by: Carter Brantley
The Bucs were outgained by nearly 200 yards. They averaged 3.1 less yards per play. And they punted 6 times to the 49ers’ 1.
Yet, the Bucs only lost Sunday afternoon 23-20 on a game-winning field goal by San Francisco kicker Jake Moody, who had missed 3 previous field goals throughout the game.
It was a strange game for both teams, as the Bucs struggled to get anything going offensively while holding up moderately well on defense, while San Fran failed to finish drives, settling for 6 attempted field goals and only a pair of touchdowns.
The Bucs suffered a slightly similar fate, in that they, too, had to run kicker Chase McLaughlin out more often than they would have liked, but they also had their fair share of 3-and-outs, leading to a measly 215 yards of total offense, with only 105 coming through the air.
Baker Mayfield and a struggling offensive line and receiving corps was the culprit for that, as left tackle Tristan Wirfs went down with a knee injury in the 2nd quarter and was out for the remainder of the game, and their 2 star receivers were still out.
Tight end Cade Otton tried his best to continue his streak of quality play, but even he couldn’t quite keep up, as he was limited to 5 catches on 35 yards and no touchdowns.
The pair of end zone trips came from the running backs, as Rachaad White hauled in a receiving TD and Bucky Irving punched one in late in the game to put the Bucs ahead.
The 49ers were their usual explosive selves, with 5 pass catchers outgaining the Bucs’ leading “receiver” (Rachaad White) in yardage, and they managed to rack up a pair of sacks.
A big positive for the Bucs was the absence of any turnovers, especially in any picks from the NFL leader in that category heading into the week, Baker Mayfield, but it seems to have come at the cost of their ability to get drives going.
The Bucs head into their bye week 4-6, and the New York Giants await them on November 24th following the Bucs’ week off.
There is still hope for the Bucs; the Atlanta Falcons lost their own 3-point game to division rival New Orleans Saints, causing their record to fall to 6-4 on the season.
Plus, the rest of the season is rated as one of the easiest strength of schedules in football; the Bucs get to play those 2-8 Giants, who just lost to the now 3-7 Carolina Panthers, who the Bucs also get to play twice down the stretch as they close out their season.
Mix in a trip to Vegas to play the 2-7 Raiders and there are some very winnable games in the near future. Mike Evans also is due to return at some point after the Bye Week, hopefully serving as a galvanizing force to a team that’s lost 5 of their last 6.
