The 49ers emerged victorious, but the biggest story was a sideline brawl between wide receiver Deebo Samuel and longsnapper Taybor Pepper during the fourth quarter of San Francisco’s 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

After the win, Samuel explained what sparked the heated exchange that occurred after kicker Jake Moody’s third miss of the game.

“Normally I don’t even get hit like that, but I’m just frustrated in the heat of the moment, you know,” Samuel told reporters. “Really close game, I got into a bit of character, but I’ll talk to Moody and we’ll get over it.”

Moody responded to his rough performance by making a 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired, securing a tumultuous victory for San Francisco. Samuel praised Moody’s resilience and praised his teammates’ ability to put aside a brutal game and perform in a big spot.

“I think he had a little bit of dog in him, a little bit of motivation to go out there and score a field goal,” Samuel said. “Because when I initially talked to him, like I didn’t say anything crazy to him, just a little bit frustrated at the time. But he went out and won the game for us, and it didn’t bother him. , so we go past it.

Samuel also clarified that he was not speaking to Pepper, but the 49ers long snapper appeared to insert himself into the dialogue to stand up for his teammate.

“I wasn’t talking to him, he just came along and wanted to be great,” Samuel said.

Pepper’s own comments after the match also reflected this, sharing his resolve to stand up for Moody.

“Just a game with a lot of emotions. Football is a lot of emotion,” Pepper said. “Jake had a hard time with that, he stood up for Jake because there was still time on the clock, so the game wasn’t over yet. And everyone knows what happened in the end. It’s not over until the clock hits zero. They’re all count three if it’s a field goal, I always have four back.”

Pepper also shared what Samuel told Moody.

‘He said he had to close in. We know what our job is,” Pepper said. “We have us. It’s hard being a specialist. As a young developing specialist like Jake the best mental exercise you can have, I mean I don’t know how much better it gets than missing three straight games and to step up and hit a game winner from almost 50 yards. So I’m super proud of Jake.

While disputes between teammates are never ideal, San Francisco still managed to come away with a win and can now turn its focus to a Week 11 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

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