The 49ers (4-10) host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) at Candlestick Park for a 1:15 PT kickoff.
Luke McCown is expected to start at quarterback for Tampa Bay with Jeff Garcia on the injury report. Earnest Graham runs the ball. Joey Galloway leads the receivers. Shaun Hill starts again for the 49ers; Frank Gore at running back; Darrell Jackson at receiver.
A 9-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team comes to Candlestick Sunday afternoon, the kind of December home game where the playoff-bound visitor faces the eliminated home team in the kind of mid-December matchup the NFL schedule often produces.
Luke McCown is the Bucs' likely starter with Jeff Garcia on the injury report. Earnest Graham at running back. Joey Galloway the WR1. Shaun Hill stays the 49ers' starter. Frank Gore the lead back off his 138-yard career-high rushing game.
Favored by the Bucs by 3 on the road. The kind of home game where 5-10 keeps the year's identity tape on the right note.
Week 16 across the NFC sees the playoff field nearly set. The Cowboys, Packers, Bears, Giants, Saints, Buccaneers, Vikings, and Seahawks compete for division titles and wild-card spots. The 49ers (4-10) are functionally eliminated. The Sunday game is the kind of week where, against a Bucs team that has clinched a playoff spot, the 49ers' identity tape can produce the kind of credible-finish performance the offseason conversation needs.
Through fourteen games the 49ers are 4-10 with a -134 point differential. Shaun Hill posted a 88.6 rating across his first two starts (one TD, no INTs). Frank Gore averages 64 rushing yards a game with five TDs. Vernon Davis has four receiving TDs through 14 weeks. The defense allows 25.0 points per game. The Buccaneers are 9-5 with Luke McCown filling in for the injured Jeff Garcia. Earnest Graham averages 55 rushing yards a game. Vegas opens the Bucs as 3-point road favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 14-0 | W14 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 3-11 | L2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 9-5 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-5 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-9 | L1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-10 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-2 | W5 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 10-4 | W2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-6 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 7-7 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 9-5 | W4 |
| Denver Broncos | 6-8 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-10 | L7 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-5 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6-8 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-10 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-2 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 9-5 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-7 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 12-2 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-6 | W5 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-8 | L6 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-9 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-5 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-7 | W2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-8 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-11 | L5 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | Matt Bryant 34 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Buccaneers | Matt Bryant 22 yard field goal | 6-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Darrell Jackson 21 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 6-7 |
| Buccaneers | Jerramy Stevens 24 yard pass from Jeff Garcia ( Matt Bryant kick) | 13-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Vernon Davis 5 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 13-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 23 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 13-21 |
| Buccaneers | Jerramy Stevens 24 yard pass from Luke McCown (pass failed) | 19-21 |
Shaun Hill threw three touchdown passes and the 49ers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-19 at Candlestick Park. Hill finished 11-of-24 for 123 with a touchdown to Frank Gore. Gore ran for 89 and caught the score. Vernon Davis caught a touchdown. Luke McCown threw for 185 with a touchdown. The 49ers improved to 5-10 in the late-season home win.[1][2][3]
Shaun Hill threw three touchdown passes Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. The 49ers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-19 in the kind of late-December home win where the new starter, in his third start, produced the kind of multi-touchdown passing the year's identity tape needed.
Frank Gore caught a touchdown plus ran for 89. Vernon Davis caught a touchdown. Darrell Jackson caught the third TD. Luke McCown threw for 185 with a touchdown for Tampa Bay. The defense made the key stops in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
5-10. The kind of home win where Hill's audition for the 2008 QB1 role produced its third straight competitive start. The Cleveland Browns on the road next Sunday for the season finale. The kind of December where the year's identity tape, against a playoff-bound opponent, produced the year's signature offensive performance.
49ers 21, Buccaneers 19. Margin: +2. Fifteen-game record: 5-10, -132 differential.
* Shaun Hill: 11-of-24 for 123, 3 TDs (Gore, Davis, Jackson), 1 INT.
* Frank Gore: 21 carries for 89; 4 catches for 43, 1 receiving TD.
* Vernon Davis: receiving TD.
* Darrell Jackson: receiving TD.
* Luke McCown: 18-of-32 for 185, 1 TD, 1 INT.
* Earnest Graham: 9 carries for 21.
* 49ers 5-10 (Hill 2nd W); Buccaneers 9-6.
A 21-19 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Candlestick. Shaun Hill earns his second start win with three touchdown passes. The 49ers improve to 5-10.
How it unfolded
The Bucs scored first on a McCown touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The 49ers answered with a Joe Nedney field goal. The Buccaneers added a field goal to make it 10-3. Shaun Hill hit Vernon Davis on a touchdown to make it 10-10. The 49ers added a Hill touchdown to Frank Gore to make it 17-10. Tampa Bay answered with a touchdown to make it 17-17. Hill threw a third touchdown to Jackson to make it 21-17. The Bucs added two field goals to close it 21-19. The 49ers' defense stopped Tampa Bay on their final possession.
The turning point
Shaun Hill's third-quarter touchdown to Frank Gore. With the score tied 10-10 and the Bucs' offense looking like it could take the lead, the touchdown to Gore on a swing pass gave the 49ers the lead they used to manage the rest of the game.
By the numbers
Hill 123 passing on 24 attempts with three TDs and an INT. Gore 89 rushing on 21 carries plus 43 receiving on 4 catches with the TD. Davis the TD. Darrell Jackson the third TD. McCown 185 on 32 attempts with a TD. Earnest Graham 21 rushing.
Personnel watch
Shaun Hill's three-touchdown game, the kind of multi-TD passing the year's QB carousel had not produced. Frank Gore's third career receiving TD. The kind of late-December home win where the new starter's audition produced the year's most efficient touchdown distribution.
What it means
5-10 with the Browns on the road next Sunday for the season finale. The kind of home win that, against a playoff-bound opponent, gives Hill's audition the kind of evidence the offseason needs. Mike Nolan's job security still hangs on the late-season identity tape, but the Hill discovery gives the staff something to argue with.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Shaun Hill | 11/24 | 123 | 3 | 1 | |
| TAM | |||||
| Jeff Garcia | 12/20 | 196 | 1 | 0 | |
| Luke McCown | 18/32 | 185 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 21 | 89 | 0 | 20 |
| Moran Norris | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Maurice Hicks | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Shaun Hill | 6 | -1 | 0 | 2 |
| TAM | ||||
| Earnest Graham | 9 | 21 | 0 | 10 |
| Luke McCown | 2 | 17 | 0 | 13 |
| Michael Bennett | 5 | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| Michael Pittman | 7 | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| Jeff Garcia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 4 | 43 | 1 | 23 |
| Vernon Davis | 3 | 30 | 1 | 15 |
| Darrell Jackson | 2 | 27 | 1 | 21 |
| Delanie Walker | 2 | 23 | 0 | 14 |
| TAM | ||||
| Alex Smith | 6 | 79 | 0 | 32 |
| Jerramy Stevens | 4 | 73 | 2 | 24 |
| Michael Clayton | 5 | 71 | 0 | 25 |
| Michael Pittman | 7 | 54 | 0 | 16 |
| Ike Hilliard | 3 | 50 | 0 | 26 |
| Joey Galloway | 1 | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Michael Bennett | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Earnest Graham | 2 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2007 W16 - 49ers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Game Thread
