SANTA CLARA — The 49ers reported more than their fair share of injuries following a 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But even with the uncertainty with several players, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers felt great 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 earn his first NFL victory against a team managed by Tom Brady.
He had a hell of a day, as did many of his teammates.
Here’s a look at the 49ers’ report card from their complete Week 14 win over Tampa Bay at Levi’s Stadium:
Hasty offense
The 49ers attempted to soften the Bucs’ defense by emphasizing the passing game to open the game. Christian McCaffrey got his first carry on the 49ers’ fifth play from scrimmage and he snatched 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 took a pitch, rounded the corner and somehow entered the end zone.
McCaffrey put the game aside with a 38-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. He finished with 119 yards on 14 carries. Rookie Jordan Mason came on and added 56 yards on 11 carries.
Rating: A
Exceeding offense
Purdy did everything the 49ers asked of him in his first NFL start. . . and then some.
He showed his movement skills early in the second quarter when he went 2 yards for a touchdown. On the 49ers’ next offensive play, he escaped the rush and found Samuel for an 18-yard contest.
Purdy finished with 16 completions on 21 attempts for 185 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions thrown. He had a 27-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey and a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk.
The 49ers offensive line protected Purdy well, as he was not sacked in the game.
Rating: A
hasty defense
The Buccaneers are averaging 3.6 yards per carry and the 49ers have 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 49ers defense with 15 tackles.
Late in the game, the 49ers generated a third replay of the game when Jimmie Ward forced a fumble from White and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair recovered the fumble.
Rating: A
defensive pass
Tom Brady had a tough day against the 49ers defense.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion threw for 253 yards against the 49ers defense, but lost a lot of skin to get there.
Brady completed 34 of 55 pass attempts with a touchdown pass and two thrown interceptions. Tashaun Gipson and Greenlaw recorded interceptions as Brady’s passer rating for the game was 63.7.
The 49ers didn’t pick up a sack against Brady, who stuck with the short passing game. But San Francisco had enough pressure on him to make things extremely difficult.
Rating: A
Special teams
Robbie Gould was called for extra points, not field goals. And no one with the 49ers was complaining about this turn of events.
Returning man Ray-Ray McCloud had a good day averaging 14.3 yards on three punts and averaging 27.0 on two kickoffs.
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky averaged 44.7 (37.7 net) over three clearances).
Rating: A
framing
The 49ers have solid game plans on offense and defense against the NFC South-leading Buccaneers.
Offense coach Kyle Shanahan made the best use of Purdy’s skills in managing the offense. He saw something in the second quarter that made him call a play that wasn’t in the game plan. The result was Purdy’s 32-yard touchdown pass on a double-throw.
Defensively, the 49ers kept Brady bottled up and took away any ability for the Bucs to make big plays.
Rating: A
Globally
The 49ers and Buccaneers are two teams that appear to be heading into the playoffs.
The 49ers left no doubt on Sunday, taking a 35-0 lead and suppressing the final 29 minutes of the game.
RELATED: Where the 49ers Stand in the NFC Playoff Picture After Week 14
The 49ers didn’t blink after Samuel suffered an ankle injury as the team showed their ability to stay focused in the face of adversity.
Rating: A
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