by SANTA CLARA — The 49ers have sustained more than their fair share of injuries following a 35-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But even with the uncertainty with several players, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers felt very good about their new quarterback and their team’s overall performance.
“We have a quarterback,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who became the first quarterback to get his first NFL win against a team led by Tom Brady.
He had a good day, as did many of his team mates.
Here’s a look at the 49ers’ report card from their Week 14 comprehensive win against Tampa Bay at Levi’s Stadium:
Precipitous offense
The 49ers looked to soften up the Bucs defense with their emphasis on the passing game to open up the game. Christian McCaffrey got his first carry on the 49ers’ fifth play from scrimmage and ripped off a 21-yard run.
The 49ers controlled the game on the ground, rushing for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 36 attempts.
Samuel put the 49ers on the board when he caught a pitch, rounded the corner and somehow drove into the end zone.
McCaffrey ended the game with a 38-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. He finished with 119 yards on 14 rushes. Rookie Jordan Mason came in and added 56 yards on 11 rushes.
Grade: A
Passing offense
Purdy did everything the 49ers asked of him in his first NFL start. . . and then some.
He showed off his movement skills early in the second quarter when he scrambled 2 yards for a touchdown. On the 49ers next offensive play, he ran away and found Samuel for a contested 18-yard run.
Purdy finished with 16 completions on 21 attempts for 185 yards with two touchdown passes and no interceptions thrown. He had a 27-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey and a 32-yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk.
The 49ers offensive line protected Purdy well, as he was not sacked during the game.
Grade: A
Impetuous defense
The Buccaneers averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and the 49ers made Tampa Bay one dimensional. Rachaad White gained 56 yards on 13 attempts while Leonard Fournette was an absolute non-factor with 13 yards on four attempts.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw was all over the place for the 49ers defense with 15 tackles.
Late in the game, the 49ers generated a third takeaway of the game when Jimmie Ward forced a fumble from White and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair recovered the fumble.
Grade: A
Pass defense
Tom Brady had a rough day against the 49ers defense.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion threw for 253 yards against the 49ers defense but shed a lot of skin getting there.
Brady completed 34 of 55 pass attempts with a touchdown pass and two interceptions thrown. Tashaun Gipson and Greenlaw recorded interceptions, as Brady’s passer rating for the game was a modest 63.7.
The 49ers didn’t muster a sack against Brady, who stuck to the short passing game. But San Francisco had enough pressure on him to make things extremely difficult.
Grade: A
Special teams
Robbie Gould was called up for extra points, not field goals. And no one with the 49ers was complaining about that turn of events.
Back man Ray-Ray McCloud had a good day averaging 14.3 yards on three punts and 27.0 average on two kickoffs.
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was averaging 44.7 (37.7 net) on three punts).
Grade: A
Instruct
The 49ers installed strong game plans on offense and defense against the NFC South-leading Buccaneers.
Offense coach Kyle Shanahan made the most of Purdy’s offense management skills. He saw something in the second quarter that prompted him to call a play that wasn’t in the game plan. The result was Purdy’s 32-yard touchdown pass on a double pass.
Defensively, the 49ers kept Brady bottled up and robbed the Bucs of any ability to make big plays.
Grade: A
Altogether
The 49ers and the Buccaneers are two teams that seem to be heading towards the playoffs.
The 49ers left no doubt on Sunday, taking a 35-0 lead and shutting down the final 29 minutes of the game.
RELATED: Where the 49ers stand in the NFC playoff photo after Week 14
The 49ers didn’t bat an eye after Samuel went down with an ankle injury, as the team has shown the ability to maintain focus during adversity.
Grade: A
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