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49ers Walk It Off, Sending Bucs to Fourth Straight Loss
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For the second time in seven days, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tied a game against a favoured opponent in the final minute of regulation. And for the second game in a row, the Buccaneers' offense never touched the ball again after its last score.
Jake Moody kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired Sunday at Raymond James Stadium to give the San Francisco 49ers a 23-20 victory over the Buccaneers. That came just 41 seconds after Chase McLaughlin had tied the game with a 26-yard field goal to cap a wild 58-yard drive. Six days earlier, in Kansas City on Monday night, the Buccaneers lost a 30-24 overtime affair after Baker Mayfield's game-tying touchdown pass to Ryan Miller with 27 seconds left.
"We can't play hard and then not play smart at the end," said Todd Bowles. "We've got to play smarter football. There's nothing wrong with how hard we're playing and how tough were playing, but we've got to finish games. We've got to find a way to finish ballgames. We're making too many mistakes at the end."
The loss was the Buccaneers' fourth in a row after a 4-2 start, and their fifth defeat in the last six weeks, and it dropped the team's overall record to 4-6. The Atlanta Falcons lost in New Orleans, 20-17, on Sunday to drop to 6-4, which means the Buccaneers remain two games back with seven to play. Tampa Bay will now make use of its bye week before returning to action in Week 12 against the New York Giants.
"We've got to get healthy," said Mayfield. "Take the week, get healthy, get your mind ready to make this stretch. We're going to need everything that we possibly have down the road. One day at a time in practice, and then games. We've just got to put it together. We keep saying we're 'that close,' but it's got to be the message. You have to believe in it and then we've just got to go execute. We've got the group. The fight and what we're doing at the end of games – the effort is never a question. That's something that, 'Alright we have that,' now let's go execute. Just plain and simple, do your job and we can turn this thing around quickly."
It was a painful loss in multiple ways for the Buccaneers. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Later, the Bucs' defense, already struggling to contain Brock Purdy and the 49ers' explosive offense, saw cornerback Zyon McCollum and outside linebacker Chris Braswell exit the game with injuries of their own. Bowles said immediately after the game that he had no updates on the injured players.
San Francisco finished the game with a 413-215 edge in total yardage, and the main difference was explosive plays. The longest play of the game for the home team was a 15-yard catch by TE Cade Otton, while the 49ers generated five plays of 30 or more yards. The Buccaneers' haven't had a play of 20 or more yards in their last two games and are clearly feeling the absences of star wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Evans is expected to return to action after the bye week but Godwin won't play again in the regular season.
Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes for 116 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, completing five passes to Otton and nine to the running back combo of Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. Irving finished the game with 73 yards on 13 carries, averaging 5.3 per handoff. On the Buccaneers' last-minute game-tying drive, Mayfield kept the Bucs' hopes alive with a remarkable fourth-down conversion to White as the quarterback used his left arm to keep star edge rusher Nick Bosa at bay for several seconds.
"It's a matter of wins and losses and we're still not winning," said Mayfield. "It still sucks. We've got to play to win down there at the end on offense. We were trying to balance bleeding the clock so they don't have too much time, but also go win the game. Unfortunately, we had a negative play that set us back a little bit. We've just got to make a better throw or win our one-on-one matchups and somehow find a way to win. That's all that matters."
That last drive was also aided greatly by face mask, roughing the passer and illegal use of hands penalties on the 49ers' defense on successive plays. The Buccaneers gained a first-and-goal at the 49ers' eight with less than a minute to play but White was hit in the backfield on a second-down run and Mayfield's third-down pass was incomplete, forcing the Buccaneers to play for a tie and hopefully overtime.
They never got to that extra period, however, as Purdy completed passes for 14 yards to Ricky Pearsall and 13 yards to Jauan Jennings to set Moody up for his final kick. Moody was able redeem himself after previously missing on attempts of 49, 50 and 44 yards.
