The 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially hit a bump in the road following their three-game losing streak. After a promising start, the Bucs now sit at 4-5 entering their week ten match-up against San Francisco and have fallen a couple games behind the division-leading Falcons. The sky isn’t falling, but a team who once had playoff hopes now has a slim chance in making it to the postseason.
With the Tampa Bay bye week approaching in week 11, a win against the 49ers would push these Bucs to .500 and set them up for a December playoff push. San Francisco sits at 4-4 and have had an underwhelming start to the 2024 campaign after a Super Bowl appearance last season.
Injuries have played a part into their slow start, with star running back Christian McCaffrey missing every game this season, along with WR Brandon Aiyuk out for the season, WR Deebo Samuel missing time, LB Dre Greenlaw, S Talanoa Hufunga and many other starters & depth pieces have missed games for this normally dominant San Francisco team.
Now, as the practice week begins for both these teams, super star RB Christian McCaffrey is back onto the practice field in a limited capacity after missing eight games with achilles tendonitis in both legs. Although his return isn’t guaranteed, this is a hugely positive sign that McCaffrey could suit up on Sunday in Raymond James Stadium.
49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan was vague on if and when we would see McCaffrey, but noted there is no pain in either achilles for his running back. It’s likely that the star running back is eased back into the feel of things instead of seeing his normal 80%+ amount of offensive snaps. It will be such a key for the Bucs’ defense to lock in on McCaffrey when he’s in, as we’ve all become accustomed to the former Carolina Panther and his abilities.
Unfortunately, McCaffrey and the 49ers’ running game isn’t all that’ll be a challenge for this Tampa Bay defense. The Bucs rank 30th in passing yards given up per game and opposing teams have approached Tampa Bay with a pass-heavy mentality. Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins both had outstanding games against the Bucs these past two weeks, so don’t be surprised if Brock Purdy targets his receiving options early and often.
All in all, Todd Bowles and the Bucs have their hands full in their week ten match-up. Although San Francisco hasn’t had their ideal start to the season, their offense still ranks fourth in the league, both in passing yards per game and rushing yards per game, respectively. Not only was this 49ers offense already seeing solid success, but with the return of McCaffrey, even in a limited capacity, it will open up opportunities for other players in this offense.
The 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially hit a bump in the road following their three-game losing streak. After a promising start, the Bucs now sit at 4-5 entering their week ten match-up against San Francisco and have fallen a couple games behind the division-leading Falcons. The sky isn’t falling, but a team who once had playoff hopes now has a slim chance in making it to the postseason.
With the Tampa Bay bye week approaching in week 11, a win against the 49ers would push these Bucs to .500 and set them up for a December playoff push. San Francisco sits at 4-4 and have had an underwhelming start to the 2024 campaign after a Super Bowl appearance last season.
Injuries have played a part into their slow start, with star running back Christian McCaffrey missing every game this season, along with WR Brandon Aiyuk out for the season, WR Deebo Samuel missing time, LB Dre Greenlaw, S Talanoa Hufunga and many other starters & depth pieces have missed games for this normally dominant San Francisco team.
Now, as the practice week begins for both these teams, super star RB Christian McCaffrey is back onto the practice field in a limited capacity after missing eight games with achilles tendonitis in both legs. Although his return isn’t guaranteed, this is a hugely positive sign that McCaffrey could suit up on Sunday in Raymond James Stadium.
49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan was vague on if and when we would see McCaffrey, but noted there is no pain in either achilles for his running back. It’s likely that the star running back is eased back into the feel of things instead of seeing his normal 80%+ amount of offensive snaps. It will be such a key for the Bucs’ defense to lock in on McCaffrey when he’s in, as we’ve all become accustomed to the former Carolina Panther and his abilities.
Unfortunately, McCaffrey and the 49ers’ running game isn’t all that’ll be a challenge for this Tampa Bay defense. The Bucs rank 30th in passing yards given up per game and opposing teams have approached Tampa Bay with a pass-heavy mentality. Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins both had outstanding games against the Bucs these past two weeks, so don’t be surprised if Brock Purdy targets his receiving options early and often.
All in all, Todd Bowles and the Bucs have their hands full in their week ten match-up. Although San Francisco hasn’t had their ideal start to the season, their offense still ranks fourth in the league, both in passing yards per game and rushing yards per game, respectively. Not only was this 49ers offense already seeing solid success, but with the return of McCaffrey, even in a limited capacity, it will open up opportunities for other players in this offense.
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