Here is what stood out from the 49ers 35-7 blowout win over the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.
Kyle Shanahan
During their current six-game winning streak, the 49ers have averaged 28.6 points per game and scored over 30 points four times.
San Francisco now ranks eighth in the NFL with an average of 24.4 points scored. If this holds up it will be the first time in Kyle Shanahan’s career that his offense has finished in the top half of the league in scoring in consecutive years.
The win over Tampa Bay was San Francisco’s ninth of the season guaranteeing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in Shanahan’s career.
Brock Purdy
Purdy lit up a Tampa Bay defense which had allowed the fifth lowest average net yards per pass attempt coming into the game.
The rookie quarterback was fantastic throughout the first half, hitting all five of his downfield attempts. Purdy also showcased his ability to move with his first career touchdown run and shaking an unblocked pass rusher before throwing a dart to Deebo Samuel for a first down.
Purdy became the first rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least two touchdown passes, a touchdown run and a passer rating over 125 in his first career start.
Making the outing even more impressive is Purdy did all of this after suffering a strained oblique on the 49ers second possession of the game.
Running Game
The 49ers running game matched the explosiveness of its quarterback. Led by Christian McCaffrey, the Niners had nine runs go for ten or more yards. San Francisco finished with a season best 209 yards rushing on 36 carries.
McCaffrey finished with 14 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also had two catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. In his six starts since joining the 49ers, McCaffrey has averaged 113.3 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown per game.
Jordan Mason continued to show improvement as the third back behind McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel.
The undrafted rookie free agent ran the ball 11 times for 56 yards and a long of 18. With Deebo Samuel out of the lineup due to an ankle injury look for Mason’s role to continue expanding.
Deebo Samuel
Samuel was having a solid day prior to suffering an ankle injury. The wideback had four catches for 43 yards, to go along with four carries for 21 yards and a touchdown in less than a half.
The full extent of the injury is unknown; however, Kyle Shanahan told the media on his Monday conference call that it is most likely a high ankle sprain.
Ray-Ray McCloud
The injury to Samuel provides an opportunity for McCloud to become more involved in the offense.
While Samuel was away from the team during a contract dispute in the offseason it was McCloud who took the reps generally given to Samuel.
After Samuel left the game on McCloud had three carries for seven yards to go along with one catch for 11 yards.
Defense
Tom Brady came into Sunday having thrown only four interceptions all season. The 49ers defense came away with two on consecutive Tampa Bay possessions. San Francisco has two or more interceptions in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2015.
Over the last five weeks, San Francisco’s defense has recorded a league high 12 takeaways.
The Niners defense has held opponents to 17 points or less in six consecutive weeks, the longest streak since 1992.
Jimmie Ward
The converted safety recorded eight tackles, one pass defensed and a forced fumble. Ward’s forced fumble was the third of his career and first since 2020 against the Los Angeles Rams.
After missing the beginning of the season with a hamstring injury, Ward struggled to get going. However, over the last five weeks the veteran has recorded 20 solo tackles, two interceptions, four passes defensed and the forced fumble.
Tashaun Gipson
Gipson is the reason Ward was moved to the slot this season. The veteran safety registered his second interception of the season in the third quarter.
Gipson and Talanoa Hufanga have combined for six interceptions this season, the most by a 49ers safety tandem since Antoine Bethea and Eric Reid combined for seven in 2014.
Nice work, Jack.
I think (I may be wrong) that Danny Gray also got on the field on a few plays. If DG is ready to play he may provide some as well.
Thanks for giving the D some love. They have been wreaking havoc since the dreaded KC game.
AES,
Did the 49ers resign TY Hilton or did they move him up from the P.S.?
Haha this must be some sort of inside joke?
I’d like to see Gray get some meaningful snaps.
Givens has a MCL sprain. It will depend on the severity as to whether he can return.
