Bucs Upcoming Opponent Scouting Report – Week 12 – San Francisco 49ers

Welp, if you haven’t had your fill of Thanksgiving leftovers, we have two turkeys coming into Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.

Tale of the Tape

Ranking	Buccaneers	49ers
Total Offense	458.5 (1st)	356.5 (16th)
Points Scored	26.7 (8th)	23.0 (18th)
Passing Off	361.0 (1st)	222.9 (23rd)
Rushing Off	97.5 (27th)	133.6 (4th)
Total Defense	395.9 (28th)	344.2 (10th)
Opp Scoring	32.9 (32nd)	26.6 (27th)
Opp Passing	282.3 (28th)	242.0 (15th)
Opp Rushing	113.6 (19th)	102.2 (13th)
Turnover Ratio	-23 (32nd)	-15 (31st)

Buccaneers Offense vs. 49ers Defense

Hey, Jameis is back. We know the story of the Bucs’ offense. Don’t beat yourselves. The Bucs lost a key cog in their arsenal when O.J. Howard went down, so Cameron Brate, who has hardly lived up to the large contract given him by the team, needs to step up and take over that role. The Bucs still have Mike Evans and Desean Jackson, of course, so they aren’t hurting for targets for Winston.

It will be interesting to see how Jameis performs this week. Will he be a bit more conservative with the football or just say “f it” and let it fly again? I personally think his career here in Tampa Bay is on the line and these last six weeks will be a referendum on whether Tampa Bay should enter 2019 looking for a quarterback.

He needs to put some good film on tape for the next head coach.

The Niners have a pretty decent defense in yardage, but their points allowed is pretty terrible, so the Bucs offense should be able to put a bevy of points on the board.

49ers Offense vs Buccaneers Defense

Down to their third-string quarterback due to injuries, it’s been a rough go for the 49ers.  Nick Mullens, who played for Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken at Southern Mississippi, has actually done a pretty darn good job since taking over the reins.  It also helps that Matt Breida and Alfred Morris provide some balance in the running game. Tight End George Kittle is the 49ers best receiving threat at this point.

Tampa Bay has had a terrible year on defense, but they’ve been a little better at Raymond James Stadium.

Special Teams

Cairo Santos made all of his kicks in New York, so at least for one week, the Bucs seem happy with their kicker. Bryan Anger has had an average year as a punter, but truth be told, he hasn’t had too many opportunities with the Bucs high powered offense. The Bucs have no kick or punt returners of consequence unless Desean Jackson decides to get motivated and out there to return a punt. For the Niners, Robbie Gould has found a home in the Bay Area, nailing 95% of his field goals and extra points. Bradley Pinion has been adequate as a punter. Defensive Back D.J. Reed has been the primary kick returner for the Niners, and he is a threat, as he’s averaging 30.0 yds a return and has taken one return 90 yds this season.

Interesting Notes

• The Bucs and 49ers are the two worst teams in turnover ratio in the league, -23 and -15 respectively.
• The 49ers lead the all-time series 17-5 and have won 2 of the last 3 meetings.
• Winston threw for 269 yds and 3 touchdowns in their last meeting.
• Since entering the league in 2011, 49ers CB Richard Sherman is the only NFL player with 30+ INTs (32) & 100+ PD (103)

Prediction

Who cares? Oh, okay. We care. I guess? Could this be the week the offense doesn’t turn it over? Is it the week that the Bucs defense finally gets one? Can Jameis win a game? Tampa Bay and San Francisco came into the season with high hopes for a turnaround season and a return to postseason play, but unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out the way either franchise hoped. This is likely the Bucs last legitimate shot at tasting that sweet nectar of victory, so let’s hope they bring it home this week (barring an upset later in the year). I think the Bucs offense might be too much for the Niners to keep up with…unless of course, Tampa Bay goes -4 in turnover ratio (AGAIN).

Pick: Buccaneers 30, 49ers 20