The 49ers narrowly defeated the Buccaneers in Week 10. While it's easy to focus on the concerns, these two positives need attention, too.
In the wake of the San Francisco 49ers' 23-20 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10, the easy primary focal point is kicker Jake Moody's three missed field goals, his sideline altercation with wide receiver Deebo Samuel and subsequent game-winner to ensure the Niners didn't suffer yet another fourth-quarter collapse.
And, to a lesser extent, fans can focus on All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey's return from injury, as well as rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's first-ever NFL touchdown.
Earlier this season, this would have likely been a game San Francisco would have lost, perhaps suffering yet another late debacle in a winnable contest.
Thankfully, that didn't happen.
And it didn't happen for a number of reasons, including the Moody bounce-back noted above and because of stellar performances from names one might expect: quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle.
Yet there are two other game-winning elements that ultimately ensured the 49ers would pull off the victory, and those aren't being talked about enough.
No. 1: 49ers secondary shut down Buccaneers pass game
Don't look now, but the Niners' defensive backfield is becoming an underrated strength at the halfway point of the season.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield had some splash plays late in the game, but he ultimately managed a mere 116 yards passing while completing just over 62 percent of his attempts. While tight end Cade Otten was a notable X-factor for Tampa Bay's offense, the rest of Mayfield's wide receivers did virtually nothing, as Niners Nation's Kyle Posey pointed out postgame:
"The Buccaneers did not have a wide receiver catch more than two passes. The Buccaneers did not have a receiver with more than 11 receiving yards. It was a mismatch of epic proportions between the trio of Isaac Yiadom, Renardo Green, and Deommodore Lenoir versus Ryan Miller, Rakim Jarrett, and Sterling Shepard."
The Buccaneers' crop of wideouts had four receptions, just as many pass breakups San Francisco generated in the game.
Mayfield was forced to rely mostly on short passes to his tight ends and running backs. And while the Bucs were notably shorthanded at the position (sans Mike Evans, for example), the 49ers were also missing their top cornerback, Charvarius Ward (bereavement), too.
That wasn't lost on fellow corner Deommodore Lenoir, who did his part in shutting down Tampa Bay's aerial attack:
They thought cause Mooney didn’t suit up mannn ma youngins turnt too
— Deommodore lenoir (@Dmo_lenoir) November 10, 2024
Lenoir, fellow cornerback Isaac Yiadom and rookie defensive backs, Malik Mustapha and Renardo Green, did their part on Sunday but likely won't receive much credit for it.
They should.
No. 2: De'Vondre Campbell is... playing well?
For much of the first half of the season, veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell was lumped into the "liability" category within the Niners defense.
This wasn't the case prior to San Francisco's Week 9 bye when it beat the Dallas Cowboys, and it certainly wasn't the case out at Raymond James Stadium. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Campbell had five key run stops, a crucial open-field tackle that likely saved a touchdown, a quarterback hurry on a blitz and gave up just 36 yards on nine passing targets that headed his direction.
Despite missing two tackles, the overall performance was very solid, largely alleviating the concerns many a fan had about his defensive effectiveness.
Now, Campbell likely isn't going to retain his starting job once injured star backer Dre Greenlaw returns to action, perhaps in a few weeks.
However, based on the last two weeks and highlighted by Week 10, Campbell is no longer the woeful liability many thought he was.
He deserves credit for such.