Niners Trounce Bucs

It started bad and got worse for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, as a quick two-score lead turned into a 35-7 rout at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

Brock Purdy’s first career start had his dad shedding joyful tears in the Levi’s Stadium stands, and the 49ers’ Faithful shared that sentiment Sunday by chanting “Pur-dy! Pur-dy!” at times in Sunday’s 35-7 rout of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A 28-0 halftime lead made certain Purdy – and the 49ers’ top-ranked defense —  would upstage Brady’s rare and perhaps final homecoming to his native Bay Area.

On the 49ers’ way to a sixth straight win, however, came trouble, in the form of Deebo Samuel getting carted off the field with a high ankle sprain five minutes before halftime. It’s not a fracture but it’s still the latest, scary injury to a franchise that deployed Purdy as its third starting quarterback this season, a week after losing Jimmy Garoppolo to a potentially season-ending foot fracture.

The 49ers (9-4) must quickly cast aside their mixed emotions and worthy ego. Thursday night brings their next game, at Seattle’s daunting venue where they’ll face the Seahawks (7-6) to possibly clinch the NFC West crown.

The 49ers built up a 28-0 lead at halftime, as the Bucs’ banged-up defense struggled to stop a talented offense loaded with explosive playmakers. Rookie third-string quarterback Brock Purdy executed Kyle Shanahan’s offense to near perfection.

Tom Brady threw multiple interceptions in a game for the first time all season, as the Bucs dealt with the same offensive struggles that have plagued them all season long.

It looked like the Bucs were going to hang with the 49ers early, after answering San Francisco’s opening-drive touchdown with a 66-yard scoring toss from Brady to a wide-open Mike Evans. But the play was called back for holding, and the Bucs didn’t see the scoreboard until late in the third quarter, when the game was already well out of hand.

Brady finished the game with 253 yards through the air, with one touchdown and a pair of picks. His only score came on a ricochet pass that bounced off a 49ers defender and into the arms of Russell Gage, who fell into the end zone for the touchdown. Rookie running back Rachaad White led the Bucs with 50 yards rushing on 13 carries, while Chris Godwin had a team-high five receptions for 54 yards.

The only bad news for the 49ers came when star wide receiver Deebo Samuel was carted off the field with an ankle injury.

Despite the ugly loss, the Bucs remain in first place in the NFC South, as they look ahead to next week’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.