The San Francisco 49ers may not be the most banged up team when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.
While the 49ers’ practice participation report features a slew of names, Tampa Bay’s is also crowded and includes star wide receiver Mike Evans. Their other star WR, Chris Godwin, is already on IR for the season because of an ankle injury.
Most notable on Tampa Bay’s participation reports from Wednesday and Thursday was the inclusion of quarterback Baker Mayfield. He’s dealing with a toe injury that kept him out of both of the Buccaneers’ practices to start the week.
Mayfield on Wednesday told Bucs reporters in a press conference he’s “a little sore,” but also noted he expects to play Sunday.
If Mayfield is unable to go, the Buccaneers would turn to third-year signal caller Kyle Trask for his first-career start.
Trask was a second-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2018 draft out of Florida. Across three seasons he has played in four games and thrown only 10 passes. He’s 3-for-10 for 22 yards. His only snaps this season came in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders when he took the two kneel downs to close out a 37-20 Buccaneers win.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would surely love to avoid Mayfield, a player he said he wasn’t eager to face in the NFC championship game last season. Mayfield is even better this year than he was a season ago. He’s leading the NFL with 23 touchdown passes while completing 71.4 percent of his throws and averaging a career-best 7.6 yards per attempt.
Sunday’s game is one the 49ers need badly. It becomes an even bigger must-win if they’re facing a first-time starting quarterback.
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