The errors piled up for the San Francisco 49ers: blunders by special teams, penalties on defense and wasted opportunities when we could have increased the lead against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brock Purdy still made the big plays in the last quarter and the Niners had the last word against the Bucs, 23-20.
For much of the game, the 49ers seemed on the verge of losing control, as happened in losses to the Rams and Cards earlier this season. They saw a 10-0 cushion turn into a 13-10 deficit early in the last period.
“Certainly it’s not our preferred way of doing things,” Purdy said. That said, there are going to be games like that in the NFL.
With Purdy at quarterback, San Francisco had only twice overcome a deficit in the final quarter to come away with a victory: late in the 2022 campaign, against Las Vegas, and in a playoff game in January this year, against Green Bay.
He completed two crucial passes in the decisive climb: a 30-yard pass under pressure, to Christian McCaffrey, then an 11-yard pass for a touchdown, to George Kittle.
It got tough afterwards: Jake Moody missed a field goal opportunity for the third time in the game and the defense committed four penalties, costing 39 yards.
Tampa Bay pulled out a drive that ended with an equalizing field goal, before Purdy and his team chipped away at 39 yards in return. Moody then settled the debate with a 44-yard precision kick on the final play.
“Brock missed a few passes in the first half, but he made some huge plays in the second half,” summed up 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
San Francisco held the Buccaneers to 105 air yards. It was the sixth time this season that the team limited the opponent to 200 passing yards or less.
The Niners prevailed for the third time in four outings, improving their record to 5-4.
When the Niners host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, San Francisco will be looking for a seventh straight win in meetings between these two teams.
