The San Francisco 49ers made several mistakes during their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with errors on special teams, important defensive penalties, and missed chances to take control early on. However, when the 49ers needed it most on Sunday, Brock Purdy stepped up in the fourth quarter, making key plays to lead San Francisco to a 23-20 win.
The Niners (5-4) struggled through much of the game, nearly giving away a win like they had in earlier losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona. After taking a 10-0 lead, they found themselves down 13-10 early in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously it’s not our favorite to be in that kind of position, but that’s the NFL, we’re going to be playing games like this,” Purdy said.
This was only the third time that Purdy had led the Niners to a comeback win in the fourth quarter. The previous two were a Week 17 victory over Las Vegas in 2022 and a playoff win against Green Bay last season.
Purdy stepped up during a critical drive, first throwing a 30-yard pass under pressure to Christian McCaffrey. Then, he extended a play, leading to an 11-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle, giving the 49ers a 20-17 lead.
Purdy wasn’t finished yet. After Jake Moody missed a third field goal that could have extended the lead, the defense gave up four penalties for 39 yards on Tampa Bay’s drive to tie the game with a field goal.
Purdy responded by driving the 49ers 39 yards down the field, setting up Moody for a 44-yard field goal to win the game on the final play. Purdy had a strong fourth quarter, going 10 for 14 for 160 yards and a touchdown. This performance gave him the fourth-most yards by a 49ers quarterback in the fourth quarter of a win since 1991.
“He did miss a few throws in the first half, just being a little bit off and cost us a couple ones,” said coach Kyle Shanahan. “But the way he came back in the second half was huge.”
