Skeleton Keys To Victory: Week Six – 49ers vs Buccaneers

We are onto week six in the NFL regular season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on top of the world with a league leading 4-1 record. However, that record is in jeopardy as they enter the heart of their schedule. The week the Bucs will play host to the San Francisco 49ers who also enter this game with a 4-1 record. 

This is a clash of NFC powers and a potential playoff matchup. One of these teams will advance to 5-1 and one will fall back to the pack. If the Bucs want to be that winning team then they will have to follow this week’s Skeleton Keys to Victory!

No Risk In This Biscuit 

There was a lot of emphasis about the Bucs forcing more turnovers over the offseason. The importance of interception and prioritizing getting ballhawks in the offseason. This was very important to Todd Bowles and the Bucs front office.

Apparently, the 49ers did not share this priority. No team in the NFL has forced fewer interceptions this year than San Francisco. In fact, it would be impossible to have fewer than them because they don’t have any at all.

The Bucs should attack this defense through the air. While it isn’t the worst group in the league in terms of passing yards allowed, they just lack the playmakers in the secondary to fear them. Take a few risks, go for the big plays and throw the ball all over the field.

Let Vita Eat(a)

We all think of the 49ers are a good running team. After all, Christian McCaffrey is one of the best running backs of recent memory and it feels like they can just plug in anybody to create a good offensive line. Everything about Kyle Shanahan’s past tells us that his teams can run the ball.

That hasn’t been the case this season. In five games McCaffrey has just 282 rushing yards and a 3.1 rush per attempt average. On top of that, McCaffrey (along with everyone else on the roster) hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown this year.

Considering how good the Bucs run defense has been this year led by Vita Vea, that trend should continue this week. If it doesn’t for some reason, then it will spell trouble for this Bucs defense. Keep the 49ers one dimensional and just let your good run defense control their bad run offense.

Sloth Loves Chunk, But The Bucs Don’t!

A Goonies reference aside, we are all very anti chunk this week. And by chunk, I am talking about chunk plays. The 49ers have thrived on them this year and the Bucs can’t let them run wild with this on Sunday.

Only four teams (with the Bucs being one of them) have more 20+ yard passes this season. Even with that, their overall offense is only middle of the road. Only six teams in the NFL have scored fewer touchdowns this season than the 49ers. 

If the Buccaneers can minimize these chunk plays then San Francisco’s offense should be pretty manageable. Outside of the damage they have done through the air, everything else about this team has been very average this season.