So it’s come to this: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I say “Come to this” because some of my interactions with local Buccaneers fans here in Seattle, Washington have not been arguments on why one team will win over the other, it’s declarations and hope that the 49ers will win and the Buccaneers can lose in order to net a draft pick.
Personally, I want the 49ers to win because this team needs to have wins to build on, though a draft pick would be nice. The loss to the NY Giants certainly helped the 49ers begin their preparations for pick No. 1, but we want a win, darn it. The 49ers can definitely win this game. Jameis Winston has a tendency to throw some ill advised throws and the Buccaneers defense isn’t doing much at all, ranking last in some categories and close to last in others. The problem is the 49ers are the second worst team in getting turnovers, only one team does it worse. Yep, it’s the Buccaneers. The one thing the Buccaneers offer and the 49ers don’t take advantage of it. Then again, the 49ers have had their share of turnovers as well, and the Buccaneers probably won’t take advantage of that either.
The 49ers will win if...
They can get turnovers. There’s really no other way around this. We’ve seen how explosive the Buccaneers offense can be when those wide receivers get going and we’ve also seen how they love to cough the ball up throughout the game. The 49ers need to take advantage of this to have a chance. If they can get some picks and turn into points (maybe pick-sixes?), the Buccaneers will no doubt abandon the already lackluster run game. WIth Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson available to run around, they can those circus catches (that they somehow win) a shot—and with Winston throwing it could be more picks.
This could then lead to the 49ers feasting on the turnovers Winston offers. A nice, late Thanksgiving feast
The 49ers will lose if...
They can’t finish. Remember all those things I just got done saying about the Buccaneer’s pass-catchers? Well that applies here. They are basically “Diet New York Giants” as far as pass-catchers are concerned and we saw how bad the 49ers defense broke down against that team. See, the 49ers defense has systematically broken down at the most key moments to blow the game. This goes with their recent moniker to not finish. They can generate all the turnovers in the world for points, but if they decide to call it a day with five minutes left in a close game, it’s almost certain that the Buccaneers will find a way to get back into it.
Until we are proven wrong on this, it’s a fair assessment to make.