CINCINNATI (AP) — For the first time all season, Joe Burrow found his top form against the San Francisco 49ers last week for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Just in the nick of time.

The franchise quarterback had struggled through much of the early season because of a calf injury that had sidelined him for the entirety of training camp. One of the NFL’s best signal-callers just wasn’t at his best.

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An uneven 17-13 win over Seattle on Oct. 15 pushed the Bengals to a manageable 3-3 before their bye week.

“Joe is Joe, man,” said safety Micah Hyde whose Buffalo Bills (5-3) will face the Bengals on Sunday night in Cincinnati. “Last week was a big indication of what they’re able to do on offense with the weapons he has around him. We know that’s their team, that’s their offense, and they go when Joe goes.”

In the previous meeting of the teams, Burrow threw two touchdown passes and Cincinnati’s defense swarmed quarterback Josh Allen on snow-slicked field in Orchard Park, New York, as the Bengals prevailed 27-10 in an AFC divisional playoff game Jan. 22.

The most recent time Buffalo played at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, during “Monday Night Football” last Jan. 2, is seared in the memory of everyone who was there because of a terrifying incident that brought the game to a halt.

Hamlin recovered and is back with the Bills, although he is not expected to play on Sunday night.

“I think what happened is in the past,” Burrow said when asked about it this week. “I think everybody remembers it, but is not going to dwell on it. I know he’s not dwelling on it, either.”

Allen has been bothered by a sore shoulder, but his 71.7% completion rate leads the league. His favorite option, Stefon Diggs, averages 93.5 receiving yards per game.

HAMLIN EXPECTED TO BE INACTIVE ON SUNDAY

As much as he’d like to play, Hamlin told The Associated Press he has no problem with having been inactive for seven of Buffalo’s first eight games this season.

“Since I first got drafted by the Buffalo Bills, I think the first interview that I did, with whomever I spoke to, I told them I don’t care if I had to carry the water,” Hamlin said. “I just want to do my part to win games. … A team is never ‘I.’ It’s always ‘we.’ So that’s my mission.”

The third-year player’s only game this season was against Miami on Oct. 1, and he was limited to special teams.

The Bills shored up their roster this week by acquiring cornerback Rasul Douglas in a trade with Green Bay and signing free agent defensive tackle Linval Joseph. It’s unclear whether they’ll be available to play on Sunday, though Douglas is a likely candidate to suit up against the Bengals.

Douglas, who had 10 interceptions during the past two-plus seasons with the Packers, is taking over the starting spot for Tre’Davious White (torn right Achilles tendon). And Joseph, who has 13 seasons of NFL experience, will fill in for DaQuan Jones, who is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral muscle.

Buffalo also signed running back Leonard Fournette to their practice squad with backup Damien Harris on injured reserve with a neck injury.

WANTED: AN AFC WIN FOR BENGALS

The Bengals beat the two top teams in the NFC West in consecutive weeks, but haven’t managed to beat an AFC team yet. They opened the season by losing to AFC North rivals Cleveland and Baltimore. It was in the Ravens game that Burrow aggravated his calf injury. Then they lost to Tennessee in Week 4 before winning the past three straight against NFC teams.

“There’s a lot of guys on this team who have experienced continued success before, and they know how hard it is,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “And so they’re not going to be fooled by having a big road win and thinking, ‘Oh, we’ve arrived, here in a Week 8.’ Not even close. And so that is the benefit of having the team that we have. They know how hard it is going to be going forward to continue this, and I know that they’re willing to put in the work for it.”

AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, contributed.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Gunnar Henderson and Ryan O’Hearn hit a home run as the AL East leaders Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Sunday to secure three of four games in a weekend series.

The Orioles have a two-game lead over the Rays after winning for the 12th time in 15 games.

Mike Baumann (7-0) scored the win in 2 2/3 innings without a hit. Félix Bautista conceded singles to Manuel Margot and Yandy Díaz in the ninth inning before earning his 28th save.

