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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers survived with a short-handed secondary against the New Orleans Saints, and the Bucs may need to do it again on Sunday, December 11, against the San Francisco 49ers.
Bucs defensive backs Antoine Winfield Jr., Mike Edwards, and Sean Murphy-Bunting will come down to game-time decisions after being questionable since December 9. Murphy-Bunting practiced all three days. but Winfield and Edwards didn’t practice all week.
“The three [defensive backs] are getting better,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said on December 9. “So we’ll see how they feel Sunday morning.”
Any or all three of those players being out could hinder the Bucs against a talented 49ers offense. The 49ers showed no signs of drop-off with backup quarterback Brock Purdy in Week 13. Purdy performed like a veteran and completed 67.6% of his passes, and he threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns versus an interception in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins December 4.
“You try to go up against the scheme,” Bowles said on December 7. “They’ve got a lot of talented players over there — they’re not going to change their scheme just because somebody else is at quarterback. I think [49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] does a great job of doing things that the quarterback is comfortable doing — they have a great knowledge of the system and they have a wide variety of things they can do to make him feel comfortable.”
Fournette Returns
Running back Leonard Fournette also didn’t practice on December 9, due to a foot injury. Fournette first showed up on the injury report with the foot injury on December 8, and he had limited participation at practice that day.
“His foot’s a little sore,” Bowles said. “We’re hoping he should be fine by Sunday.”
Fournette will play against the 49ers according to multiple report via Pro Football Talk on Sunday.
Tristan Wirfs Out Again Poses a Bigger Challenge
Bowles only ruled out tackle Tristan Wirfs for the Week 14 game during the press conference. Wirfs, who injured his ankle against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, sat out practice again this past week. The Bucs found a way against New Orleans without Wirfs, but now, the Bucs face the NFL’s stingiest defense in the 49ers.
Josh Wells, who filled in for Wirfs against the Saints, and Donovan Smith on the other end need to contend with 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa. The NFC Defensive Player of the Week had 14.5 sacks and 36 tackles this season.
“He’s a hell of a player,” Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich told reporters December 8. “Strong, has a motor, physical, really good football player. It’ll be a tough task but we’re excited to have the opportunity to play against a team like this.”
Bucs rookie running back Rachaad White, who has split carries with Fournette of late, welcomes the challenge of the 49ers run defense. San Francisco allows a league-best 75.6 yards per game. Rushing has been the Bucs’ kryptonite all season with a league-worst 73.3 yards per contest.
“I mean just watching film, just seeing the things, going over the plays we’ve got, we feel like we’ve got a good chance of doing our job — that’s the big focus,” White told reporters on Wednesday. “But, just going up against their defense, we know what they come with. We know what they are — the No. 1 defense in the league and they’re going to challenge us, come up on us, and we’re just ready to accept the challenge.”
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