The San Francisco 49ers received the ball to start the game. They got off to a hot start, but Brock Purdy missed Ricky Pearsall, leading to a punt in Tampa Bay territory.

The defense felt the loss of Charvarius Ward in the first third of the game, as Cade Oton beat Isaac Yiadom for a first down. The Buccaneers didn’t have the same success on the ensuing third down. Not many teams do that when targeting Fred Warner.

The signs were there from the foul on the first drive. They did not disappoint on the second ride. McCaffrey made a player miss to convert a crucial 2nd-and-5 and prevent a third down. Brock Purdy found Ricky Pearsall for 46 yards and Pearsall’s first career score. It was an impressive anticipation throw from Brock, and Pearsall turned on the jets to race into the end zone.

Ricky Pearsall reached 19.47 mph on that 46-yard TD, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s the fastest time by a 49ers ball carrier since Deebo Samuel in Week 6.

Maliek Collins had a sack on the second drive. The defense was just as impressive as the offense to start, outside of the third down conversion. The 49ers were counting on their opponents to fail to convert on third downs, and Tampa Bay was one for their first three.

During the broadcast, Tom Brady named Jauan Jennings the best third-down option for the offense. That probably comes from the technical staff during pre-production meetings. Jennings converted back-to-back third downs right after Brady said so.

The 49ers’ red zone issues surfaced again. After a one-yard run, two incomplete passes forced a 28-yard field goal by Jake Moody. His kick was good for the 10-0. Still, a first-down run and no passes to McCaffrey were surprising.

The Buccaneers put together a 13-play, 58-yard drive that took up more than seven minutes of the clock. Baker Mayfield never went down without a fight. Tampa Bay converted a pair of third downs before De’Vondre Campbell made a tackle for loss.

However, there was blatant mismanagement of the clock. Kyle Shanahan could have called a timeout at 1:48. Instead, the Buccaneers ran the clock down to 1:14 before kicking a field goal to cut the lead to 10-3.

Jennings caught a 30-yard pass on first down, moving the offense into Buccaneers territory. Purdy was off target on the next two throws, making it 3rd and 10. A Pearsall reception put the offense within Moody’s range. Moody’s kick went wide from 49 yards.

Mayfield had 25 seconds and three timeouts from the 39-yard line to make something happen. Tristan Wirfs was out, which meant old friend Justin Skule would be the left tackle for the rest of the game.

Cade Oton dropped a critical pass that cleared the defense and took us to halftime. San Francisco outscored Tampa Bay by nearly 100 yards in the first half.

The defense forced a three-and-out to start the half, but Jacob Cowing muffed a punt after Darrell Luter ran into him. Tampa Bay scored in four plays, and just like that, the score was tied at 10.

The 49ers offense had a 13-play, 55-yard drive that lasted more than five minutes. McCaffrey had a third-down reception in the red zone. This came after Debo Samuel moved the chains at 3 and 5. But a second down sack ended the drive and the Niners had to settle for another field goal to make it 13-10.

The defense gave up a few first downs to the Buccaneers, and that continued on the first play of the fourth quarter, which was on 3rd and 2. Bucky Irving scored a 12-yard touchdown run to give the Bucs a 17-13 lead. . It was a brutal series for Nick Bosa, who missed several tackles during the drive.

George Kittle had one reception entering the fourth quarter. He caught a pass on the Niners’ next drive. Kittle broke a tackle, outwitted the defense and raced 33 yards to turn the field. But Jennings came up short in third, meaning another try from Moody. Moody’s kick from 50 yards also went wide left.

Deommodore Lenoir had coverage on third down, taking the defense off the field after an exhausting drive last time out.

Jennings caught a pass for 11 yards. Then Purdy threw his best pass of the game. He threw a ball to McCaffrey, which gave McCaffrey enough air to judge the flight of the ball. Purdy then scrambled for what seemed like seven seconds and found Kittle in the end zone to give the 49ers a 20-17 lead.

George Kittle is indescribably good.

The defense had to put a stop to it. Tampa Bay helped them by fumbling in an instant. Then Nick Bosa fired Mayfield. But after a 32-yard pass from Deebo, Moody missed another kick. That was nine points left off the scoreboard by the special teams.

Tampa Bay had a chance to tie the game with a field goal. On 4th and 7, Bosa had Mayfield wrapped up, but Baker made one of the most impressive throws you’ll see a quarterback make to keep the drive alive.

Fred Warner had a face mask on 3rd and 7 to extend the drive. Maliek Collins had to deal with a passer call and Evan Anderson made an illegal use of hands. After what felt like an impossible situation, Tampa Bay got a 2nd and & goal from the five yard line.

Evan Anderson had a huge tackle for a loss and Tampa Bay kicked a field goal to tie the game at 20.

The foul lasted 41 seconds and one timeout. Pearsall and Jennings did the heavy lifting. Jennings alertly moved back in so Moody could redeem himself from 44 yards out. The kick was good and San Francisco escaped with a 23-20 victory.