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BUCCANEERS vs. 49ERS
WHEN: Sunday, October 12, 2025 | WHERE: Raymond James Stadium | KICKOFF: 4:25 p.m. ET | TV: CBS
PLAY-BY-PLAY: Jim Nantz | ANALYST: Tony Romo | SIDELINE: Tracy Wolfson
RADIO: 98 ROCK 97.9 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gene Deckerhoff | ANALYST: Dave Moore | SIDELINE: T.J. Rives
Game day is approaching, and it’s time for the Pewter Report staff to make its weekly game predictions and offer up our game preview of this week’s matchup. Let us know what you think in the article comments section and add your prediction, too.
Scott Reynolds: Bucs – FINALLY! – Beat The 49ers
I’ve already gone on record saying that the Bucs would win this game and finally beat the 49ers. So unless Baker Mayfield somehow winds up on the injury report, I’m still picking this banged up Tampa Bay team to win. As long as Mayfield suits up, the Bucs have a better than average chance of winning most games. He’s having a magical season in 2025 and the Bucs believe in their leader. The 49ers are even more injured than the Buccaneers, which is truly say something.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today
Todd Bowles needs to come up with some innovative ways to stop 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, which is easier said than done. McCaffrey is not only San Francisco’s leading rusher with 282 yards on the ground, he’s also the team’s leading receiver by a mile with 39 catches for 387 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Him getting matched up in man coverage against either Lavonte David or SirVocea Dennis scares the hell out of me.
If the Bucs can win the turnover margin and the battle on third down, which is an area that the 49ers excel in defensively – ranking fifth with a 33.3% stop rate – Tampa Bay should move to 4-1. This feels like a team of destiny given how they have won so many one-score games. The 49ers also thrive in one-score games, but don’t have enough star power to match the Bucs on Sunday.
REYNOLDS’ GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 27, 49ers 23
REYNOLDS’ SEASON RECORD: 4-1
Matt Matera: Bowles Still Can’t Figure Out Shanahan As Bucs Lose
This is going to be a really fun game to watch with two 4-1 teams potentially playing for first place in the NFC. It feels like potentially for the first time the Bucs are the less injured team than their opponent, though not without their flaws. Tampa Bay will be without Mike Evans and Bucky Irving again on offense, and maybe even Chris Godwin Jr., while it looks like it’s a no-go defensively for Benjamin Morrison and potentially Zyon McCollum at cornerback.
It’s the fourth year in a row that the Bucs and 49ers have faced off. The Bucs have yet to win. Why will this be any different? Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles has yet to figure out 49ers head coach and offensive play-caller Kyle Shanahan, and I don’t think he will on Sunday. Bowles can make adjustments, but at times he’ll get beaten badly. The Bucs aren’t getting the pass rush they need from Hasson Reddick and Yaya Diaby. Both need to step up against Mac Jones on Sunday.
They need to consistently blitz a defensive back, and it’ll likely be Antoine Winfield Jr. San Fran knows this and will continue to pepper Christian McCaffrey while the Bucs won’t have answers for him, especially if they try to put a linebacker on him in that matchup.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was in the zone last week. This is looking like the first game where Tampa Bay will be without Evans and Godwin Jr. at the same time. We know Emeka Egbuka is a stud, but can Tampa Bay continue to get the committee of contributions? The Bucs seem to play better on the road than at home. It’ll be close, but the Bucs disappoint as the 49ers beat them yet again in a close contest.
MATERA’S GAME PREDICTION: 49ers 28, Bucs 24
MATERA’S SEASON RECORD: 5-0
Adam Slivon: Bucs Finally Beat 49ers In Symbolic Win
The subject matter of Thursday’s Pewter Report Podcast delved into the Bucs’ struggles in recent years against the 49ers while getting closer to beating them each season. After the 35-7 shellacking in 2022, Tampa Bay then lost to them 27-14 in 2023 before falling to San Francisco 23-20 in 2024. With both teams battling significant injuries this time around, Sunday’s game lines up as their best chance yet to come away with a win. Facing Mac Jones over Brock Purdy does not significantly alter defensive gameplanning, but preventing Jones from having an efficient day is crucial.
Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Jones will likely be without top wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall again, with tight end George Kittle still residing on injured reserve. That leaves Kendrick Bourne and Jake Tonges as the top weapons the Bucs’ defense has to cover – outside of Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey is their leading receiver and remains a backfield workhorse.
