Key Factors to Watch in 49ers vs. Buccaneers

The 49ers get a chance to restart their season as they head to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers. A battle between two stellar offenses will be a must-watch for fans, so what are the key matchups/factors for a Niners victory?

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) walks on the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The 49ers have some tough opposition in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Niners will be heading into this game craving that win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Tampa Bay has shown to have a boisterous offense that can score big points, similar to the 49ers. What do the Niners have to do to win this high scoring game?

1. Buccaneers OLine vs. 49ers DLine

The Buccaneers have shown to be a strong offensive team, but their real strength is in their OLine. They have been outstanding all season. PFF currently ranks their unit as the 2nd best in the league, only tailing the clear-cut best Detroit Lions. That puts them ahead of the Niners DLine, who PFF has ranked as the 7th DLine unit. These are two strong lines that don't have many weaknesses. Tristan Wirfs is one of the best tackles in the game, and the rest of the unit has shown to be efficient in pass-blocking. All of their starting linemen have a PFF Pass-Block grade above 70: all but one, the Left Guard Ben Bredeson. Bredeson doesn't have a PFF Blocking Grade above 56. Last week against the Chiefs, the entire unit allowed 10 pressures, 5 were from Bredeson. That is the key here, attack Bredeson. The rest of the unit will hit their blocks in Pass Protection and struggle in the Run Blocking. Bredeson will struggle against this strong DLine. I want to see Maliek Collins, Kevin Givens, the K. Davis duo, and Jordan Elliott get their sacks tomorrow. Bosa and Floyd can seal the edges to keep Baker in the pocket, and the DTs can eat all day long.

2. George Kittle vs. Coverage

I've spent the past few days trying to figure out who is going to cover George Kittle, and I can't find an answer. Whether they shadow a Linebacker or Corner on him, it doesn't appear to be a matchup Tampa is excited about. No matter who is put on Kittle, he's going to get open and he's going to get the ball. Kittle currently has 500 catches over his Niners tenure and needs just 8 more to tie Roger Craig for the 3rd most in franchise history. So the matchup looks right, he's been the most reliable pass catcher this season, and he's gunning for a franchise record? How can Kittle not have an insane game? The only way that he doesn't is if Tampa gameplans around him.

3. Cade Otton vs. Coverage

Yup another Tight End is on the list, and for good reason. Cade Otton has been Baker Mayfield's new favorite target after losing both of his premier Wide Receivers. In the past three weeks, Otton has been targeted 31 times. In weeks 1-6 he was targeted 31 times. In three weeks he equalled his targets of the first six weeks, that is an insane difference. He is likely to continue this trend and see around 10 targets this weeks. The Niners have to limit those yards as much as possible. If he slows down, Baker will have to start throwing to guys that will make mistakes. It shouldn't take much to slow Otton down, as he hasn't seen a guy like Fred Warner. Let's just hope they don't put De'Vondre Campbell on him, we've seen what happens to him trying to guard Tight Ends.

4. Christian McCaffrey's Usage

This is the question that is giving me the most stress. How much will CMC be used in his first game? It's an important question for so many reasons, and a big one is the talent the Running Backs have shown this season. Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo have proven to be quality Running Backs for the Niners. Jordan Mason looks like a baby Marshawn Lynch, bouncing off tackles and refusing to go down. Meanwhile, Guerendo has shown such speed and an eye for gaps. These two have been awesome, and as much excitement I have for CMC's return I have an equal amount of fear of him getting hurt. This is his first game back after having Achilles issues all season. That isn't the type of injury that you can reaggravate and be ok, it's the type you settle into. So do I want to see multiple scores from CMC like it is 2023 again? Of course I do, but I don't want to see it at the expense of his health. Mason and Guerendo deserve to be getting snap counts after all the work and improvement they've shown this season. Scrapping them in favor of high CMC usage would be obvious if he wasn't coming off this injury. If the Niners want to win in the playoffs, they need CMC, so don't hurt him in his first game back.

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