Deebo Samuel was frustrated. With three minutes remaining and the 49ers clinging to a 20-17 lead, kicker Jake Moody had just missed a third field-goal attempt. On the sideline shortly after, the wide receiver lost his composure with long-snapper Taybor Pepper, firing a punch at Moody.
But Moody kept his focus and nailed a 44-yarder with no time remaining to secure an important win, 23-20 over Tampa Bay.
Afterward, Samuel said he let his emotions get the best of him.
“Normally I don’t even get like that,” explained Samuel, who had five catches for 62 yards. “Just frustrated in the heat of battle. It was a really close game, and I kind of got out of character a little bit.”
Like Samuel, Moody said he’s already moved past the sideline altercation.
“It’s an emotional game,” said Moody, who had connected on all 12 extra-point tries and 13 of 14 field-goal attempts over his first five games with the 49ers. “Stuff like that happens all the time. You’ve just got to move past it. We won, so that’s all that matters.”
Brock Purdy mattered, too. While Christian McCaffrey made his 2024 debut, it was the 49ers’ quarterback that steadied their ship, just as he had during McCaffrey’s absence. Purdy was 25 of 36 for 353 yards without an interception and two touchdowns, including an 11-yard strike to George Kittle that gave San Francisco a 20-17 advantage midway through the fourth quarter. He also hit rookie Ricky Pearsall, who missed most of the season’s first half recovering from gunshot wounds, on a 46-yarder for the game’s first points and Pearsall’s first NFL touchdown.
McCaffrey posted 107 scrimmage yards (39 rushing, 68 receiving), including a 30-yard reception on that fourth-quarter touchdown drive, to help San Francisco (5-4) get its first 2024 winning streak.
Tampa Bay also has a streak, two consecutive last-play losses. After losing in overtime at Kansas City on Monday night, Tampa Bay rallied from an early 10-0 deficit, tying the game on Baker Mayfield’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Rachaad White. Mayfield led the Bucs to touchdowns on two of their first three drives in the second half, and engineered a field-goal drive to tie the contest in the final minute.
San Francisco, which owns the NFL’s best record, 24-5, in Weeks 9 and later over the least three seasons, returns home for a critical game next week. In the uncomfortably tight NFC West, the 49ers host Seattle (4-5) at Levi’s Stadium. Tampa Bay has lost four straight entering its bye. The Bucs are at the Giants in Week 12.
For more information on the 49ers and Buccaneers, visit the San Francisco and Tampa Bay team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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