The Tussel In Tampa Francisco 49ers, 33 / Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 14
The word of the day: Mobility. While 49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick was able to exit the pocket to gain yardage, Tampa Bay’s QB Mike Glennon was sacked for losses. Other than that, both men threw for two touchdowns. Their total passing yards differed by a couple dozen. Minor lowlight: Glennon was tagged for one interception.
What gives San Francisco the oompf to win is the combined talent of their players, notably:
Running back Frank Gore who ran 22 times for 86 yards to push himself above the thousand yard per season mark for the seventh time in his career. With 9,856 total yards he is temptingly close to the 10k mark with tough opponents ahead.
Tight end Vernon Davis who had five receptions for 79 yards on the day. His end zone dash required him to outrun a defending safety to make the play.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree – He caught a 4-yard score to rack up his first touchdown since returning from injury.
Running back Kendall “Heads Up” Hunter who – while playing on special teams – picked up a kick off fumble (on a flubbed reverse play) then dove for the end zone. This effectively pushed the game out of reach for the Bucs late in the fourth quarter.
And not to be left out, kicker Phil Dawson extended his consecutive field goal streak by four to a total of 24. I suggest management bronze his cleats.
On the opposite side of the field, the news was not all bad. Buccaneer quarterback Mike Glennon went 18 of 34 for 179 yards on the day. He connected with Vincent Jackson late in the first half to close within ten of the 49ers. Then in the fourth he found Tim Wright to shave the lead to six (20-14).
But a well-executed, long drive by San Francisco ate up critical catch-up time.
Protection was also a problem for Tampa Bay. Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy caught Kaepernick once for a sack but Bucs’ QB Glennon was turfed four times.
The question of whether Bucs coach Greg Schiano will return for next season is in the air. With a 4-10 record on the boards, chances are not good.
