Game Overview ::
By Mike Johnson >>
- San Francisco’s offense will once again be led by quarterback Mac Jones, who has played very well in his three starts this season.
- The 49ers look like they will get wide receiver Jauan Jennings back in the lineup this week, but Ricky Pearsall’s status appears to be in jeopardy.
- Tampa Bay will once again be without RB Bucky Irving, leaving Rachaad White to handle lead back duties.
- Mike Evans will miss his third consecutive game and Chris Godwin missed the first two practices of the week, putting his status in doubt.
- The performance of both defenses in this game has been on a downward trajectory over recent weeks.
JM’S JOURNAL ::
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How SAN FRANCISCO Will Try To Win ::
The 49ers have been one of the more impressive teams in the NFL so far this season with their ability to overcome a seemingly never ending stream of injuries en route to a 4-1 record. Their most recent victory was an impressive Thursday night road win over the Rams in which they were large underdogs, but controlled the game throughout. San Francisco lost all pro edge rusher Nick Bosa for the season in Week 3, and has dealt with injuries to all pro tight end George Kittle, quarterback Brock Purdy, and their top three wide receivers. They are likely to be without all of the aforementioned players again this week for a road game in Tampa Bay, with the lone exception possibly being veteran wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who has practiced in a limited capacity this week after sitting out all practices prior to Week 5.
The reality at this point is that San Francisco will be starting Mac Jones for the fourth time in six games this week, as Brock Purdy has not practiced yet this week due to his toe injury. Jones has played admirably this season and has looked quite comfortable in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system. The 49ers are leaning heavily on a short and quick passing game with running back Christian McCaffrey seeing an incredible number of targets as their offensive focal point. The 49ers running game has struggled to be efficient and move the ball on the ground thus far this season, as their offensive line play has taken a step back from past seasons and the absence of George Kittle has been felt in their run blocking. This week they face a Bucs defense that has been elite against the run, ranking 4th in run defense DVOA, which makes it highly unlikely that San Francisco’s sputtering running game suddenly finds its footing in Week 6.
This leads to a situation where the 49ers will once again lean heavily on the short and intermediate passing game as they try to pull off another road upset. Tampa Bay runs one of the more aggressive and creative blitzing defenses in the league. The 49ers will undoubtedly look to use that aggression against them by baiting them and hitting on quick screens and using creative formations to help diagnose these looks before the snap. The 49ers will never fully abandon a running game, as their schemes are layered and built with that as the foundation. However, the 49ers pass rate is up significantly from past seasons and we should expect much of the same in Tampa. The main concern for them will be protecting Mac Jones and getting the ball out quickly, as he is dealing with a PCL injury of his own and appeared hobbled in last week’s win over the Rams.
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