"We weren't worried about the clock," said Bowles of the Bucs' play-calling decisions after reaching first-and-goal. "We thought our play calls were very good. They got us for a TFL and we never kind of get anything on second or third down."
Purdy completed 25 of 36 passes for 353 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He and the 49ers' offense got a boost from the return of running back Christian McCaffrey, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year who was making his 2024 debut. The Buccaneers' defense mainly bottled up McCaffrey and the league's second-ranked rushing attack on the ground, as McCaffrey gained 39 yards on 13 carries and the 49ers finished with 75 rushing yards and 3.4 yards per tote. However, McCaffrey also caught six passes for 68 yards while Purdy threw touchdown tosses to Pearsall and tight end George Kittle.
S Jordan Whitehead led the Bucs' defense with 12 tackles, while defensive lineman Calijah Kancey continued his recent hot streak with five tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and DL Greg Gaines had Tampa Bay's other two sacks of Purdy.
For the first time all season, the Buccaneers failed to score a touchdown in the first half. They trailed 10-3 at the intermission and had been outgained in total yardage, 200-100. The visitors scored the only touchdown of the first half on a 46-yard catch and run by WR Ricky Pearsall, the rookie's first NFL score. However, a muffed punt by the 49ers early in the third quarter set Mayfield up for his game-tying eight-yard touchdown pass to White, and Irving's 12-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the game.
The 49ers got the ball to start the game, starting at their own 30 after a touchback. McCaffrey made an instant impact, slicing over left tackle for a gain of five. On second down, the Bucs' pass rush collapsed the pocket quickly but Purdy escaped up the middle to scramble for 11 more. An end-around to Samuel got the ball across midfield and to the Bucs' 42 for another first down. A quick Christian Izien blitz flushed Purdy again and this time he only got three, and his next two passes were incomplete so the 49ers punted it away and were able to down it at the Bucs' four-yard line.
White ran into a wall on first down but was able to push forward for four yards and Irving did the same for two on second down. Mayfield had good time to throw on third down and eventually found Otton over the middle for a 15-yard gain and an important first down. However, when the Bucs faced another third-and-four moments later, White's catch gained only two and a punt followed. Return man Jacob Cowing was swarmed over at the 49ers' 29.
Purdy dropped back to pass on first down but a group of pass rushers got to him quickly, led by Greg Gaines for a five-yard sack. A pass over the middle to McCaffrey made it third-and-seven, and a defensive holding call on CB Josh Hayes preserved the drive despite another incompletion. Two plays later, McCaffrey took a short pass out to the right and slipped through one tackle to get seven yards and another set of downs at the Niners' 49. Two plays later, Purdy hit Pearsall on a crossing route and the rookie was able to take it all the way to the front left pylon for the game's first score.
The 49ers' first kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback to the 30, and the Bucs opened their second drive with a short pass to Irving that went for 12 yards. Two plays later, an Irving jaunt around left end got five yards to make it third-and-five but Mayfield's third-down scramble resulted in a one-yard sack and a second punt. The kick was fair caught at the San Francisco 13.
The Niners backed up five yards on a false start before first down but McCaffrey got that plus two back on a first-down carry up the gut. The Bucs stood up to a sweep left, only giving up a yard, but Kittle made a juggling catch over the middle on third down for a first down at the 30. That brought the first quarter to an end, and after the teams switched sides McCaffrey caught an eight yard pass on the next play. A pass interference penalty on CB Zyon McCollum moved the ball another 15 yards to the Bucs' 47. Two runs by Samuel and McCaffrey gained a total of just one yard but Purdy moved the chains again with an 11-yard out to Jauan Jennings.
The Niners then faced another third down at the Bucs' 29, needing three, and Purdy threw to Jennings again down the right numbers for another 18 yards. A McCaffrey run gained just one and Hayes had good coverage on Pearsall on a second-down pass to the end zone, forcing an incompletion. The Bucs' defense pressured Purdy into a quick pass on third down and it too fell incomplete in the end zone. The 49ers increased their lead to 10-0 on Jake Moody's 28-yard field goal with nine minutes left in the first half.
