By: Cole A. McMahon
Photo by: @KNBR/Instagram
The 49ers did not dominate the Buccaneers like they did against Jacksonville. However, they made enough plays to win and Brock Purdy had a career game to propel the Niners to a victory, 27-14 final score.
Purdy made 49ers history on Sunday, becoming the first 49ers quarterback since Joe Montana in 1989 to achieve a perfect passer rating. He finished the game 21-for-25 for 333 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, and a 158.3 QB rating, per Bleacher Report.
The three-game losing stretch was not Purdy’s prettiest football, but he bounced back in the last two games. Purdy has 629 passing yards and six touchdown passes with no interceptions in the last two games. In back-to-back weeks, Purdy ripped two of his longest touchdown passes of his career. Last week it was a 66-yard touchdown to George Kittle. This week, it was a 76-yard bomb to Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk had himself a career game with 156 yards receiving and one touchdown. He continues to have a career year as he is on pace to surpass 1,000 yards receiving for the second year in a row, with 831 receiving yards through 10 games.
Christian McCaffrey caught the first touchdown in the first quarter on a quick out in the red zone. McCaffrey finished the game with 78 yards rushing and one receiving touchdown.
George Kittle caught Purdy’s third touchdown pass and finished the game with 89 yards receiving.
The 49ers’ defense shut down the Buccaneers run game allowing 66 rushing yards. That did not stop Baker Mayfield and the Bucs from making a late push in the 4th quarter. After a pass interference call on Fred Warner that set up a 1-yard touchdown run for Rachaad White, the Bucs’ cut the Niners’ lead in half to 27-14 with 14 minutes left. With 4:30 left in the game, the special teams allowed Deven Thompkins to return a 51-yard punt.
An unlikely hero emerged after safety Talanoa Hufanga injured his knee. Rookie Ji’Ayir Brown replaced Hufanga and made two of the biggest plays of the game. On a fourth down play, Brown came up with a huge pass breakup on Mike Evans. After the Thompkins punt return, Brown caught the game-sealing interception in the end zone, deflected off Dre Greenlaw.
It is confirmed that Hufanga has a torn ACL, so Brown will need to continue to step up in the safety position—starting with the big Thanksgiving matchup vs. the Seahawks.
The 49ers recorded four sacks on Sunday which included a strip sack by Fred Warner recovered by Clelin Ferrell. Arik Armstead should be highlighted for his performance against Tampa Bay. Armstead recorded one sack and had a career-high 12 QB pressures and two QB hits, as reported by Stetson Bennett of 49ers Access.
San Francisco finds themselves at the top of the NFC West again at 7-3 after the Seahawks (6-4) fell to the Rams 17-16 after a missed game-winning kick. The two teams will face each other on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2014. The Thanksgiving game is remembered by Niners fans where then Seahawks CB Richard Sherman and QB Russell Wilson infamously ate turkey legs on the 49ers' logo after the Seahawks beat the Niners 19-3.