Preview for San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The San Francisco 49ers (4-1) face another daunting road game as they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) on Sunday in a battle with a fellow NFC contender thriving amid injury adversity.
Despite a host of injuries on both sides of the ball, the 49ers stunned their NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football behind a gutsy effort from backup quarterback Mac Jones.
After helping the 49ers to a 26-23 overtime win, Jones will hope to improve to 4-0 as a starter for San Francisco, with starting quarterback Brock Purdy still on the sideline because of turf toe.
The 49ers prevailed against the Rams despite a superb performance from Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford. This week, they face a signal-caller in Baker Mayfield who is playing at an MVP level.
Mayfield was sensational last week as the Buccaneers edged the Seattle Seahawks in a thriller in the Pacific Northwest, throwing for 379 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tampa Bay to a 38-35 triumph at Lumen Field.
The Tampa Bay offense will be minus the services of wide receivers Chris Godwin (fibula) and Mike Evans (hamstring).
Yet Mayfield will still be confident he has the tools to succeed against the 49er defense, with wideout Emeka Egbuka emerging as the Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner following a sensational start to his career.
The first-round pick went for 163 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions against Seattle. Following that performance, Egbuka now has 25 catches, 445 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions through five games, becoming the first player in NFL history with at least 25 receptions, 400 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions in his first five career games.
Against a vulnerable 49ers secondary, Mayfield and Egbuka will look make sure their obvious rapport delivers more spectacular results, while the Bucs will hope for a bump in rushing production from Rachaad White, who scored two touchdowns in the absence of Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) in Seattle but averaged just 2.9 yards per rush.
Both the Buccaneers and 49ers have found rushing efficiency hard to come by this season, with San Francisco uncharacteristically tied for the worst yards per carry average in the NFL (3.1).
The 49ers have failed to score a rushing touchdown so far this season, but running back Christian McCaffrey is on an historic pace as a pass-catcher. McCaffrey is on track for over 1,300 yards through the air and, if he racks up 50 receiving yards in this one, will become the first running back in NFL history to do so in each of the first six games of a season.
While top wideout Ricky Pearsall (knee) and star tight end George Kittle (hamstring) remain on the sideline, the 49ers will get back Jauan Jennings (knee/rib) to attack a depleted Tampa Bay secondary that is minus starting cornerback Zyon McCollum (thumb) and backup Benjamin Morrison (hamstring).
Facing a Tampa Bay defensive front featuring the likes of Vita Vea, Haason Reddick and YaYa Diaby, the emphasis will be on Jones to get the ball out quickly and keep the 49ers on schedule as they look to keep pace with the high-powered Buccaneers.