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Four Baltimore pitchers combined a three-hitter. The Baltimore pitchers went six and hit two batters.

Díaz hit a home run for the Rays, who were down 4:14 in the AL in July. Colin Poche (7-3) had to get the defeat.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his 36th major league home run in the two-way superstar’s last home game before the close and the Angels hit a strong home run.

Ohtani is eligible for free agency this winter and could be on the road before the August 1st trade deadline. But general manager Perry Minasian said the Angels (51-49) are highly unlikely to be able to handle Ohtani if ​​they remain in playoff contention.

Tyler Anderson (5-2) scored eight hits while pitching in the seventh inning for the Angels. Carlos Estévez scored the ninth goal for his 23rd save.

Bryan Reynolds scored for the Pirates, who lost seven of nine games at the break. Mitch Keller (9-6) had to get the defeat.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonah Heim and Leody Taveras each hit a two-run double and the Rangers defeated Max Muncy’s grand slam in the first inning.

Heim cut LA’s lead to 4-2 by the end of the first set before RBI singles from Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung put Texas ahead in the second set.

Missing All-Star hitters Corey Seager (sprained right thumb) and Adolis García (sore right hand) saw the Rangers avoid a three-game win in a division-leaders’ duel.

Texas left-hander Martín Pérez (8-3) allowed six hits in six innings. Dodgers freshman Emmet Sheehan (3-1) allowed eight runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Rizzo hit his first home run since May 20, going 4-4 ​​as the Yankees wrapped up their third straight win of the season.

Gleyber Torres’ two-run home run set off New York’s first four-run inning against Jordan Lyles (1-12). Torres extended his winning streak to 13 games and was eliminated in the seventh game with a strain in his left hip.

Luis Severino (2-4) won for the first time in four starts since June 24.

It was Rizzo’s 15th four-hit game of his career and first since August 4, 2019.

Salvador Perez, Michael Massey, Freddy Fermin and Kyle Isbel earned Kansas City a fifth straight loss.

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit a home run, Adam Duvall drove in two runs and Boston beat New York, clinching two runs from three in their weekend streak.

Boston opened a third inning with four runs with seven straight hits, chasing an ineffective Carlos Carrasco (3-4). Connor Wong had three goals for the Red Sox, who ended up scoring 15.

The win kept Boston (53-47) level with the rival last-place Yankees in the rough AL East. Both are two games away from a playoff spot.

Boston pitched seven pitchers, with Chris Murphy (1-0) throwing 3 2/3 innings to offload opener Brennan Bernardino for his first major league win.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Atlanta star Ozzie Albies hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning, ending Milwaukee’s bullpen dominance.

Albies’ 407-foot shot to left center following a first-pitch sinker by Elvis Peguero (1-3) ended a run of 28 2/3 straight innings scoreless by Brewers-Reliefs.

Atlanta slugger Austin Riley went 0-4 and ended his five-game streak with a Braves-record home run.

Daysbel Hernández (1-0) scored a goalless seventh to secure victory on his big league debut after being called up by Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day. Raisel Iglesias knocked the team out of the field for the 18th time in the ninth round.

SEATTLE (AP) — Pinch hitter Santiago Espinal hit the winning goal in the seventh inning and Toronto closer Jordan Romano avoided a jam in the ninth inning.

Seattle took the runners to second and third with an out in the ninth, but Romano knocked out Julio Rodríguez with a 2-2 slider and knocked out Eugenio Suárez with a flyout for his 27th save.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Brandon Belt each hit home runs for the second straight season and helped the Blue Jays recover from late leads in one-run losses on Friday and Saturday. Tim Mayza (2:1) got the win.

Mike Ford scored a two-run shot for the Mariners. Bryan Woo (1-3) was blamed for the loss.

PHILLIES 8, GUARDIANS 5, 10 ININGS

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bryce Harper started with a single in the 10th inning and put on more solid defense in his second career start at first base, leading Philadelphia to the win.

Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel (6-1) failed with his first save in 17 chances of the season when David Fry hit a solo home run with two outs in the ninth game.

Kyle Schwarber started the 10th as an automatic runner on second base. Trea Turner went for a walk before Harper hit a single in the middle against Tim Herrin (1-1). JT Realmuto hit a sacrifice fly and Alec Bohm had a two run single to make it 8-4.

Cleveland threatened to come back all the way in the bottom half. Steven Kwan’s single against Jeff Hoffman hit a run and a walk to Tyler Freeman loaded the bases with no outs. Yunior Marte replaced Hoffman and got out of trouble with his second save.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lane Thomas equaled a Nationals record with four stolen bases and Washington recorded its first series sweep in nearly two years.

Riley Adams hit a home run and MacKenzie Gore (6-7) threw five shutout innings for Washington, completing his first sweep since taking on two games against Toronto in August 2021. It was the Nationals’ first three-game series sweep since June 2021 against Pittsburgh.

Joc Pederson hit a home run for San Francisco, which lost its fifth straight game. Scott Alexander (6:1) had to get the defeat.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit his first career leadoff home run and Nick Senzel scored for a two-run shot, helping the Reds finish the three-game sweep.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand had two hits and two RBIs as Cincinnati earned their fifth straight overall win. It was the Reds’ first win over the Diamondbacks since July 6–8, 2007 at Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati (55-46) was just a half game ahead of NL Central leaders Milwaukee. The Reds open a three-game set at the Brewers on Monday night.

Derek Law (4-4) secured the win with a scoreless inning. Lucas Sims got two outs for his second save.

Corbin Carroll hit his 21st home run for the Diamondbacks and Ketel Marte went 2 for 2 with three walks. Tyler Gilbert (0-1) suffered the loss.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a home run and drove three runs for the Cubs, and Jameson Taillon threw a pitch in the sixth inning.

Dansby Swanson had two hits and Yan Gomes had two runs as Chicago completed a 6-4 home draw. The Cubs won the last three games of their four-game set against the Cardinals.

Taillon (4-6) was burdened with one run and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Nolan Arenado scored three for the disappointing Cardinals, who could be one of baseball’s most active sellers before the Aug. 1 close. Jordan Montgomery (6-8) allowed seven runs, five earned and six hits in six innings.

MARLINS 3, ROCKIES 2, 10 INNINGS

MIAMI (AP) — Luis Arraez scored the winner in the 10th inning with loaded bases and the Marlins ended an eight-game losing streak.

With the Rockies playing five infielders, Arraez hit a line drive into an empty right field in front of Pierce Johnson (1-5). Arraez went 3 for 4, taking his top major league average to a .379.

Huascar Brazoban (4-2) secured the win for Miami, who picked up their first win since the All-Star break.

Randal Grichuk and Brenton Doyle hit home runs for Colorado.

TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 4, 12 ININGS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Jeffers hit a two-out RBI single in the 12th inning to cap a late upswing by the Twins that gave them a series win over the White Sox.

Jesse Scholtens (1-3) loaded bases with no one out before enticing Christian Vázquez to hit a 2-0 fastball in a shortstop-to-home-to-first doubleplay. That left a third-place runner for Jeffers, who gave the Twins (53-48) a three-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central, their widest lead in more than five weeks.

Emilio Pagán (5-1) scored a perfect 12th for the win, leaving the automatic runner in his last solid performance in third after a difficult season and a half early in his Twins career.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Mauricio Dubón hit a home run with two outs in the ninth inning to give Houston the win.

Yainer Diaz hit his 11th home run for the Astros, who have won four of five and remain three games behind AL West leaders Rangers. Hector Neris (6-2) secured the win and Bryan Abreu made his third save.

Jeremy Pena grabbed a one-out walk against Chad Smith (1-2) but was caught trying to grab second place. Subsequently, Dubón hit his fifth home run of the season.

