Just when you think things couldn’t get any harder for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers … think again.
Facing the toughest 2-game stretch of the season before their bye in Week 11 with back-to-back games against the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, the Buccaneers might now have to plan for the return of 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey when they face the 49ers on November 10.
McCaffrey has missed the 49ers’ first 8 games with calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis — part of a rash of injuries for the defending NFC champions and Super Bowl contenders as they’ve struggled to a 4-4 start.
The 49ers have a bye win Week 9 before traveling to face the Buccaneers while Tampa Bay has a short week after facing the 2-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in a Monday Night Football matchup on November 3.
“Here as of right now might be the first positive injury update on Christian McCaffrey for the entire season,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee show on October 28. “… he has not had any setbacks and he has looked strong and right now he’s poised to get back after their bye and play against the Buccaneers.”
McCaffrey One of NFL’s Elite Offensive Weapons
McCaffrey has been one of the NFL’s best players pretty much from the moment he stepped on the field after the Carolina Panthers selected him No. 8 overall in the 2017 NFL draft.
McCaffrey, a 3-time NFL All-Pro, has passed 2,000 yards of total offense twice in his career — in 2019 with the Panthers and in 2023 with the 49ers.
In 2023, he had career highs of 1,459 rushing yards and 21 total touchdowns. The 49ers lost to the Chiefs in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII, when McCaffrey became the first player in Super Bowl history to have 75 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards in a single game.
This isn’t the first time injuries have been an issue for McCaffrey, who signed a 2-year, $38 million contract extension with the 49ers in June 2024. That deal keeps him under contract through 2027 and will push his career earnings to $127.8 million if he plays out the entire contract.
After not missing a game through his first 3 NFL seasons, McCaffrey only played 3 games in 2020 after ankle and shoulder injuries. He only played 7 games in 2021 due to hamstring and ankle injuries but bounced back and only missed 1 game across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Buccaneers Have One of NFL’s Worst Defenses
If McCaffrey is targeting the Buccaneers game for his return, he’ll get to do it against what has been one of the NFL’s worst defenses.
Through Week 8, the Buccaneers are ranked 30th in the NFL in team defense at 387.5 yards per game. They’ve been especially bad in the secondary after not giving up a passing touchdown in the first 3 games. Since then, Tampa Bay has given up 15 passing touchdowns in the last 5 games, including 9 in the last 2 weeks in back-to-back losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons dropped the Buccaneers to 4-2.
One good thing for the Buccaneers is that they don’t have to play the Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins again this season. In 2 wins over the Buccaneers in 2024, Cousins went 65-of-87 passing for 785 yards, 8 touchdowns and 1 interception.
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NFL Offensive POY Targets Return Against Buccaneers in Week 10