Here are my observations:
Two weeks in a row the 49ers defensive line has wreaked havoc against a team that had a diminished offensive line due to injuries. Additionally they have faced a minimal amount of Mobile QB’s this year. The two games they played against mobile QB’s, they lost (Fields/Mahomes). The Eagles are the best team in the NFC not us.
Purdy is doing what Jimmy G did in 2017 except no one is acknowledging this. I am thrilled to see Purdy balling out, but each game he plays the less likely he is to continue on this streak. Let’s hope he keeps up it up enough to get us in the playoffs.
Interesting observation about 2017 and Jimmy G. Was also thinking the same thing. We shall see how far Purdy gets. Jeff Garcia was pretty good too until he got benched and then started again.
A few things I think from watching this game.
Brock Purdy is a gamer. His off script plays were really good. Jimmy G is a better QB than Purdy but Purdy gives the 49ers some scrambling ability that Jimmy G simply doesn’t provide.
Deebo’s injury is a kick in the jewels. Really hope he can come back this season.
The 49ers have the best defense in the league. DeMeco should be a head coach next year.
Tom Brady has lost a ton of arm strength. I actually felt a little bad for him. He seriously needs to retire.
The Bucs have no team speed. They are seriously slow. I’m actually taking Carolina to win that division. Worst division in football.
I disagree about the 49ers having the best defense in the league.
Sacks: Eagles 49 / 49ers 36
INT: Eagles 15 / 49ers 14
FR: Eagles 9 / 49ers 7
Overall Eagles are +14 in turnover differential and 49ers are +6
You are picking the stats that favor your argument and ignoring the stats that favor the Niners, the most obvious of which is that the Niners have given up 197 points this year while the eagles have given up 248. Clearly the Niners are a better defense than the Eagles.
That is a good stat I am glad that you posted this, I wasn’t really paying attention to that. Don’t you think the Eagles defense likely let a up a bit once games were won? Their offense is number 1 in the league with 29.7 points per game.
Also don’t you think the 49ers numbers a little misleading? Both the Buccaneers and Dolphins offensive lines are down 3-4 starters. The Chargers were also down their LT and top 2 WR’s. The Cardinals were down their LT when we played them and their QB and WR2.
I think the 49ers have a top defensive unit but I think their dominance has been a little misleading.
49ers secondary starting with Lenoir & Hufanga is surely suspect. A Mahomes or Hurt would have scorched it Sunday, despite the defensive line pressure
I’m actually a big fan of Jalen Hurts. Very happy to see his success. I respect the hell out of the way he handled himself at Alabama after being benched in favor of Tua. He’s a team first, not a me first guy. Having said that, Jalen is a system QB. He has very good stats but he is the product of the offense he’s playing in right now. It’s maybe the best scheme fit to talent in the NFL so good on Sirianni. But Hurts is not a guy who is going to pick apart a defense by reading coverages and highly accurate throws. You could throw Mahomes into any offense and he’s going to succeed. That’s not the case for Hurts. Jalen is also playing behind the best O-line in football and that makes a huge difference. If the 49ers are lucky enough to make the playoffs and play the Eagles in Philly, I would put the spread at Eagles -3.5. Eagles have a fantastic scheme but so do the 49ers on defense. If it comes down to a battle of wits for the 49ers defensive strategy to the Eagles offensive strategy, then I’m taking DeMeco Ryans over Nick Sirianni. I’m basically taking the 49ers D-line to shut down the run game and the speed at the LBer position to shut down the off-script plays of Hurts. Super quick mobile QBs give the 49ers problems. That is not Jalen Hurts’s game. If the 49ers are lucky enough to make the playoffs and go to the Superbowl against the Chiefs I would put the spread at Chiefs -8. 49ers don’t match up as well with the Chiefs as they do with the Eagles. My very bold prediction right now is the Eagles do not make the Superbowl. To go even further, I think there’s a decent chance the Eagles don’t make the NFCCG.
Nice comment above. That being said Hurts is dangerous as they come running the football. He is averaging 52.8 yards a game and has 10 rushing TD’s. I think you’re right that we could limit their offense and keep them under 30 points. My concern is our offense lead by a rookie QB against their playmaking defense.