JJ Bleday hit a home run and two goals for the last-place A’s.

DETROIT (AP) — Spencer Torkelson and Andy Ibañez hit a home run and the Tigers avoided a weekend win.

Alex Faedo (2-4), who started with a 6.98 ERA, threw six shutout innings for Detroit. The right-hander allowed one hit and went four.

Beau Brieske and Jason Foley each worked an inning before Alex Lange hit a rainy ninth for his 17th save. With the runners in second and third place, Lange flyballed Gary Sánchez in the middle for the final out.

San Diego right-hander Joe Musgrove (9-3) lost for the first time since May 20 in a 10-start span. He allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings.

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San Francisco Giants (38-32, 3rd in NL West) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (39-32, 2nd in NL West)

Los Angeles; Sunday, 4:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABIES: Giants: Logan Webb (5-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 91 strikeouts); Dodgers: Tony Gonsolin (4-1, 1.93 ERA, .94 WHIP, 36 strikeouts)

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Bottom line: The San Francisco Giants are playing the Los Angeles Dodgers after Brandon Crawford scored four goals against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Los Angeles is 22-13 at home and 39-32 overall. The Dodgers have a 24-11 record in which they hit at least two homers.

San Francisco has a 20-15 record away from home and a 38-32 record overall. The Giants batsmen have an overall on-base percentage of .330, the third-ranked percentage in the Netherlands.

Sunday’s duel is the sixth meeting of these teams this season. The Giants have a 3-2 lead in the season series.

TOP PERFORMER: Freddie Freeman has a .330 batting average to lead the Dodgers and has 24 doubles, one triple and 13 home runs. Mookie Betts has a 14-43 record with two homers and seven RBI in their last 10 games.

Michael Conforto is fifth in the Giants with 16 extra base hits (four doubles and 12 home runs). Thairo Estrada has 11 of 45 with two doubles, three homers and 10 RBI in his last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Dodgers: 4-6, .231 batting average, 5.33 ERA, eight runs surpassed

Giants: 8-2, .287 batting average, 3.10 ERA, outperformed opponents by 37 runs

INJURIES: Dodgers: Chris Taylor: daily (knee), David Peralta: daily (hamstring), Max Muncy: 10-day IL (hamstring), Trayce Thompson: 60-day IL (oblique), Noah Syndergaard: 15-day -IL (fingers), Phil Bickford: 15-day IL (back), Tyler Cyr: 60-day IL (shoulder), Dustin May: 60-day IL (forearm), Julio Urias: 15-day IL ( thighs), Jimmy Nelson: 60-day IL (elbow), Alex Reyes: 60-day IL (shoulder), Daniel Hudson: 60-day IL (knee), Ryan Pepiot: 60-day IL (oblique) , Gavin Lux: 60-day IL (knee), Walker Buehler: 60-day IL (elbow), Blake Treinen: 60-day IL (shoulder), JP Feyereisen: 60-day IL (shoulder)

Giants: Wilmer Flores: 10-Day IL (Foot), John Brebbia: 15-Day IL (Wide), Mitch Haniger: 10-Day IL (Forearm), Ross Stripling: 15-Day IL (Back), Heliot Ramos: 60-day IL (oblique), Roberto Perez: 60-day IL (shoulder), Thomas Szapucki: 60-day IL (left arm), Luis Gonzalez: 60-day IL (back)

The Associated Press created this story using technology and data provided by Sportradar by Data Skrive.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) – A day after Elly De La Cruz jokingly called himself “the fastest man alive,” the rookie backed that up with St. Louis in the series finale.

De La Cruz showed his pace, scoring two hits, hitting base four times and getting the go-ahead with a headfirst sliding grounder in the eighth inning that led the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 over the Cardinals on Sunday.

“Yeah, I’m faster,” De La Cruz said with a smile through a translator. “Anytime they don’t approach me, I have an opportunity to contribute when I’m on base. Whenever I’m on base, I can score.”

