49ers At Buccaneers: Point Spread, Storylines, Prediction And More

The San Francisco 49ers come out of their Week 9 bye at 4-4 on the season and prepared to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Kyle Shanahan’s squad in the thick of a tight race in the NFC West, with the Arizona Cardinals leading things at 5-4 on the season. They are tied for second with the Los Angeles Rams as the Seattle Seahawks straggle behind with a 4-5 record.

As for Tampa Bay, it also boasts a 4-5 record. After starting the season 4-2, the Bucs have lost three consecutive. The backdrop here are injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at wide receiver.

An argument can be made that this is a must-win game for both teams. Tampa doesn’t want to drop to two games under .500 while the 49ers can’t afford to lose yet another game as they start what is expected to be a difficult stretch of games.

Here, I preview the 49ers at Buccaneers matchup with a look at the point spread, game information and some top storylines. I will also provide a final prediction at the end.

49ers-Buccaneers Preview: Point Spread, TV Information And More

• Date: Sunday, November 10
• Time: 1:00 PM ET
• TV: FOX
• Point Spread: 49ers (-6.5)

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Top Storylines For San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup

As mentioned above, injuries to Tampa Bay’s wide receivers are a major storyline heading into this one.

The same thing could be said for 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. He’s likely to make his season debut after missing the first eight games with an Achilles’ injury. These are among the top storylines for Sunday’s game between the two conference rivals and playoff hopefuls.

Christian McCaffrey’s Likely Return For The 49ers

It’s looking more and more like McCaffrey will be a go for the 49ers on Sunday. He returned to practice on Monday and was pain-free according to Shanahan.

"He was good (after Monday's practice)," Shanahan told reporters. "We didn't do too much but had no pain. Was good yesterday, and excited to get him out there today."

Shanahan also said he was optimistic McCaffrey will be able to play against Tampa Bay. This couldn’t be better news for the 49ers. The star running back tallied 2,023 total yards and 21 touchdowns en route to winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors last season.

With McCaffrey’s return, surprising running back Jordan Mason will now take on a complementary role. He heads into Week 10 ranked fourth in the NFL with 685 rushing yards on the season. It will also help make up for the loss of wide reciver Brandon Aiyuk who is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Injuries At Wide Receiver

Buccaneers star Chris Godwin is lost for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a diclocated ankle back in Week 7. Franchise legend Mike Evans is out until at least Week 12 with a hamstring injury.

This obviously impacted quarterback Baker Mayfield in Monday night’s narrow overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Surprisingly, general manager Jason Licht did not add a receiver ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

In their stead, the Buccaneers will rely on veteran Sterling Shepard as well as Trey Palmer and rookie Ryan Miller. Shepard recorded four receptions for 48 yards Monday night. Miller nabbed his first career touchdown pass.

Tight end Cade Otton has also seen an uptick in production with Tampa’s top receivers out. He tallied eight receptions for 77 yards against Kansas City. How these players perform will play a major role in Tampa Bay’s ability to win at home come Sunday afternoon.

Must-Win Game For Both The 49ers And Buccaneers

Tampa Bay currently finds itself two games behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. With Atlanta set to take on a free-falling New Orleans Saints team that has lost seven in a row, a home defeat would likely send the Bucs to three games behind their division rival.

The good news for these Buccaneers? They have an easy go at it following their Week 11 bye. That includes outings against the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders. Though, Todd Bowles’ squad would love to head into its bye on a high note.

It’s a vastly different story for San Francisco. This team follows up Sunday’s matchup with games against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills. That’s a heck of a three-game set for Shanahan’s squad. Simply put, the 49ers can’t afford to fall to 4-5 before their upcoming slate.

San Francisco 49ers At Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction

I like San Francisco to go into Tampa Bay and come away with a win. The likely return of McCaffrey against what has been a bad Buccaneers defense plays a role in this thought process.

Tampa Bay ranks 30th in the NFL in total defense, including giving up the third-most passing yards. Brock Purdy should have himself a game in this one. The Bucs’ injuries at wide receiver will also have a major impact.

• San Francisco 49ers: 31
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 23