Week 14 Post Game Review: 49ers vs Bucs

By Scooter_McG

Wow! Brock Purdy, he of Mr Irrelevant 2022 fame, just led the 49ers to a 35-7 drubbing of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - in his very first career start! 

If you had told me at the beginning of the year that after 14 weeks of the season the 49ers most complete and comprehensive victory would be with Brock Purdy at QB and against a likely playoff team I'd have laughed in your face. Heck, if you told me that yesterday I'd have done the same. But here we are. The NFL is truly a beautiful competition. 

It would be easy to look at the final stat line and think Purdy was pretty much a passenger in the victory, as he finished with only 185 yards. But anyone that watched the game will know the stats lie in this regard. Brock Purdy and the 49ers had such a good day out that the 49ers shut up shop with 14 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. At that point they were already 35-0 up, and Purdy already had his 185 passing yards. He also had two impressive (and long) TD passes plus a 2 yard scamper for a TD of his own. 

Purdy finished the day with a traditional QB rating of 134.0 and an ESPN QBR of a whopping 92.8. He consistently made impressive plays showing great instincts (and elusiveness) of when to move to avoid pressure and when to hang in the pocket to deliver strikes. Yes, Purdy did get lucky with a defensive holding call on a poor throw that was picked off over the middle, but all-in-all this was as good a performance as the 49ers could have hoped for from their rookie QB making his first start.  

McCaffrey was also a huge factor in this game, gashing the Bucs for yards throughout the first 31 minutes of play, including a 27 yard toe-tapping TD catch and a 38 yard TD run to daylight at the start of the 3rd quarter to put the game to bed early. 

The defense was not to be outdone by the offense. They held the Bucs scoreless in the first half with a suffocating defense, then came away with three takeaways in the second half to make sure the Bucs could not find a way back into the game. While the DL failed to register any sacks, they did create pressure on Brady and forced him into a number of errant passes, two of which were picked off. The back seven was even more impressive. They provided constant tight coverage and played with ferocity throughout. Dre Greenlaw in particular had a monster game with 15 total tackles and an acrobatic INT. Jimmie Ward also stood out with a number of big plays.

The only blemish on the day was a few injuries, including what looked like it could be a devastating lower leg injury to Deebo Samuel. The early prognosis though is not as bad as feared, with the news out of the locker room being a high ankle sprain with a 3-6 week window for his return. Kevin Givens and Kerry Hyder also appeared to pick up injuries that see them miss time, while the man of the moment himself, Brock Purdy, will need to prove his fitness ahead of the coming TNF game with the Seahawks as he suffered an oblique injury. 

Looking forward, it remains too early to say whether Purdy will prove himself to be a competent starting QB in the NFL or capable of taking this team deep into the playoffs. But one thing is for sure, the past two weeks have given 49er fans plenty of reason for optimism.