Game Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers

There are just a few teams in the NFC who look like they have a legitimate chance at contending for a Super Bowl this season.

Then again, 'a few' may be a bit too generous.

The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers stand alone, as far as I'm concerned when it comes to legitimate NFC title contenders. The Dallas Cowboys deserve to be included in the conversation, but I still see a clear distinction between their potential to compete in January compared to the real NFC powerhouse teams, such as the Eagles and 49ers.

Not only are the 49ers well-coached, but they have an incredibly deep cast of playmakers on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they are a juggernaut. After acquiring Chase Young at the trade deadline, the 49ers defensive line may be even more dominant than the Philadelphia Eagles, who absolutely manhandled the Buccaneers back in Week 3. They've also got the best inside linebacker in the sport in Fred Warner, who is a game-wrecker in all phases. He can blitz, he can cover, he can tackle, and he's the undisputed leader of San Francisco's defense.

The Bucs' young, inexperienced offensive line is going to have their hands full. And with a quarterback in Baker Mayfield who has struggled to maintain accuracy downfield, and a run game that remains nonexistent, Tampa Bay's offense may be in for a long afternoon at Levi's Stadium.

As is often the case for a team that is unable to move the ball on the ground, the Bucs need to be aggressive through the air in order to put up points on Sunday. The Buccaneers' wide receivers match up well against most defenses, and even against the 49ers, that trend will continue.

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Although Tampa Bay did have some success passing vs. the Titans last week, had Baker Mayfield been more accurate down the field, he could've had a monster day. There were numerous times when Bucs' receivers had created separation downfield, but Mayfield either didn't see them, or saw them too late, and was unable to provide them with a good chance to make a play on the ball.

That needs to change.

Don't get me wrong, Mayfield has been solid this season. Especially when it comes to taking care of the football. The Bucs started the season 3-1 in part because of their quarterback's discipline and sound decision-making.

But that approach can only yield results against bad-to-mediocre football teams. The Bucs are going to need to score plenty of points if they are going to have a chance against San Francisco. And Baker Mayfield needs to let it fly if they're going to have any chance at scoring points.

Just like on the defensive side, the 9ers possess a lethal assortment of weapons on offense. They have the most dynamic running back in the league, Christian McCaffrey.

They have a true WR1 in Brandon Aiyuk to pair with their versatile, swiss army knife, Deebo Samuel, who is a scheme-proof, mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses. They've got a reliable tight end in George Kittle who is capable of dominating the game as an inline blocker or as a receiver. They've got a quarterback in Brock Purdy who is capable of surveying the defense, making intelligent reads (pre-snap, or post-snap) while running the offense, but still capable of making plays off script when needed. It doesn't hurt to have the best offensive tackle in football in Trent Williams protecting their young quarterback's blindside, either.

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Last of all, and maybe most importantly, they've got the sharpest playcaller in the business in Kyle Shanahan.

Despite their sustained success, the 49ers remain tied for first in the NFC West with a record of 6-3. Most people thought they would have run away with their division by now, but an unexpected 3-game losing streak (Browns, Vikings, Bengals) showed that San Francisco isn't unbeatable.

That said, they seemed to have found themselves again last week, where they dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars from start to finish, en route to a decisive 34-3 victory.

In order to reach .500, the Buccaneers will need to show up on both offense and defense for the first time this season. They'll need to avoid missing tackles — something that has plagued them in recent weeks — and they'll need to have a masterful game plan in place from both Todd Bowles and Dave Canales, if they plan to make this a competitive game. Lastly, they'll need their quarterback, Baker Mayfield — who's fighting not just for wins, but for his future as a starter in Tampa Bay — to connect with his receivers downfield.

After this game, the Bucs' schedule will ease up dramatically. Which means this will be Tampa Bay's last game against a clearly superior opponent.

Instead of waiting for the softer part of the schedule to take effect, it would be in the Bucs' best interest to attack this matchup with everything they've got and provide themselves with a launching pad for what could be a strong finish to the 2023 NFL season.

If they can do that, the playoffs will be well within their grasp.

You can follow Collin Haalboom on X.

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