How the 49ers have to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This the key to victory for the 49ers.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense has defined strengths and weaknesses. They rank first in expected points allowed against the run and 27th in the same statistic against the pass. If the San Francisco 49ers want to beat the Buccaneers, they are going to need to expose this weakness. 

The San Francisco 49ers have to throw to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers' pass defense was already bad, but they may be at their worst this week. The Buccaneers' top three cornerbacks in snaps played this season are Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, and Benjamin Morrison.

McCollum is their best cornerback, and he has not practiced yet this week due to a thumb injury. The odds of him playing are getting a lot slimmer. Morrison is their second-round rookie, but he has been dealing with a hamstring and is unlikely to play. 

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The team wanted Morrison to step in for Jamel Dean, but with Morrison out, they have started Dean for four of the first five games. Dean missed last week with a hip injury, but he is expected to be back this week.

Still, this means the Bucs' top cornerback this week is going to be the guy that they tried to replace coming off an injury. It gets worse after him. Kindle Vildor will likely start opposite Dean, and he has been a journeyman throughout his NFL career. The Seahawks made it point to throw towards Vildor early and often on their way to scoring 35 points against this defense. 

Ricky Pearsall may not play this week, but with Jauan Jennings back, Kendrick Bourne having chemistry with Mac Jones, and Demarcus Robinson working in, they may have enough to attack this group. 

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84). | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

That does not even get into their linebackers, who are struggling in coverage. According to PFF, SirVocea Dennis has allowed the most yards by a linebacker in coverage this season, and that is 58 more than the second-worst coverage linebacker. 

Kyle Shanahan loves to throw to his running backs and tight ends, especially when they have a mismatch against a linebacker who cannot hang with them in space. This feels like an easy target for Shanahan. 

It sounds counterintuitive when you think about Shanahan and his run scheme, Christian McCaffrey, and then Mac Jones being the backup quarterback. However, every run against this Bucs front feels like they are giving up a play where they could be attacking a group that has holes and questions in key areas.