Containing him is the key to limiting the 49ers’ offense, leaving Todd Bowles with needing to come up with a suitable blueprint for success. That could mean double-teaming “C-Mac” with a defensive back like Jacob Parrish or Antoine Winfield Jr., which would mean moving some pieces around in a banged-up secondary.
Looking at the Bucs’ offense, one cannot doubt the unit’s ability to score anymore after putting up 38 points in Seattle against what was the second-best scoring defense. While Bucky Irving and Mike Evans are sidelined, the offense is not in as dire a situation as they were when facing the 49ers last season. In that game, Baker Mayfield threw for just 116 yards, and his leading wide receiver was Ryan Miller, who had one catch for 11 yards.
This time around, Mayfield has Emeka Egbuka, while Sterling Shepard has come on strong in clutch moments. Josh Grizzard has found ways to make the most of his personnel, and I expect that to continue. Combine that with the defensive improvements I expect Bowles to make after last week, and I predict Tampa Bay comes out on top, symbolically beating San Francisco to show they are for real among the NFC’s top teams.
SLIVON’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 27, 49ers 23
SLIVON’S SEASON RECORD: 4-1
Bailey Adams: Bucs Finally Take Down The 49ers
These are two of the most banged-up teams in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. Yet, against the odds, these are also two of the best teams in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. Both sides have simply found ways to weather the storm and win games, and now they match up for the fourth time in four seasons. It’s no secret that Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay have struggled to solve Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco, having lost three straight over the last three years. There was a also a loss to the 49ers in 2019, back when Bowles was in his first year as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator.
But I think this is the time for the team in red, white and pewter to right the ship. As well as Mac Jones has played in relief of the injured Brock Purdy this season, he’s coming into this game at less than 100%, too. And I think Bowles’ defense will find a way to rattle him and keep him off-schedule.
Bucs DT Vita Vea and 49ers QB Brock Purdy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Shanahan is great at making life easy on his quarterbacks, but I think Bowles will have an answer this time around. The injuries at wide receiver don’t help the 49ers either, and I think those might offset the issues in the Buccaneer secondary with question marks surrounding the statuses of Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean and Benjamin Morrison.
Offensively, I think Baker Mayfield keeps it rolling. He and Emeka Egbuka are an other worldly duo right now, and I like that to continue into Week 6. This could be a big Rachaad White game, too, and don’t be surprised if Sterling Shepard keeps making key plays in big moments. A fully healthy Bucs team would give me much more faith in my prediction here, but I think this squad simply finds a way once again, getting to 5-1 and the top spot in the NFC ahead of next week’s game in Detroit.
ADAMS’ GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 27, 49ers 20
ADAMS’ SEASON RECORD: 5-0
Josh Queipo: Bucs Notch 2nd Win vs. West Coast Team
The Bucs have caught the 49ers at the perfect time as San Francisco is still dealing with a litany of injuries. The same could be said in the inverse. With Chris Godwin Jr. and Zyon McCollum not practicing on Thursday the Bucs depth may continue to be tested as it has all season. In a battle of two talented, but extremely banged up teams, it is the Bucs who should find ways to win. They will have their hands full against an offensive play-caller that has had their number in the past and knows how to execute team-specific gameplans that have given Todd Bowles fits in years past.
Bowles will have to find a way to stop quarterback Mac Jones, who is likely to lead the 49ers as Brock Purdy still hasn’t practiced this week, from tearing the Bucs up with the quick game. This is something the Bucs have had to face all year – the second highest rate to be exact. But I see Bowles switching things up.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles and 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan – Photo by: USA Today
The 49ers allow pressure against a four-man pass rush at one of the higher rates in the league which will allow Bowles to flood the field with additional defenders to help negate uber-back Christian McCaffery. By getting Jones to hold onto the ball more, Bowles’ defense notches three sacks and largely keeps the 49ers offense in check. This is also in part to Bowles getting creative with his base package personnel to match San Francisco’s 21 personnel on early downs.
On offense Josh Grizzard opens up the pony package and takes advantage of a 49ers defensive front that is much squishier than in years past. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker both have strong days and Baker Mayfield hits two long bombs off of play action to help the Bucs win for the second time this year against an NFC West opponent.
QUEIPO’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 26, 49ers 22
QUEIPO’S SEASON RECORD: 4-1
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