Mahomes yes. Hurt i’m not so sure
What beat up offenses did Philly play against? And how beat up was their defense this year? I’ll bet it wasn’t even close to what SF has been. And Philly has really played some high powered offenses this season.
Yes, Niners overpaid for the right to draft Trey. My concern is that trey did not improve substantially after his first year. His accuracy was just not good enough for a first-rounder. I love that Brock looks to throw deep on most plays. Looks long and moves his eyes short. His mobility gives us a pass-play threat and his accuracy on long throws is impressive. I just hope he is able to play Sunday with his injury.
You have never really been a supporter of Trey from the jump, and you have every right to feel that way. But, a little logic is worth using right now.
1. No one, not you or I, can make an educated opinion of Lance’s ability on such a short and small sample size. He started all of two games and didn’t complete his second start due to his injury. With Trey, we’re back to 2022 training camp in that we don’t yet know what we have in him.
2. The same applies to Brock Purdy. After ONE start, I’m not ready to crown him the next 49ers big thing. He had a great game on his first start, but he was also injured on his first start. He took some big hits and at one time was tossed like a rag-doll. His size gives me pause for his sustainability. I’m concerned if he’s able can handle the violence of the game on a weekly basis.
If Brock can continue to trend up and takes the team deep into the playoffs (based on good play) he certainly deserves a chance at battling for a chance to start next year, but I’m not getting too excited just yet.
What stood out to me was the look on Lance’s face every time Purdy came back to the sideline after a TD.
1st one – he was happy
2nd one – he was impressed
3rd one – he was confused
4th one – he was worried
5th one- he was wondering about his own future
Way too early to speculate what will happen to Lance in the off-season and OTAs. But one thing is clear. Giving up 3 1st rounders plus a third to draft him was foolish.
Brock Purdy is a gamer. His off script plays were really good. Jimmy G is a better QB than Purdy but Purdy gives the 49ers some scrambling ability that Jimmy G simply doesn’t provide.
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It’s hard to predict the future here, but it’s clear, very clear, that Shanahan and at least many of the players are very excited about Purdy. I think there could be a battle next year for QB1 between Purdy and Lance. Lance does not have the game experience and it shows but may have the better upside. One things for certain, Jimmy won’t be back. These next 5 games are going to be very interesting.
Remember ten years ago, the SF Giants picked up free agent, Marco Scutaro, during the 2012 trade deadline and most fans were disappointed, but he was one of biggest reasons why the Giants won the World Series. Because of his clutch hitting down the stretch and during the postseason, he was given the nickname “Blockbuster.”
All I can say is Brock Purdy is the 49ers version of BLOCKBUSTER. He gave TB12 an “AssKicking”, 35-7, and he opened a lot of people’s eyes. Seeing is believing! If I didn’t witness this beating, and someone told me this, I would have told, whoever it is, to take off those silly fantasy metaverse goggles.
If he goes 4-1 and wins one playoff game, then he should be named QB1 without controversy. However, HC Shanahan needs to admit his mistake for the capital they spent for Trey Lance. If Purdy turns out to win as many games as Jimmy G and win in the playoffs, then he gets a pass. If the 49ers wins the Superbowl, the HC definitely gets a pass even though he calls timeouts on first down in the fourth quarter and leading by 28 points.
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Whatever happens for the rest of the regular season, Brock will be allowed to compete with Trey for a stater position. I like both men as human beings. Both are blessed with stable, supportive, loving parents. Both have the personal attributes of a franchise QB. Now, will their FB skills permit that?
As for Kyle, to still be in the race for the playoffs with two QBs down and the last pick of the draft start makes him a coach of the year candidate?
Although two games is not enough time for a true evaluation, Purdy reminds me of Russell Wilson in Wilson’s prime.
Isn’t it obvious that the 9ers need at least 2 good QB’s. Lance and Purdy will compete next year for the job. My guess is that who ever wins the job at the begining will not be the QB at the end
interesting…