After another touchback, Mayfield zipped a quick seam pass to WR Ryan Miller for 11 yards. A run and a catch by Irving amounted to seven yards, and on third down Otton held on to a short pass in heavy traffic for nine yards and a first down. A tight end screen to Otton only worked for two yards due to backside pursuit, and on third-and-seven Mayfield trusted Otton in a crowd again for just enough yards for another first down. Wirfs was injured on the play and had to be helped off the field.
Irving found more room to run on his next two carries and ripped off gains of nine and 10 yards down to the 49ers' 14. An end-around to WR Sterling Shepard was bottled up after a gain of three, and a short pass over the middle to Otton made it third-and-five as the two-minute warning arrived. On third down, the Bucs tried to get it into Irving's hands out to the right but LB De'Vondre Campbell sniffed it out and spun him down at the 12. Chase McLaughlin came on to put the Bucs on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal.
The 49ers started the next drive at their own 31 with 1:08 left in the half. Tackling breakdowns turned a short out pass to Jennings into a 30-yard gain to the Bucs' 38. Two incompletions followed, the second one broken up by Hayes, and Purdy's third-down pass to Pearsall got seven. The 49ers sent out Moody again to try a 49-yard field goal but he pulled it wide to the left with 25 seconds left before halftime.
Mayfield's first pass was incomplete but he then drilled a hard pass to Jarrett for an apparent 13 yards to the 49ers' 48. However, the play was reviewed and ruled an incompletion. That made it third-and-10 with 19 seconds left, though it became third-and-nine after the 49ers jumped offside. Otton couldn't hold on to an on-target out pass and the Bucs punted it away. The ball went out bounds at the San Francisco eight with eight seconds left and Purdy kneeled to bring on halftime.
The Bucs got the ball to start the second half and White got six on a counter up the middle. Mayfield's second-down pass was disrupted and came out a floater but it landed harmlessly on the ground downfield. He was forced out of the pocket on third down and tried to hit Otton on a scrambling sideline throw but it was broken up.
The resulting punt ended up putting the ball back in the Bucs' hands. Cowing called for a fair catch but CB Tavierre pushed a Niners teammate across his face as the ball arived and Cowing muffed the ball, with Nelson recovering at the 21-yard line. Irving's next run got eight yards but he was dropped for no gain on second down. Mayfield gave it right back to the rookie back on third-and-two and he was able to turn up a stretch play to the right for a gain of four to the nine. Mayfield then lobbed a pass over the line to White in the middle and he weaved through defenders for the game-tying touchdown.
After a touchback, the Niners got moving again on McCaffrey's 13-yard dash up the middle. A 10-yard catch by Samuel and an illegal contact penalty on McCollum took the ball down to the Bucs' 37. DL Calijah Kancey grabbed McCaffrey's leg in the backfield to drop him for a three-yard loss on the next snap and a short pass to the back made it third-and-five. Samuel ran a crossing route on third and Purdy fit it in for an 11-yard gain and a first down at the 21.
The Bucs' defense forced another third down at the 16 but Purdy got the ball off to McCaffrey under pressure and he ran out of bounds at the nine. A Whitehead stop on RB Isaac Guerendo and a sack by Tryon-Shoyinka put San Francisco in a 19-yard third-and-goal, and a screen to Samuel was well-defended, gaining just four. Moody came on to put the 49ers back on top with a 33-yard field goal.
The Bucs' next drive got started with a seven-yard out to Shepard and a five yard run up the middle by White, following a block by Ko Kieft. Two plays later, White took a swing pass to the right and hopped over a diving tackler for a first down at the 49ers' 47. White got it again on a handoff up the gut and bounced off several would-be tacklers to get to the 39, and then ran again for five more and a first down. On the next play, Mayfield spun away from an incoming defender and launched the ball downfield towards Miller, but CB Renardo Green broke it up in the end zone.
