the players] have to play it better and it is as simple as that.”
Up Next
The Buccaneers, nonetheless, still sit atop the NFC South with a 6-7 record. Next week, they will be back at home in Raymond James Stadium as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. E.T.