Week 15: 49ers trample Tampa Bay, 33-14.

After back to back losses in weeks 10 and 11, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers headed into Sunday at 9-4 having played their best ball as of late, riding a three game win-streak. A trip to Tampa Bay to face the lowly (4-9) Buccaneers would allow San Francisco a chance to keep their foot on the gas pedal with the NFL's regular season nearing its end. And through the first three quarters before encountering a minor hiccup, the 49ers would do just that. From San Francisco's very first possession of the day after forcing a Buccaneers three and out, Colin Kaepernick and company would put their foot down as the Niners QB orchestrated a successful 11-play, 62-yard drive that lasted nearly seven minutes and was capitalized with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree.

The touchdown pass would be the first to a receiver not named Anquan Boldin or Vernon Davis this season as San Francisco took an early 7-0 lead. The 49ers would string together 17-unanswered-points before Tampa Bay would get a whiff of their first scoring drive as kicker Phil Dawson connected for a 47-yard field goal followed by Niners tight-end Vernon Davis hauling in his team-leading 12th touchdown reception on a 52-yard bomb from Kaepernick on one of the prettiest connections we've seen from him all year. A touchdown pass from Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon to wide-out Vincent Jackson would put Tampa Bay on the board just before the end of the first half. Trailing 20-7, the Buccaneers would make a game out of it with a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter as Glennon hit Tim Wright from 24-yards out to pull Tampa Bay within six. But the 49ers would answer back as Kaepernick ate away at the clock by marching his team down the field with a 17-play drive that lasted over ten minutes long and ended with another field goal to make it a two possession game.

With under five minutes remaining in regulation, Tampa Bay's margin for error was as small as can be and on the ensuing kick, Greg Schiano's special-teams would commit a major gaffe, hand-wrapping a gift TD to their opponent. The Buccaneers' poor attempt at a reverse hand-off would cost them a chance at pulling off the comeback as the ball was fumbled and scooped up by Niners running back Kendall Hunter who dove into the end zone to make it a 30-14 lead. A turnover on downs by Tampa Bay on their next drive would give San Francisco the ball inside the 30 as Phil Dawson eventually kicked his fourth field goal on the day, extended his franchise-record to 24 consecutive successful FG attempts. A late interception by rookie safety Eric Reid would seal the win as the 49ers came out on top, 33-14. San Francisco's stellar defense dominated for much of the game and held Tampa Bay to a season-low 183 total net yards in route to the team's fourth straight win.

Colin Kaepernick logged a turnover-free performance by completing 19-of-29 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding another 42 yards on the ground. Running back Frank Gore ran for 86 yards on the day to add to his franchise-record as he eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau on the season for the seventh time of his career. Vernon Davis would lead all 49ers receivers with 79 yards on 5 receptions. The 49ers would receive some negative news following the game, however, as an MRI revealed fullback Bruce Miller would be out for the remainder of the season with a broken shoulder blade. Though it might not always show in the box score, Miller does all the little things that help an offense thrive and his presence will be missed.

Week 16 Preview: Despite having the day off, the 49ers will be score watching on Sunday as a loss by the Arizona Cardinals who face the daunting task of playing the Seahawks in Seattle, would guarantee a playoff berth for the 49ers. But with a win on Monday night, the Niners could punch their own ticket to the playoffs regardless of what Arizona does. Week 16 will see the 49ers host the last regular season game and quite possibly the last football game at Candlestick Park. Having called the 'Stick home for the last 43 years, the 49ers hope to bid a storybook farewell to the stadium that has played host to plenty of moments that have made the 49ers the historic franchise they are today. Monday night's game against Atlanta (4-9) will be a rematch of last year's NFC Championship, a game in which the 49ers came from behind on the road to knock off the no. 1 seeded Falcons to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Much like the 49ers were up until a few weeks ago, the Falcons are suffering from a shorthanded offense with their number one play maker Julio Jones out for the season. Expected by many to make another run at a potential Super Bowl appearance coming into the season, the Falcons have easily been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL. And with their only win on the road coming against the woeful Buffalo Bills, they'll have their work cut out for them on Monday going up against a thriving 49ers team who currently stand as 13-point favorites and will be playing with high emotions in front of a raucous crowd. 


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