The 49ers and Buccaneers meet up this Sunday in a battle of 3-1 teams looking to prove they belong. The Bucs face an uphill battle in the NFC South while the 49ers find themselves holding a two game lead in the NFC West which puts them in a strong position at such an early point in the season.
The 49ers released their latest game release and I thought I'd once again roll through some of the random stats they provide. Additionally, after that I've posted a table comparing the 49ers and Bucs in twelve different statistical categories.
Some of the more intriguing stats belong to the defense, which is putting together dominant efforts against the rush. The pass defense is fairly modest thus far and has work to do, but the rush defense is one of the best in the NFL. They rank highly on second and short and third and short. They rank highly on 3rd and fourth down runs. They rank highly in red zone touchdown prevention. The rush defense is really quite dominant this season.
As one would expect, that comes thanks to a front seven that is playing as well any in the league. The pass rush isn't exactly where it needs to be, but it's moving in the right direction. If Aldon Smith keeps getting more playing time, it will be interesting to see how the pass rush develops. The 49ers rank 16th in sacks and 21st in Football Outsiders Adjusted Sack Rate.
Notable Numbers
- QB Alex Smith posted a QB rating of 154.3 in the second half at Philadelphia. This marks the highest second half QB rating by an NFL QB in 2011. Since 1991, it is the second highest rating behind only Steve Young (157.9 @ LA Rams, 11/28/93)
- Andy Lee has registered a net punt average of 46.1 this season, good for first in the NFL
- 49ers have registered 31 passes defended, good for 1st in the NFL
- 49ers defense has allowed a TD in only 28.6 percent of opponents red zone possessions, ranked first in the NFL
- 49ers +8 turnover ratio is tied with Detroit for first in the NFL
- 49ers have a home winning percentage of .846 versus TB, their highest winning percentage against any team in the NFL
- 49ers are one of two teams not to allow a rushing TD this season (Chicago)
- 49ers have only committed 3 turnovers on the year, tied for first in the NFL
- 49ers defense has allowed only 32.7 percent on 3rd down conversions, tied for fourth in the NFL
- 49ers defense ranks first in the NFL, allowing just 28.6 percent on 3rd and less than 4
- The 49ers average starting field position on kickoffs is the 27.0, ranking second in the NFL
- Alex Smith has a QB rating of 113.3 inside the opponents' 30-yard line, ranked fifth in the league
- Alex Smith has registered a QB rating of 124.8 against the blitz this season, ranked third in the NFL
2011 Statistics
| 49ERS (rank) | BUCCANEERS (rank) | |
| 3-1 (1st NFCW) | Record | 3-1 (t-1st NFCS) |
| 23.5 (t-13th) | Points per game | 21.0 (20th) |
| 270.8 (28th) | Total Offense | 352.8 (t-16th) |
| 93.3 (22nd) | Rushing Offense | 117.0 (11th) |
| 177.5 (29th) | Passing Offense | 235.8 (17th) |
| 31:08 (14th) | Possession Avg | 31:14 (13th) |
| 18.8 (7th) | Points allowed/gm | 19.3 (9th) |
| 358.0 (17th) | Total Defense | 368.0 (20th) |
| 74.0 (4th) | Rushing Defense | 101.0 (11th) |
| 284.0 (t-27th) | Passing Defense | 267.0 (21st) |
| 9 (t-16th) | Sacks | 10 (t-10th) |
| 6 (t-5th) | Interceptions | 2 (t-24th) |
| +8 (t-1st) | Turnover Differential | +1 (t-11th) |