Buccaneers Keys: Control the Clock
Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reeling after losing three games in a row, and the playoff chances are slowly slipping from their grasp. After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend, the job doesn’t get any easier against the San Francisco 49ers. The good news is they are returning home for this game, and it’s 1 PM local time… or an early 10 AM start time, biological-clockwise, for the West Coast Niners.
It will be a tough task to win against a true Super Bowl contender with the 49ers, but it’s not impossible. Let’s look at some keys that could lead to their fifth win of the season.
Play to Win
It sounds pretty obvious, but the top key in this game for the Bucs is they need to play to win, and that starts with Todd Bowles. Last weekend the Bucs had a chance to go for two to try and take the lead late against the Chiefs, but the coach decided it was best to kick the field goal and play for overtime. Everyone knows what happened next: the Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime, and Patrick Mahomes drove them right onto the field for a touchdown and the win.
There will probably be three or four plays or decisions that decide this game, and Bowles needs to push the right buttons. If it’s going for it on fourth down, going for two, or even running a fake punt, Bowles needs to be playing to win, rather than playing not to lose.
Continue to Pound the Rock
I might sound like a broken record at this point, but the Bucs need to continue to pound the rock to help the defense. Outside of Baker Mayfield’s four rushes last week, the Bucs ran the ball just 16 times. Bucky Irving was the top rusher, taking only seven carries for 24 yards. Even if the ground game’s stats don’t jump off the page, the more they run the ball, the more they’ll dictate the tempo with it. Sure, the Chiefs got 40 minutes of possession thanks, in part, to overtime, but the Buccaneers had the ball for just 25 minutes in regulation.
Not saying the Bucs need to have 40 minutes of possession time to win the game, but if they can have at least half, that significantly helps their chances to win. Remember earlier this season when the Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 33-16? The Bucs had 36:17 of time of possession. If they can replicate that here, the Bucs can win this game. Everyone knows what Baker Mayfield is capable of, and the Bucs are going to need to score. But getting points alone won’t be enough, it’s also about keeping the ball out of the hands of Brock Purdy and company.
Wrap Up and Tackle
According to PFF, the Buccaneers have missed 94 tackles as a team, which is inexcusable. Now the Bucs have to face a 49ers team that is filled with playmakers who specialize in making opponents miss tackles. Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his season debut, and he is a master of picking up yards after contact. Last season saw the star running back accumulate 1,110 of his 1,727 yards after contact.
It doesn’t just end with McCaffrey though, as the offense is jam-packed with difference-makers, even with Brandon Aiyuk out. If you are one-on-one with Deebo Samuel in space, it’s hard to bring him down. But executing those tackles will be the only way to limit the extra damage these players can inflict.
With the way the Bucs have played this season, it’s not a stretch to say the 49ers are going to get their points. They’ll also not have many problems moving the ball up and down the field. But like they did with the Detroit Lions in Week 2, it’s a matter of not getting completely burned. With Aiyuk out for the season, you don’t have to be as worried about Purdy taking the top off the defense, but that makes it even more important to make those stops underneath. A couple of missed tackles by the Bucs could be the difference in moving to 5-5 or falling to 4-6.
Even if everything goes right for the Bucs, this is going to be a tough game for Tampa Bay, but they showed last week they can go toe-to-toe against the league’s best. If they can be opportunistic, focus on keeping the ball out of Purdy’s hands, and wrap up, Tampa can pull off this upset.
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