Irving's eight-yard carry brought the third quarter to a close. The Bucs faced a short third down after switching sides and Irving zipped over left tackle and unleashed a spin move to get all the way to the 12. Irving got the ball again on a pitch to the right and made one sharp cut to get all the way to the end zone untouched. McLaughlin's extra point put the Bucs up, 17-13.
The 49ers' ensuing drive began with a bang, as Kittle took a pass out to the left and rumbled through the defense for a 33-yard gain to the Bucs' 37. The Bucs then got San Francisco into a third-and-nine and Purdy completed a pass to Jennings but Christian Izien was able to spin him down five yards short of the sticks. Moody came on again but hooked a 50-yard try to the left.
The Bucs thus took over at their own 40 with 12 minutes left in regulation but Irving was dropped for a loss of two on first down. After a quick pass out to the right to Jarrett picked up six, Mayfield looked for Shepard down the left sideline but the ball was out of the receivers' reach. The Bucs had to punt and Cowing found a seam on his return of a 50-yard kick to get the ball all the way back to the Niners' 37.
Purdy's pass on second down to Jennings was just enough to get a first down at the 47, and on the next play he threw up a lob as he fell back that McCaffrey ran under for a pickup of 30 yards. David chased Purdy to the right sideline two plays later but Kancey was flagged for a late hit and that moved the ball all the way up to the Bucs' 11. Two plays later, Purdy was set off on another wild scramble, and this time he got off a pass to the back corner of the end zone that Kittle caught while tapping both toes. That put the 49ers back on top, 20-17, with seven minutes left in regulation.
After a touchback, a mishandled shotgun snap on second down put the Bucs into a quick third-and-13 hole and Mayfield went down in a 10-yard sack by Nick Bosa. The resulting punt came off the side of Gill's foot and rolled to a stop at the 49ers' 39. Samuel caught a short pass over the middle going right to left and was able to run away from the nearest defender for a gain of 32 to the Bucs' 29. Kancey sacked Purdy on second down, forcing a fumble that Jennings recovered for the 49ers at the 26. On third down, Winfield came on a late blitz and made a leaping pass breakup to force a field goal try. Moody missed for the third time, this time pushing it wide right from 44 yards out.
White got six yards on a short pass to the right but a botched handoff on second down resulted in a loose ball that cost the Bucs three yards. After the two-minute warning break, Shepard ran an out to the left but Mayfield's pass was out of his reach. The Bucs went for it on fourth down and Mayfield made an incredible play to keep the drive alive. Holding Bosa at bay with his left arm as he was driven to the sideline, he managed to get a lob off that White caught for eight yards and a first down at the 45.
A defensive holding call gave the Bucs five more yards to midfield with 1:27 left and Mayfield scrambled for three yards on the next play. Two plays later, on third-and-seven, a personal foul facemask call on Fred Warner gave the Bucs a first down at the 49ers' 32. The next play included another crazy Mayfield scramble and completion included a roughing-the-passer call that put the ball at the Niners' 13. Next came an illegal hands to the face penalty for five more yards to the nine. White ran it down to the five and the 49ers used their first timeout. White then lost four on the next snap and the 49ers stopped the clock again at the 48-second mark. Mayfield threw it to Jarrett at the goal line on third down but it was broken up. McLaughlin came on to tie the game with a 27-yard field goal with 41 seconds left in regulation.
An illegal formation call against Tampa Bay on the ensuing kick let San Francisco start their next drive at the 35. Two short sideline passes got the ball to the 49ers' 47 with 31 seconds left. Pearsall caught a 14-yard pass to the Bucs' 39 and used their last timeout with 23 seconds left. Jennings caught a short pass and spun through some tacklers to get to the 26 and Purdy spiked the ball with three seconds left. Moody hit from 44 yards out to give the 49ers the walk-off win.
Scott Smith, Buccaneers.com , published 11 November 2024
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