49ers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the 49ers 21-0 at Candlestick Park. Josh Freeman threw two touchdown passes. Frank Gore broke his hip on a non-contact play in the first quarter and was carted off. He missed the rest of the season. Troy Smith threw for 148 yards and an interception. The 49ers managed 16 first downs and never reached the red zone. The Bucs' defense produced four sacks of Smith. The 49ers fell to 3-7.[1][2][3]

Frank Gore broke his hip Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. The 49ers' lead back, on a non-contact play in the first quarter, went to the ground and never got up. He was carted off and ruled out for the year. The 49ers played the rest of the game with Brian Westbrook as the lead back.

Tampa Bay won 21-0 in the kind of home shutout that ends a season's narrative. Josh Freeman threw two touchdowns. Mike Williams caught one. The Bucs' defense produced four sacks of Troy Smith. The 49ers managed 16 first downs and never reached the red zone. The offense, without Gore, looked like an offense without an identity.

3-7. The kind of Sunday at Candlestick where the season's narrative changes from a two-game bye-week reset into the end of the road. Singletary will face a quarterback decision next week and a head-coach decision in December. The Arizona Cardinals on the road Monday Night next week. The 49ers' best player just left the building on a stretcher and the season's franchise leader in rushing in 2010 ended at nine games.

Buccaneers 21, 49ers 0. Margin: -21. Ten-game record: 3-7, -59 differential.

* Frank Gore: 12 carries for 23, broke hip on non-contact play in 1Q (out for season).
* Troy Smith: 16-of-31 for 148, 0 TD, 1 INT, 51.5 rating; 4 sacks.
* Brian Westbrook: forced into lead back role mid-game.
* Josh Freeman: 13-of-20 for 136, 2 TDs.
* LeGarrette Blount: 26 carries for 82.
* Mike Williams: 1 receiving TD.
* 49ers never reached red zone; first home shutout since 2007.
* 49ers 3-7; Buccaneers 7-3.

A 21-0 home shutout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Candlestick. The 49ers fall to 3-7 and lose Frank Gore for the season.

How it unfolded

Frank Gore broke his hip on a non-contact play on a first-quarter run, going down without being touched. He was carted off the field and ruled out for the year. The Bucs scored on a Freeman touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead. The 49ers' offense, with Brian Westbrook as the lead back and Anthony Dixon in rotation, never sustained a drive. The third quarter was a Freeman touchdown to make it 14-0. The fourth quarter was a Bucs rushing touchdown to make it 21-0. Troy Smith was sacked four times.

The turning point

The Frank Gore injury in the first quarter. The team's offensive identity for the year, on a non-contact run that ended with a broken hip and a season-ending IR placement, changed the kind of football the rest of the day looked like.

By the numbers

Troy Smith 148 passing on 31 attempts with no TD and an INT plus four sacks. Westbrook took over at lead back. Anthony Dixon got increased work. Vernon Davis 4 catches for 25. Freeman 136 passing on 20 attempts with two TDs. LeGarrette Blount 82 rushing on 26 carries.

Personnel watch

Frank Gore's season-ending hip injury, the kind of non-contact career-progressing injury that often takes a year to recover from. Brian Westbrook into the lead back role. Anthony Dixon as the change-of-pace rookie. The kind of Sunday afternoon where the depth chart at running back changed for the rest of the year.

What it means

3-7 with Arizona on the road next Monday Night Football. The kind of home shutout that ends the season's competitive narrative. The remaining six games are now about evaluation, the head coach's job security, and the development of the new starting quarterback.