The San Francisco 49ers seem to be back on track after picking up another win in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While it wasn't in blowout fashion like their win over Jacksonville in Week 10, the 49ers were able to prevail 27-14 against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers fought hard, but the 49ers were able to capture their second straight win behind an immaculate game from quarterback Brock Purdy. While a win is always great to have, it wasn't exactly the perfect game for San Francisco. Here are the 49ers' biggest concerns despite their win over the Buccaneers.
Troubles on 3rd Down
While the 49ers were able to find the end zone three times in this game, most of those scores came off of big plays. A Christian McCaffrey receiving touchdown and a long ball to Brandon Ayiuk headlined the big scores. The 49ers struggled on 3rd down in this one, converting just 4/10 chances against the Bucs. Converting on 3rd down is absolutely crucial when facing a playoff team like the Eagles, Cowboys, or Lions, so the Niners should look to draw up some new plays to convert on those key 3rd down chances. Luckily, Tampa Bay's defense didn't have much of an answer otherwise, so San Francisco didn't have to worry too much about those conversions in the long run.
Penalties
This shouldn't be too much of a concern for the 49ers as it's more of a mental issue rather than gameplay mistakes. The Niners had seven penalties which cost them 66 yards on the game. A few of those penalties even cost them yards on third down which certainly led to the troubles converting there. Again, mental mistakes are easy to fix through discipline in practice. Coach Kyle Shanahan certainly won't let his team get by too easily after these mistakes, so expect the 49ers to clean things up penalty-wise on Thanksgiving against the Seahawks. However, the same logic about converting on 3rd down still applies. If San Francisco hopes to compete for a Super Bowl, sloppy penalties can not be in the picture.
Is Christian McCaffrey Back?
After his incredible run of touchdowns ended in Week 10 first Jacksonville, McCaffrey was able to score yet again against the Bucs. CMC had a solid game, totaling 103 yards and a touchdown, but the looming question around the 49ers offense is whether or not they need McCaffrey to carry the large workload for the offense. Brock Purdy played an incredible game, but it's hard to imagine he'll throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns every game. In many of the 49ers victories, McCaffrey has found the endzone twice, which has provided for a bulk of their offense. It wouldn't be fair to say he needs to score twice in every game for the 49ers to win, but seeing McCaffrey find the end zone again for the 49ers is huge. The Niners should hope (and can maybe even assume) that he'll score many more times through the rest of the year.
San Francisco played a very good game against Tampa Bay in Week 11. The concerns listed are a bit nit-picky, but for a team that is trying to win a Super Bowl, nothing can be taken lightly. The 49ers offense and defense are both incredibly dominant when at the top of their game. If both units can come together at the right times in crucial moments down the stretch of the season, expect the 49ers to be dangerous when facing any team in the league.
Follow Us
Subscribe