Week 14 - Heading into Week 14's match-up between the (8-5) San Francisco 49ers and (6-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all the chatter revolved around Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy versus the GOAT Tom Brady. Two guys nobody gave much of a chance after being drafted in the seventh and sixth round, respectively, the two QB's would square off with both of their teams looking to stay atop their respective divisions. Featured as FOX's "Game of the Week," the highlighted match-up would turn into a rout by halftime and would force the network to switch to the more competitive game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter.
Playing 25 miles outside of his hometown for only the second time in his career against the team he grew up rooting for, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady who was seen taking it all in before and after the game, had purchased tickets for over 100 friends and family members who were in attendance on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, his supporters would have little to cheer for in the lopsided affair. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy would also have his family in attendance as his parents were able to witness their son make his first career NFL start. And as if the juices weren't flowing already after player introductions, he would be awoken with a helmet to helmet hit that resulted in a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on the first play of the game. From that point on, it would be a remarkable day at the office for Purdy who helped lead the 49ers on a touchdown-scoring drive on their first possession. Receiver Deebo Samuel would put San Francisco ahead early with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Looking to answer, the Bucs would cross midfield and attempt a 55-yard field goal which kicker Ryan Succop would miss terribly. San Francisco would find the end zone again two possessions later when Purdy struck pay dirt with a touchdown run from two yards out for his first career rushing touchdown. One drive later, Purdy would launch a 27-yard touchdown to running back Christian McCaffrey to take a three-score lead which led the Levi's Stadium faithful to begin chants of "Purdy". With the touchdown pass, Purdy would become just the third QB in 49ers franchise history to record a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown in his first career start (Shaun Hill & Jeff Garcia). With the 49er offense rolling to a 21-0 advantage, Purdy and company would lose one of their most dynamic weapons in the second quarter when Deebo Samuel was tackled awkwardly and fumbled the ball. Grabbing at his lower leg as he went down, he would need to be carted off the field. Noticeably upset and in tears, not one player on the 49ers team went without padding Deebo on the back or going to a knee as he was being attended to by the team's medical staff.
After a turnover on downs by the Bucs on the other end, the 49ers were able to add another touchdown just before the half. Nearly suffering their second consecutive turnover, San Francisco caught a break when a Brock Purdy interception was negated thanks to a holding call by the Tampa Bay defense. One play later, Purdy found receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a deep pass for a 32-yard touchdown. Taking a 28-0 lead into the half, San Francisco's number one defense would hold Tom Brady and the Bucs offense to their third shutout of the first half this season. Opening the second half with more sloppiness from the Tampa Bay offense, the 49er defense would intercept Brady on back to back possessions in the third quarter as Tashaun Gipson and Dre Greenlaw picked off the Bucs QB. Adding one final touchdown, McCaffrey broke for a 38-yard touchdown run, stiff-arming his way to the end zone to put the Niners ahead, 35-0. Becoming only the fourth player in NFL history with 30+ rushing touchdowns and 20+ receiving touchdowns in his first six seasons, McCaffrey would log his 11th career game with 1+ rushing TD and 1+ receiving TD, tying him with the great Jim Brown for 4th most all-time.
The Buccaneers would finally break thru with a score of their own with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter when receiver Russell Gage caught a fluky touchdown pass after being in the right place at the right time. With Brady's pass nearly intercepted, the ball was deflected before finding Gage who made a shoestring grab for the lucky score. Brock Purdy would depart the game in the fourth quarter with an oblique and rib injury and did not play the final 13 minutes, allowing the recently acquired Josh Johnson to enter and closeout the game. Adding one more turnover with a fumble on defense, the 49ers milked the clock to a 35-7 victory. Despite not recording a single sack for the first time this season, the San Francisco defense still managed three takeaways with two interceptions and a fumble. Brock Purdy completed 16 of 21 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, outdueling Tom Brady who threw for 253 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 34 of 55 pass attempts. With the win, Purdy also became the first QB to defeat Tom Brady in his first career start. McCaffrey led all players with 2 touchdowns and 162 all purpose yards with 119 on the ground and another 34 yards thru the air, logging his 41st game with 100+ scrimmage yards since 2017 which is the most in the NFL in that span and 9th this season. He's also the only player in the league this season with 700+ rushing yards & 500+ receiving yards thru Week 13.
Week 15 Preview: Taking the stage for their one and only Thursday Night Football game of the season, the (9-4) 49ers will take a trip to the Pacific Northwest to face the division rival (7-6) Seattle Seahawks with a chance to clinch the NFC Western Division on the line. Coming off a loss at home to the Carolina Panthers, Pete Carroll's Seahawks who have been leading the 49ers or on their heels in the standings, have now lost three of their last five games which has given San Francisco some breathing room as the 49ers have also won six straight. Unfortunately, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will have a decision to make before kickoff as Brock Purdy may not be ready in time for Thursday's game on short rest as he's dealing with oblique and rib soreness. Purdy who had the highest passer rating among QB's in Week 14 with a 134.0 QBR, will be ruled a game-time decision. If Purdy is unable to start, QB Josh Johnson will be next in line for the start in what is his fourth stint with the Niners. Johnson completed 1 of 2 passes for 10 yards to closeout Sunday's win over the Bucs. Hopefully San Francisco's dominant defense will do enough of the heavy lifting on Thursday to the point that it won't matter who is under center for San Francisco come kickoff.
San Francisco also dodged a bullet with the Deebo injury as it was revealed that the 49ers' receiver did suffer knee and ankle sprains but avoided a major injury as he's expected to return to the field this season.
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