The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel west to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at 4:05pm ET. The matchup features two surprising 3-1 teams that haven’t been embraced among the elite of the league, although the winner of this game will be one step closer to league-wide respectability.
The Bucs won a few fans over last Monday night, with a 24-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, with a strong performance by running back LaGarrette Blount, who had 127 yards on 25 carries. Bucs QB Josh Freeman also turned in a solid game with 287 yards passing and 1 TD, bringing his numbers for the season up to 969 yards with 3 TDs and 4 INTs.
The 49ers are also coming off an impressive upset win over the floundering Philadelphia Eagles, in a come-from-behind 24-23 victory last week. Quarterback Alex Smith had his best performance of the year as they opened up the offense and he went 21 of 33 for 291 yards and 2 TDs.
A strong performance by the passing game complemented the consistently strong running of RB Frank Gore, who racked up 127 yards and a TD last week on just 15 carries.
The 49ers strong rushing defense, 4th in the league, may be the difference in this game as the Bucs prefer to establish the run to take some of the pressure of young third year QB Josh Freeman. If the 49ers can slow down Blount and, and keep Gore and the running game going, we expect the 49ers to take this game.
Key Players Update
49ers RB Frank Gore (ankle) practiced all week and is listed as probable for Sunday’s game against the Bucs. He’s healthier than he was last week and will resume lead back duties. Expect RB Kendall Hunter to mix in for only a handful of touches.
49ers WR Michael Crabtree (foot) put in a week of limited practices and is listed as probable for Sunday’s game against the Bucs. He’s getting closer to 100% and is coming off a game that saw him post season-highs in targets, catches, and yards. Crab is approaching WR3 status but should still only be considered a desperation fantasy play.
