The 49ers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 1979-12-09 at Candlestick Park. Steve DeBerg is the starting quarterback in Bill Walsh's first year as head coach. O.J. Simpson is in the running back rotation in his thirteenth NFL season. Freddie Solomon and Paul Hofer are the receivers.
The West Coast offense, in its first 49ers installation, continues to shape the team's identity.[1]
The Walsh first year as the 49ers head coach continues through Week 15 with the home matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Walsh installation of the West Coast offense produces a quarterback room built around timing routes and the short passing game. Steve DeBerg is in his fifth NFL season as the starter. The Sunday is the kind of home game where the rebuilt offensive line has the matchup the staff has been pointing toward all week.
Around the conference Week 15 continues to shape the playoff race. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins share the NFC East projection. The Rams remain the NFC West projected leader. Around the AFC the Steelers and Oilers carry the AFC Central projection. The home matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the calendar's sense-check on the rebuilt 49ers roster's pacing.
Through 14 games the 49ers are tracking the Walsh first-year pace. DeBerg's passing line continues to anchor the offensive identity. O.J. Simpson is in the rushing rotation. Freddie Solomon leads the receiver room. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are tracking their own divisional standing. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the West Coast offense's third-down conversion rate.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-3 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-4 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-5 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 9-5 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 8-6 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 6-8 | W1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 4-10 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-4 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 10-4 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8-6 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-7 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 8-6 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-7 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-9 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-13 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-5 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 8-6 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-10 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-4 | W4 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-5 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 6-8 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4-10 | W1 |
49ers 10, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 049ers 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 749ers 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 749ers 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 749ers 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 07777 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1013132323 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Shumann 19 yard pass from Steve DeBerg ( Ray Wersching kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 39 yard field goal | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | Jimmie Giles 19 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Neil O'Donoghue kick) | 7-10 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 27 yard field goal | 7-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Lenvil Elliott 1 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) | 7-20 |
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 45 yard field goal | 7-23 |
The 49ers won 23-7 at home over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 1979-12-09. The second 49ers win of the year. Mike Shumann caught a touchdown. Ken MacAfee added a touchdown. DeBerg threw for 186. The defensive unit held the Buccaneers to one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. Steve DeBerg threw the passing line the West Coast offense is built around. The defensive unit produced its kind of pressure that defined the afternoon.[1]
The 49ers won 23-7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The second 49ers win of the year. Mike Shumann caught a touchdown. Ken MacAfee added a touchdown. DeBerg threw for 186. The defensive unit held the Buccaneers to one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of first-year game-script Bill Walsh has been working through. Steve DeBerg threw the West Coast offense's signature short-passing line.
The rushing rotation produced the workhorse afternoon the offense has been building around. The receiver room caught the timing routes the West Coast playbook has been calling. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that, in calendar 1979, defines the rebuild's progress. The Sunday's outcome sets the next week's posture.
49ers 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7. Margin: plus 16. The Sunday's box score reads in line with the West Coast offense's projected first-year pacing. DeBerg's passing line came through clean. The rushing rotation produced the workhorse line. The defensive unit produced its pressure.
A 23-7 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers' first Walsh-year calendar continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
The second 49ers win of the year. Mike Shumann caught a touchdown. Ken MacAfee added a touchdown. DeBerg threw for 186. The defensive unit held the Buccaneers to one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. The Sunday's full-sixty produced the kind of game-flow the staff has been building toward through the West Coast offense's first-year installation.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in calendar 1979, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the rebuild has been generating across the year.
By the numbers
Steve DeBerg's passing line came through clean against the West Coast playbook's projected timing routes. The rushing rotation ran the workhorse line. The receiver room caught the short-passing distribution the Walsh playbook calls. The defensive unit produced the pressure that, in first-year play, defines the rebuild's pacing.
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort the staff has been projecting. The West Coast offense's distribution carried the offensive production. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in calendar 1979, anchored the first-year pace. The defensive unit's pressure was the central element of the afternoon.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 22/30 | 186 | 1 | 0 | |
| Joe Montana #16 | 3/4 | 30 | 0 | 0 | |
| TAM | |||||
| Doug Williams | 10/24 | 167 | 1 | 5 | |
| Mike Rae | 4/8 | 61 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Wilbur Jackson | 8 | 35 | 0 | 11 |
| O.J. Simpson | 6 | 26 | 0 | 17 |
| Phil Francis | 7 | 25 | 0 | 7 |
| Lenvil Elliott #35 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 5 |
| James Owens | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Bob Bruer | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Paul Hofer | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0 |
| TAM | ||||
| Ricky Bell | 10 | 36 | 0 | 15 |
| Jerry Eckwood | 4 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Johnny Davis | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Mike Shumann | 4 | 61 | 1 | 27 |
| Ken MacAfee | 5 | 40 | 0 | 16 |
| Bob Bruer | 2 | 27 | 0 | 15 |
| Paul Hofer | 3 | 21 | 0 | 12 |
| Phil Francis | 4 | 20 | 0 | 9 |
| Wilbur Jackson | 3 | 18 | 0 | 12 |
| Dwight Clark #87 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 |
| James Owens | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Lenvil Elliott #35 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| TAM | ||||
| Isaac Hagins | 3 | 90 | 0 | 57 |
| Jimmie Giles | 3 | 55 | 1 | 20 |
| Jerry Eckwood | 3 | 35 | 0 | 15 |
| Ricky Bell | 3 | 26 | 0 | 10 |
| George Ragsdale | 2 | 22 | 0 | 19 |
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