Both the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping to shake off their lackluster starts and start the second half of the NFL season with a win.
Baker Mayfield says he would happily sacrifice some personal success for a few more wins.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) are on a three-game losing streak and have dropped four of their last five to fall below .500 for the first time this year.
Mayfield leads the NFL in touchdown passes (23), is second in yards passing (2,389) and seventh in passer rating (105.6).
He has also thrown seven interceptions in his last four games and knows that taking better care of the football will be one of the keys to getting the Bucs back on track.
The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers (4-4) visit Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, also hoping to distance themselves from a mediocre start of their own.
“If you look at the games, some of the games we’ve lost, there’s been turnover issues. And so winning for me is the most important thing,” Mayfield said.
“I’d rather have below-average stats and a lot of wins than what I have now,” said the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft. “So for me it’s about winning.”
The 49ers, saying goodbye and that could be on the verge of getting star Christian McCaffery back from injurywant to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
McCaffrey, who won AP Offensive Player of the Year last season and is the driving force behind San Francisco’s offensive success, has been sidelined for the entire season due to Achilles tendonitis.
San Francisco has won the past three meetings between the teams, including by double digits each of the past two years with Brock Purdy at quarterback.
Still, coach Kyle Shanahan remains wary of facing the Bucs with Mayfield playing as well as he did while reviving his career with Tampa Bay.
Since joining the Bucs in 2023, Mayfield leads the NFL with 51 TD passes – four more than Jordan Love and Dak Prescott have thrown in the same span.
Only Prescott (6,494) has thrown for more than Mayfield’s 6,433 yards during that stretch.
“I think Baker is a stud. Last year I thought he was at the top of his game and playing really well. And this year I think he’s the same, if not better,” Shanahan said.
“He’s one of the big reasons why I think they were a couple plays away from us in the NFC championship game last year,” the coach added, referring to Tampa Bay’s playoff loss to the Detroit Lions. “We were worried, really worried about him, going into that game.”
The return of CMC
The 49ers struggled to find their feet in the first half of the season, struggling in the red zone and in the short passing game. McCaffrey’s return should change that.
McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage last season and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns. He has missed the entire season so far but is expected to return this week.
“You could put him in any offense and it would make it better,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “Obviously our offense is tailored around him and some of his strengths, so it will definitely be a huge boost for us.”
Rest inequality
The 49ers have found themselves on the wrong side of the residual inequality this season, with four games against teams coming to a bye. This week the opposite is the case. While San Francisco rested last week, the Bucs played Kansas City on Monday night in a game that went to overtime.
“I was hoping the rules would change and the extensions could be doubled,” Shanahan said. “It can be an advantage, but I’ve done it so many times that you think it’s an advantage and a disadvantage. I’ve been in times where you thought the bye week was the rest you needed and you felt rested and like that, but you just got a little bit out of rhythm and you’re a little bit rusty, where teams that go every week are kind of in their rhythm.
“So I’ve seen it from both sides. But I would definitely choose our side over the other.”
Post-bye wave
The Niners have been their best after a week off in recent regular seasons. They went 9-0 after their Week 9 bye in 2022 and then won their first six games after last season’s off week. Both runs came after an up-and-down first half of the season and set up playoffs.
The Niners have won 70% of their games after the bye weeks in seven seasons under Shanahan.
“I hope we win more before the bye as well,” said linebacker Fred Warner. “But for some reason we like to make things difficult for ourselves. There’s something about playing desperately that makes you play a little bit better, I think.”
Righting the ship
The Bucs, who have won three straight NFC South championships, are struggling midseason for the second year in a row.
With Mayfield leading the way, the Bucs won five of six to climb out of a 4-7 hole and win the division with a 9-8 record in 2023.
“Just keep doing the little things,” coach Todd Bowles said of what the team needs to do moving forward. We play hard, we just have to keep focusing on the little things. If we can clean that up, we feel like we have a good chance.”
