49ers @ Buccaneers
Final Score: 49ers 23 – Buccaneers 20
Writer: Brendan Boe (@BeeBoeFF on Twitter)
The 49ers are back: Christian McCaffrey made his season debut and owned the backfield once again. The real star here was Brock Purdy who spread the ball around and got every notable receiver involved. Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, just couldn’t get the ball to his receiving squad as he depended on check-downs and a prayer that Cade Otton could be an important piece as he’s been in recent games. It’s a miracle that this game was so close – except the miracle was actually just 49ers kicker Jake Moody missing three field goals, and then ironically getting the game-winning score.
Three Up
- Brock Purdy – It must be a sigh of relief to have superstar McCaffrey back – the entire offense functioned better, and the run could be established to allow receivers to get open.
- Bucs Running Backs – Rachaad White and Bucky Irving were the whole Bucs offense as they each had touchdowns and leveraged their respective roles well against a stout run defense.
- 49ers Receivers – Not just wide receivers; McCaffrey had six catches. If Purdy threw you the ball, you had a good day today. Special shoutout to Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle for their spectacular touchdowns.
Two Down
- Baker Mayfield – He just couldn’t get anything done. Heavy reliance on running backs, lots of check-downs, and short passes with no follow-through to complete their drives.
- Bucs Wide Receivers – Four catches for 28 and one carry for three: that is the stat line of ALL Buccaneers wide receivers. These are not winning numbers, it’s a miracle that this game was so close.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 25/36, 353 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Carries, 17 Yards
Purdy made sure to feed the whole squad as he supported every receiver, coming in hot with a 46-yard bomb touchdown to Ricky Pearsall in the first quarter. He had great protection from blitzes as the Niners’ O-line let him take his time to find reads, get comfortable in the pocket, and sail it to his receivers as they had all day to find space. Credit to the Bucs defense for providing decent coverage, but the Niners receivers managed to find tight windows; time and time again, Purdy found them and placed the ball right where it needed to be.
It certainly helped that McCaffrey was available to take off the pressure and use his abilities to support the quarterback for some great gains through the air. A couple of mishaps meant that this contest was closer than it should’ve been considering the wide disparity between the team’s stat lines: a couple of drives couldn’t be closed out, with one being 10 yards from the end zone in a must-pass situation, and another where a sack for a loss of 10 yards took the team out of field goal range.
The scariest error was a near-strip sack, but it was saved when Jauan Jennings dove onto the ball before a defender could. Despite these mistakes, Purdy played a safe game without a single turnover and, in the end, led the charge to victory.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 13 Carries, 39 Yards | 6 Catches, 68 Yards
Fantasy managers, 49ers fans, and anyone who appreciates good football: the moment we’ve been eagerly awaiting has come as arguably the best running back in the NFL has finally returned. The whole backfield was immediately ceded to McCaffrey who, between rushes and receptions, accounted for over 40% of all team’s touches! Remarkable workload, but would we expect anything less from CMC? I think not.
He was surprisingly less efficient on the ground than expected with an average of three yards per carry, but most of his damage was done through the air as he had the second-most targets and catches behind the tried and true Jennings. McCaffrey made catches from outside of the backfield and found success on multiple misdirections, finding big holes in the lines and powering for extra yardage, taking advantage of mismatches to keep drives alive. His biggest gain was what could’ve been a 15-yard catch, but a quick burst of speed and a nice juke turned it into a 30-yard gain. Ok, so he didn’t get a touchdown – they will come. What’s important to take away is that McCaffrey looks to be a force to be reckoned with once again.
Christian McCaffrey so far in his debut:
18 total touches
105 total yardspic.twitter.com/BuaL86nWr5— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) November 10, 2024
Jordan Mason: 1 Carry, 5 Yards
I mean, McCaffrey is back so this was to be expected. Elite handcuff, but otherwise won’t see much of the field.
Isaac Guerendo: 1 Carry, 0 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Deebo Samuel: 5 Catches, 62 Yards | 3 Carries, 14 Yards
The rushing game is still there for this versatile receiver as he’s still getting carries despite the return of McCaffrey. He only found success on a single end-around that accounted for 12 of his total 13 yards on the ground, but his day as a whole was far more successful through the air, where he beat his defenders and made short yardage gains as needed to move the ball. His most significant impact was on a slant route where he beat his defender on a short pass and booked it downfield for a gain of 32 yards. Despite being in the lead, Deebo got in the face of fellow teammates after Moody missed his third field goal of the day, putting his hand on the throat of the team’s long snapper. We hate to see someone lose their cool when off the field, but hopefully, this was the end of their little scuffle.
George Kittle: 3 Catches, 57 Yards, TD
He had the least amount of yards and catches, but still had an amazing day. All of his catches were worth of highlights: he leaped up for a high pass, tipped it with his fingers, and completed the catch as it came down his way. His biggest gain was a massive catch caught in the backfield after a successful misdirection, running in wide-open space and then fighting multiple defenders to gain 33 yards. His touchdown was perfect chemistry with Purdy, as Kittle scrambled around the end zone, fought to get open, and managed to create a tiny window in the back left corner to catch and toe tap near the edge for a spectacular 11-yard touchdown. Reliable as ever, Kittle did Kittle things in this one.
