The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tied it up at Raymond James Stadium in the final minute of regulation with a Chase McLaughlin 26-yard field goal. However, Brock Purdy marched the 49ers down into field goal range and Jake Moody squeaked in a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give San Francisco a 23-20 victory.
"[We] have to finish ballgames," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "[When] guys get a chance to play, they have to come in, play and execute. We can't play hard and then not play smart at the end. We have to play smarter football. There's nothing wrong with how hard we're playing and how tough we're playing, but we have to finish games. We have to find a way to finish ballgames. [We're] making too many mistakes at the end."
The loss marked the Bucs' fourth consecutive defeat, dropping the club to 4-6 on the season with the Atlanta Falcons in the driver's seat of the NFC South. San Francisco concluded the Week 10 contest with a 413-215 advantage in total net yardage, with explosive plays contributing to the outcome at Raymond James Stadium. For the Bucs, the longest play of the day was a 15-yard catch by Cade Otton, while the 49ers totaled five plays of 30-plus yards to five different weapons including a 30-yarder by Jauan Jennings, a 30-yarder by Christian McCaffrey, a 32-yarder by Deebo Samuel, 46-yarder by Ricky Pearsall and a 33-yarder by George Kittle.
Offensive Overview
Baker Mayfield, the Bucs' igniter, completed 18 of 29 passes for 116 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, completing five passes to Cade Otton and nine to the tandem of Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. The signal-caller showcased his vision of the field and awareness in the pocket. Mayfield got rid of the ball quickly throughout the NFC battle to try and mitigate the 49ers' pass rush with Nick Bosa. Until Bosa's sack in the fourth quarter, he did not have a single pressure on Mayfield, a credit to Tristan Wirfs (left with knee injury) and Justin Skule at left tackle.
Irving finished the game with 73 yards on 13 carries, averaging 5.3 per tote. The rookie displayed his twitchiness and ability to make defenders miss, reminiscent of his days at Oregon. On the Buccaneers' game-tying drive, Mayfield rallied the Bucs with a jaw-dropping fourth-down conversion to White as No. 6 used his left arm to stiff-arm Nick Bosa while moving his feet laterally. Mayfield kept his eyes downfield and delivered a strike to White, splitting two defenders in the process. The Buccaneers gained a first-and-goal at the San Francisco eight-yard-line with less than a minute to play but White was dropped in the backfield on second down and Mayfield's third-down pass went incomplete, forcing the Buccaneers to kick a field goal.
A muffed catch on a punt by the 49ers early in the third quarter was recovered by Bucs' Anthony Nelson, setting Mayfield up for his game-tying eight-yard touchdown pass to White earlier in the game. On San Francisco's special teams gaffe, Tavierre Thomas ejected the blocker into the punt returner, building momentum for the home team. The Bucs capitalized with a screen up the middle to White. Payne Durham went in motion and the 49ers' defense was prepared for a perimeter screen and once they over-pursued to the right, White split the defense. Irving's 12-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the game, 17-13. With Luke Goedeke out in front and a key block from Otton, Irving made his way into the end zone.
Defensive Details
Throughout the Week 10 matchup, the 49ers exploited the Bucs' soft zones with in-breakers. Brock Purdy completed 25 of 36 passes for 353 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Buccaneers' defense primarily contained McCaffrey and the league's second-ranked rushing attack on the ground, as McCaffrey totaled 39 yards on 13 carries. Throughout the course of the contest, yards after the catch became the incriminating factor.
Overall, safety Jordan Whitehead played a critical role in bottling up McCaffrey, spearheading the unit with a team-best 12 tackles, while defensive lineman Calijah Kancey continued his reign of terror with five tackles (career-high-tying), a sack, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit. Outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and defensive lineman Greg Gaines had Tampa Bay's other two sacks on Purdy. On Gaines' in the first quarter, Whitehead pushed McCaffrey back into the quarterback's lap and Gaines cashed in, which set up second-and-15.
