The 49ers have a huge three-game stretch coming up with two games against the Seahawks and another against the Eagles. For those games to come with maximum consequence though they needed to take care of business at home against a struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad.
They did just that with a 27-14 win where their stars shined once again, and got some help from an unexpected source on defense.
Here are our eight takeaways from the 49ers’ seventh win of the year:
A normal win!
For the first time all season the 49ers won a game where they had some real adversity. They never trailed Sunday against the Buccaneers, but they also never fully put Tampa Bay away until Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted a red zone pass in the closing minutes (more on this later). San Francisco had rolled in all six of its wins prior to Sunday. Week 11 gave them a chance to fight off an opponent trying to climb back into the game through most of the fourth quarter.
Purdy perfect
It’s hard to be better than Brock Purdy was Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. He went 21-of-25 for 333 yards and three touchdowns to author a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Only 21 QBs in NFL history have hit that rating on 25-plus pass attempts, and no 49ers QB had ever done so. There will be bigger games by a QB in the NFL this year, but it’s hard to be more perfect than Purdy was.
Have a day, rook
The circumstances for Ji’Ayir Brown’s insertion into the lineup were not ideal. He entered the game late in the third quarter after starting strong safety Talanoa Hufanga hurt his knee trying to make a tackle. Brown rose to the challenge and in just over one quarter of action tallied four tackles, two touchdown-saving pass breakups and one interception. It was a remarkable performance that got off to a rocky start when Brown got beat in coverage for 41 yards. After that he was terrific and came up with three plays that ultimately put the game on ice for San Francisco.
Red zone hiccups
Scoring in the red zone has been a problem for the 49ers in their last four games. Dating back to Week 7 they’ve not gone over 50 percent in the red zone in a game, and after a two-for-four showing Sunday they’re now 6-for-14 (42.8 percent) in their last four games. This is something they’ll need to figure out in the final few weeks of the regular season. If they get it sorted in time for this Seattle-Philadelphia-Seattle stretch they’ll be in good shape.
Bend don't break sequence
The big sequence Sunday came with two defensive stands in the red zone by San Francisco in the fourth quarter. The first came at the end of a 17-play drive by the Buccaneers that covered 68 yards. On fourth down from the 49ers’ 12, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield tried to find WR Mike Evans at the front pylon. Brown was there in coverage and knocked away what would’ve been a touchdown.
San Francisco’s offense then went three-and-out. On the punt, Bucs punt returner Deven Thompkins took it 51 yards all the way back to the 49ers’ 13. On third-and-6 from the 49ers’ 9, Mayfield’s pass to WR Chris Godwin deflected off LB Dre Greenlaw and into Brown’s hands for a diving interception in the end zone. That effectively ended the Bucs chances of a miracle comeback.
CMC back in the end zone
It’s about dang time Christian McCaffrey scored a touchdown. The 49ers’ do-nothing running back finally got in the end zone after not posting a touchdown in the team’s last game.
Kidding!
McCaffrey snapped a streak of 17 consecutive games with a touchdown when he was held out of the end zone by the Jaguars in Week 10. The 49ers got him on the board early when he found himself wide open four-yard TD catch on San Francisco’s second drive of the game. Now begins a new streak, and given how well he fits with the 49ers, it wouldn’t be a shock if he’s in for another long one.
George Kittle's run continues
Kittle has been outstanding the last four games, including an eight-catch, 89-yard, one-touchdown performance against Tampa Bay. Including Sunday’s game he now has 25 catches on 31 targets for 432 yards and two touchdowns across his last four games. In his first six games he had 25 targets, 18 catches, 216 yards and three touchdowns (all against Dallas). The second-half Kittle breakout with Purdy under center appears on track to become an annual thing.
All-Pro Fred
Every once in awhile Fred Warner will have a game that serves as a strong reminder that he’s the best off-ball linebacker in the league and in the conversation as one of the best defensive players in football. Warner on Sunday tallied 12 tackles, 0.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. He was everywhere in coverage and in flying up to stop runs and short throws. Particularly late in the game when the 49ers needed to buckle down, Warner was around the football on what felt like every snap. The All-Pro LB is good almost every week, but a few times a year he has a sensational outing like the one he had Sunday that not many LBs in the league are capable of having.