Incredible TD from Brock Purdy and George Kittle! pic.twitter.com/0oJOW0jexu
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) November 10, 2024
Jauan Jennings: 7 Catches, 93 Yards
The target, catch, and receiving yardage leader, Jennings has been an invaluable asset in terms of production and consistency. Third and Jauan was an immensely reliable piece of keeping drives alive as he got open between defenders and made catches in stride, with several of his plays gaining 10+ yards and, of course, converting necessary third downs. Near the end of the game, he had the chance to get out of bounds to stop the clock but opted to stay in and put the team in field goal range, which ended up being the decision that led the Niners to victory. His chemistry with Purdy is abundantly clear as he is deservedly one of his favorite receivers despite an elite core of players.
Ricky Pearsall: 4 Catches, 73 Yards, TD
His first touchdown of his career came off a fantastic catch and run: he beat his defender in the middle and booked it down the field for 46 yards, displaying great speed in the process. You wouldn’t think that this dude just survived a gunshot wound back in August as he looked phenomenal in his touchdown debut. He padded his stats with a good catch to set up field goal range, as well as two crucial plays near the end of the game to keep up the team’s chances of winning. He was targeted another time in the end zone, but wasn’t able to overcome good coverage – but he nearly had a massive performance in this contest. This performance was super encouraging for all Niners and Pearsall fans.
Ricky Pearsall goes 46 yards for his first career TD!
📺: #SFvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/R7zjs0naAm— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: 18/29, 116 Yards, TD | 3 Carries, 3 Yards
So he didn’t have any turnovers, I’ll give him credit there – but woof, he just couldn’t overcome the Niners pressure. To start with the good, he had some precise throws and showed that he can be accurate when needed. He’s also tough as hell on plays where he should’ve been sacked by Nick Bosa but managed to stay on his feet, with one play, in particular, being a short pass to Rachaad White in a tight window for a fourth-down conversion.
Baker was up against a stout run defense, but the secondary was beatable, so it was interesting that he couldn’t get the ball to his wide receivers, opting to check down to running backs and lean heavily on Otton who has been a major producer in recent weeks. This was not a great game for Baker, but the biggest story here was the heavy pressure – he couldn’t complete his reads and only managed short-yardage plays with his longest pass of the day being only 15 yards.
The game was still close as the Niners couldn’t kick to save their lives, but the Bucs outright didn’t do enough to stay in the game. Going three and out on multiple drives, taking sacks on a couple of third downs, plus fumbling on a poor snap led to too many missed opportunities for the offense to overcome. Expect Baker to have better games after their Week 11 bye, especially when Mike Evans returns.
BAKER MAYFIELD WHAT?!
📺: #SFvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Mlj7lDybXM— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
Running Back
Rachaad White: 10 Carries, 31 Yards | 6 Catches, 39 Yards, TD
Despite White having the first carry of the game, Irving ended up having the larger share of carries. And even though White only averaged 3.1 yards per carry, he was once again utilized as a major receiving threat, regularly lining up on the outside. With six catches on seven targets, he accounted for nearly 25% of the team’s total targets and gathered one-third of their total catches.
White was not used as a prototypical running back, and with the continued absence of the team’s two star receivers, White has stepped up as one of the Bucs’ most trusted targets. His involvement kept drives alive, particularly near the end of the game where Mayfield was nearly taken down by Bosa, but White managed to find space between defenders and convert a fourth down. He was also responsible for the team’s only receiving score on a great catch inside the 10-yard line: with excellent play design on an angle screen, White split the defense and cut back for a beautiful eight-yard touchdown.
Rachaad White TD. I believe you’re very familiar with him.
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) November 10, 2024
Bucky Irving: 13 Carries, 73 Yards, TD | 3 Catches, 14 Yards
Irving was by far the more efficient running back on the ground with 5.6 yards per carry, and still had involvement in the passing game catching all three of his targets. He was relied on early as the primary running back where he fought down the middle and found seams for excellent gains, breaking tackles and using spin moves for extra yardage.
He made multiple defenders miss on several runs showing a dangerous combination of power and elusiveness – an excellent complimentary role to White, his fellow running back. Irving hasn’t ceded a full workhorse role, though he’s made a compelling case for being the primary rusher; that said, the offense seems to be quite effective using a two-back system.
It’s important to note that Sean Tucker’s presence was nonexistent, and if this trend continues then Irving could continue to be the primary ball carrier, though it will be interesting to see how this changes when Evans returns and the ball is thrown more often. Irving had the Bucs’ only rushing touchdown: the ball was pitched and he cut to the right, made a defender miss, and rushed it in for a 12-yard score.
shoutout the 18.6% of people that started Bucky Irving pic.twitter.com/HWoiP5LU6U
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) November 10, 2024
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Cade Otton: 5 Catches, 35 Yards
Once again, Mayfield heavily targeted his favorite player in the receiving game with eight targets. This contest belonged to the running backs, but Otton still had five catches versus the cumulative four catches by the team’s entire wide receiver core. It’s no wonder their quarterback barely passed 100 passing yards, as Otton proved to be the only reliable receiver; but he can’t be expected to do all the work by himself.
He was once again dependable when needed to convert third downs, with one of his better plays being a catch in a tight window where he dragged two Niners defenders for extra yards after the catch. This was the first game since Week 6 with less than 10 targets and 77 yards, so don’t be surprised to see things turn around after their Week 11 bye.
Sterling Shepard: 1 Catch, 7 Yards | 1 Carry, 3 Yards
Not much to say about Sterling Shepard – or the other receivers for that matter. The wide receivers got no love in this matchup.
Ryan Miller: 1 Catch, 11 Yards
Rakim Jarrett: 2 Catches, 10 Yards
Trey Palmer: 0 Catches, 0 Yards