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De La Cruz hit an infield single in the first inning at a sprint speed of 31.2 feet per second, with the 21-year-old reaching base ahead of 41-year-old pitcher Adam Wainwright.

“I knew I could do it,” De La Cruz said. “We’re hectic every time.”

De La Cryz equalized the score with an RBI single in the third round to make it 2-2. He De La Cruz went in the sixth, stealing second place and scoring after a single from Tyler Stephenson to equalize 3-3.

Then, in the eighth, De La Cruz took the lead on a full-count push from Jordan Hicks (1-4), advanced through Spencer Steer’s groundout and finished third through Willson Contreras’ passball.

With the infield in, Stephenson hit a two-hopper at Paul DeJong, and the shortstop’s throw landed slightly over first baseline and in the dirt. The ball bounced off Contreras’ mitt as the catcher attempted to score a swipe tag, and De La Cruz slammed the plate with his left hand.

“Right here, I was just trying to get a run for the team and help the team win,” De La Cruz said. “I’m glad I was able to score this run.”

Stephenson said: “I was just as shocked when I turned around and saw it was safe. He’s an incredible talent. Exactly what he can achieve with his speed.”

Cincinnati manager David Bell was impressed.

“That run there was full speed,” Bell said. “It’s a different speed to be able to beat this game. It was a solid batter for a shortstop with a really good arm. He just escaped the throw. It’s pretty incredible.”

De La Cruz is .364 (8 for 22) with five walks, three stolen bases, a .481 on-base percentage and a 1.117 OPS in six games since his debut Tuesday. He has a double, triple, home run and four RBIs.

“He’s a good player and he uses his speed appropriately and in different ways,” said St. Louis coach Oliver Marmol. “He beat us.”

Ian Gibaut (6-1) allowed a hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for relief. Alexis Díaz threw a 1-2-3 ninth to keep 15 save chances perfect while the Reds held off the Cardinals two of three.

“It was a great show,” Bell said. “It’s always difficult to play against this team here. All three were hard fought matches. We felt we had to play really well to get two wins here.”

St. Louis went 1-for-11 with runners in goal position and is 9-for-70 (.129) in its last 12 games. The bottom-ranked Cardinals are 7-15 in one-run games and are eight games behind NL Central leaders Pittsburgh. St. Louis has lost seven of its last nine games.

“We are all very upset with the way things are going. “We keep showing up and expecting it to be different, and it doesn’t stay that way,” Wainwright said. “The only common denominator we had is that we found ways to lose. We lose every game in different ways.”

Jonathan India hit a home run in the first round, but in the second the Cardinals went 2-1 through a runs-scoring single from Jordan Walker and an RBI grounder from Tommy Edman.

Nolan Arenado hit an RBI triple in the third set.

Wainwright gave up three runs and a right run in 5 2/3 innings and is 0-1 in his last three outings. He made his 397th start for Wainwright, third for St. Louis behind Bob Gibson and Bob Forsch…. Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene made his first start since June 1, allowing three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. His fastball averaged 98 mph, 0.6 mph slower than his season average. Due to a stiffness in his right hip, he canceled his scheduled start.

Edman made his tenth appearance at the center this season. He also appeared as shortstop (27 games), second (21), and right (eight). The only other Cardinal in franchise history to appear at second base, shortstop and centerfield in more than 10 games was Dave Brain for the 1904 Cardinals.

Paul Goldschmidt was caught stealing in the seventh inning. This ended a streak of 30 consecutive stolen bases without being caught since 2019.

Reds: Option for RHP Kevin Herget after Triple-A Louisville. Herget pitched 1 1/3 innings Saturday after being called off earlier that day. He allowed three runs and four hits.

Reds: RHP Casey Legumina (bruised right ankle) returned from rehabilitation and was reinstated on Sunday from the 15-day injury list. He is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in eight assists this season. … 3B Nick Senzel (right knee injury) is on course to join the Houston team and be activated on Friday.

Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill (low back strain) received two injections in his back on June 1 in Los Angeles: a cortisone and lidocaine injection and an epidural for nerve block. He is scheduled to meet with the doctor who administered the injections on Thursday and may be able to resume his baseball activities the next day.

Reds: RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 6.27) will be making his second career appearance and will face the Royals on Monday, who will play with RHP Zack Greinke (1-6, 4.59). On opening day, Weaver was on the 15-injured list with a right elbow flexor strain and made his season and Reds debut on April 20. Greinke is 8-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 14 career starts against Cincinnati.

Cardinals: LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 6.00) meets San Francisco’s RHP Logan Webb (4-6, 3.09) on Monday. In his last start, Liberatore only lasted four innings and allowed five runs and his first home run of the year.

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The post De La Cruz flashes velocity, sparks Reds over Cardinals 4-3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was ugly.

Really ugly.

It was a good old-fashioned beat down of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the hands of a rookie, third-string quarterback, Brock Purdy, and a talented San Francisco 49ers team.

The very first drive of the game resulted in a Deebo Samuel touchdown, which if anything was a sign of things to come. Earlier on that opening drive, a fantastic safety blitz by Keanu Neal was negated for a helmet–to–helmet hit on San Francisco’s quarterback, Brock Purdy. This ended up being costly, and although Keanu Neal’s aggressiveness has been a welcome addition for a banged-up Bucs’ secondary these past couple of weeks, there was no need for Neal to go high on the play considering he had a free run at Purdy .

7-0, 49ers.

With the Bucs’ first chance to respond on offense, after a solid drive consisting of several first downs, Brady threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans which was called back due to a Donovan Smith holding penalty. Shortly thereafter, on third down, Bucs’ head coach, Todd Bowles, inexplicably opted to send out his accurate but light-footed kicker, Ryan Succop, to attempt a 55-yard field goal. It didn’t come anywhere close to the uprights.

READ MORE: Jaelon Darden Sends Cryptic Message on His Way Out of Tampa

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On the following possession for San Francisco, an eight play 62-yard drive by Brock Purdy resulted in the quarterback putting an exclamation mark on the drive with a rushing touchdown.

14-0, 49ers.

The Bucs responded with a drive that consisted of a predictable screen pass to Chris Godwin, a check down to White, and an incompletion on third down with the pocket collapsing before another punt by Jake Camarda.

READ MORE: Cam Newton Says He’s Better Than Current Quarterbacks in NFC South

The man with the illustrious title of ‘Mr. Irrelevant’, Brock Purdy picked up right where he left off on the next drive, eventually connecting on a 27-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey, which upon video review, revealed that McCaffrey bobbled the ball. It didn’t appear to be clear whether he was able to regain possession prior to getting both feet in bounds. It was an impressive recovery by Logan Ryan who was initially burned on the play, but managed to knock the ball loose. After the review, the officials ruled it a touchdown.

21-0, 49ers.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, and the 49ers just passed midfield, Deebo Samuel took a handoff up the middle, and was folded up awkwardly when gang tackled by Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Devin White. Unfortunately, Samuel had to be carted off the field, and it appeared to be serious injury suffered by the San Francisco star.

The play resulted in a fumble, which was recovered by the Bucs, who then took over at their own 40-yard line.

With just under four minutes left in the game, Tom Brady connected on a 30+ yard pass to Chris Godwin to bring the Buccaneers into the red zone. Two plays later, on third down, Brady was furious with the officials after Godwin appeared to be dislodged from his route illegally, without a flag. On 4th and one, the Bucs stayed in shotgun to go for it from the San Francisco 9-yard line, and Brady missed a wide open Mike Evans in the endzone – firing the ball at his feet – resulting in a turnover on downs.

