MVP chants for Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay win Baker Mayfield worked his magic once again, earning "MVP" chants while leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 30-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Tampa, Fla. Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also made a pair of huge plays late in the third quarter that gave the Buccaneers a lead they would not relinquish. 49ers quarterback Mac Jones faced severe pressure throughout the game. While he passed for 347 yards, he also threw two interceptions and was sacked six times. Both teams were hit by key injuries, with the 49ers losing star linebacker Fred Warner to a dislocated and broken ankle, and Bucs star rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Warner will need surgery and miss the rest of the season. On top of that, 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings said after the game that he is playing with "five broken ribs." Tampa Bay is now 5-1, with its lone defeat coming against the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago. The 49ers fell to 4-2. Mayfield with an early MVP moment Mayfield didn't need a late-game scoring drive this time. The Buccaneers QB got his "MVP" chants earlier in the game, after the two plays that gave the Bucs an eight-point lead with 2:40 left in the third quarter. Facing a third-and-14 with the Bucs nursing a 20-19 lead, Mayfield dropped back to pass. Under pressure, he wriggled out of a potential sack before dashing upfield. He pump-faked and juked his way forward, and, 15 yards later, stretched out for a first down. Two players later, he roped a 45-yard touchdown pass up the seam to Tez Johnson, giving the Bucs a 27-19 lead they would not relinquish. According to NextGen Stats, Mayfield had just a 3.7 percent chance of converting that first down by running, and he gained 27 yards after contact. Earlier, Mayfield hit Kameron Johnson for a 34-yard touchdown. He was down his three top receivers for the second half of the game. Egbuka went down with a hamstring injury after Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. were already out with injuries. How Fred Warner's absence impacted 49ers The 49ers obviously missed their two defensive superstars on Sunday. Without Nick Bosa, who's had some memorable encounters with Mayfield, the 49ers managed just one sack, Mykel Williams' in the first half, and Mayfield threw for 256 yards and ran for 14 more, including picking up the long first down in the third quarter when it looked like he'd be sacked in the backfield. Warner's absence seemed to be felt on a second-quarter coverage bust that resulted in a wide-open, 34-yard touchdown for receiver Kam Johnson. The 49ers not only were missing Warner, who calls the defensive plays and makes pre-snap adjustments; they shuffled their safety lineup for Sunday's game, starting Ji'Ayir Brown and rookie Marques Sigle and working Malik Mustapha into the lineup after he came off PUP on Saturday. Johnson's 34-yard score and a 45-yard touchdown catch by Tez Johnson were the two longest touchdown passes the 49ers have given up this season. Buccaneers lose another playmaker The Buccaneers entered the game without their top two wide receivers, Evans and Godwin, and their starting running back, Bucky Irving. Egbuka had two catches for 24 yards in the game before being sidelined with a hamstring injury. Egbuka, who was selected by Tampa Bay with the No. 19 pick in this year's NFL Draft out of Ohio State, has reeled in 27 passes for 469 yards in his first six games in the NFL and has become a valuable weapon for Mayfield. He's been especially important in recent weeks as the Buccaneers lost their top offensive playmakers. Evans is recovering from a hamstring strain suffered in the third game of the season. Godwin sustained an injury to his fibula in the team's win last week in Seattle, and Irving missed his third consecutive game as he deals with foot and shoulder injuries. Without Evans, Godwin and Egbuka, the Buccaneers will look to Tez Johnson, Sterling Shepard and Kameron Johnson, as well as help from the tight ends, in the passing game. Both Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson had TD catches on Sunday. Eddy Pineiro a great find for 49ers It's hard to believe Eddy Pineiro was just waiting for his phone to ring one week into the season. Pineiro made all three field-goal attempts on Sunday, including two from more than 50 yards, and he has not missed a field goal since replacing Jake Moody before a Week 2 game at New Orleans. Pineiro was good from 52, 54, 42 and 29 yards in Tampa, with the 49-yarder coming just before the half. Pineiro arrived with the 49ers as the fourth most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, though one who might not have had a booming keg. He's now in second place on the all-time list behind Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker after hitting all 14 of his attempts for San Francisco. And his leg? Four of those field goals have been beyond 50 yards, including a career-high 59-yarder in Week 5. The Athletic, published 13 October 2025