Niners Nation
The 49ers are hitting the road after a much-needed break, looking to make a run.
The San Francisco 49ers had a much-needed bye week here in Week 9 after a 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys that put them at 4-4 on the year.
Now, looking ahead to Week 10, the 49ers are hitting the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they look to gain some momentum to start the second half of the year, currently tied for second place in the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams.
Tampa Bay has started the year 4-4, and they’ll be coming off a short week as they are on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Buccaneers have faced some major injuries, as they’ll be without top receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, which has had an impact on the team. That has led to tight end Cade Otton stepping up, as the second-year pro caught nine passes for 81 yards in Tampa Bay’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.
The two sides have played in each of the last two years, with the 49ers taking both games, including a 35-7 victory back in 2022 that was Brock Purdy’s first career start.
Coming off the bye week, how are the 49ers seen, odds-wise, against the Buccaneers in Week 10?
San Francisco enters the week as 6.5-point favorites on the spread, with the over/under set at 47.5 points on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The 49ers have been favorites now in all 10 of their games this year, and it’s notable that they’re near touchdown favorites on the road, as the home teams usually get a home-field bump.
San Francisco could potentially get running back Christian McCaffrey back, as head coach Kyle Shanahan was optimistic about him returning to practice this week, although it’s unclear whether the star will actually suit up on Sunday.
Additionally, they’ll have another week of preparation with their younger group of offensive weapons, as Ricky Pearsall is expected to play a significant role again alongside Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings. Samuel was dealing with an injury heading into the bye week, so it was also a needed break for the star wideout.
Perhaps Tampa Bay can put on a better performance tonight against the Chiefs, but they’ve been reeling without their top wideouts, as their run game has been inconsistent at times behind lead back Rachaad White.
Defensively, they’ve given up 30+ points in each of their last two games, which could also be something to monitor heading into the game as San Francisco’s offense starts to get healthier.
Can the 49ers go on a run to start the second half of the year? Or will there be another setback coming out of the bye week?