With San Francisco marching down the field yet again, Buccaneers’ defensive end Anthony Nelson dropped into coverage and picked off Purdy. But in a cruel twist of fate, and true to the way things have gone for the Bucs’ this season, the play was called back for a terrible defensive holding call on Carlton Davis – one that the announcers and officials expert all agreed was a bad call on the broadcast.

On the very next play, Purdy delivered a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk who was wide open after burning Jamel Dean on a double move.

28-0, 49ers.

The best way to summarize what was a first half from hell for the Buccaneers is to take a quick look at Brock Purdy’s numbers heading into the locker room.

The last pick in the 2022 NFL draft went 14/18 for 185 yards passing, with 2 passing TD’s, a rushing TD, and a quarterback rating of 146.5 against the Buccaneers’ top-5 scoring defense.

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half time.

One bright spot for the Bucs was Deven Thompkins. He was effective as a punt and kick returner for most of the game. Bringing some juice to a role that had previously been nothing but vanilla.

Thompkins started the second half off with a big return, taking the ball all the way to the San Francisco 44-yard line.

Just a few plays later, under duress in the pocket, Brady overshot Mike Evans on another poorly delivered pass attempt which resulted in an interception. To make matters worse, Brady appeared to have suffered a hand injury on the previous play.

San Francisco responded quickly, with Christian McCaffrey taking a handoff to the house from the Buccaneers’ 39-yard line.

35-0, 49ers.

On the Buccaneers’ ensuing drive, they were able to march the ball into San Francisco territory. With Scotty Miller streaking down the far sideline on third down, Brady under shot the speedy receiver, forcing a fourth down. The Bucs converted 4th down on a pass from Brady to Fournette over the middle. On the next play, Brady threw an interception to 49ers linebacker, Dre Greenlaw, in the middle of the field.

With 2:48 left in the third quarter, the Buccaneers finally found the end zone. That said, it was more of an accident than a well executed play. Godwin couldn’t secure a pass in the front of the end zone, which popped into the air, and Russell Gage found himself in the right place at the right time, plucking the ball just before it hit the turf, and rolling into the end Zone.

35-7, 49ers.

After the Buccaneers’ traded ugly possessions with a mostly second string San Francisco 49ers team for the majority of the fourth quarter, the clock eventually struck zeros. For Bucs fans, the final whistle more than likely resulted in a feeling of relief, knowing it wouldn’t be possible for their team to experience any more embarrassment at the hands of a team that is expected to be a suitor for Tom Brady’s services next season.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this season has seen a lot of really poor play and execution. Their quarterback had not been a source of that poor play, by any means.

Until today.

Tom Brady was inconsistent, inaccurate, and very shaky throughout the vast majority of this football game. His two interceptions, and countless missed throws throughout the contest clearly support this claim.

That said, it’s not Tom Brady’s fault that the Buccaneers are collapsing before our very eyes. Considering what’s gone on around him, whether it be the litany of injuries, penalties, or terrible coaching decisions that have plagued this team, he’s been fighting an uphill battle all year. Although Tom Brady did not play well today, he’s played more than well enough for this Buccaneers’ team to have a lot more wins than they do.

The craziest part about all of this? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still sitting in first place in the NFC South, and are set to host a home playoff game at Raymond James Stadium within next month or so.

If the playoffs started today, the Bucs would host the 10-3 Dallas Cowboys in that first-round wild card game.

Although it feels like the football gods want to see Tom Brady play at least one more postseason game in his illustrious career, the Bucs are going to have to correct an extensive list of issues if they have any hope of not being embarrassed in that game.

And if today’s performance in San Francisco is any indication of what is to come, then I wouldn’t put my money on the Buccaneers’ hanging onto their current spot atop the NFC South.

I guess they’ll have to take it one week at a time, and work to build some positive momentum to close out the season. Hopefully that process won’t be as ugly as what we saw today at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco.

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The post RECAP: Buccaneers Fall Flat in San Francisco for Tom Brady’s Homecoming – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | BucsGameday appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.