The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a team in 49ers’ lore for years to come

They were the first team Brock Purdy had his first start against.

Ahhh, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, always brings a smile to my face. And no, it’s not because of that dime Colin Kaepernick threw to Vernon Davis. But yes, that was an awesome play in its own right and one we all rememember.

No, the Buccaneers will be remembered as the team Brock Purdy got his first start against. And also where he started surprising everyone. Has it really been two years already since that game?

A bit of history for those of you with short memories. The 49ers went into the 2022 season, starting Trey Lance. Lance didn’t look so hot in his first game and then went to a season-ending injury in his second. So the 49ers called up Jimmy Garoppolo. Things went well, and then Garoppolo got injured against the Miami Dolphins.

So in comes this Brock Purdy kid. Within five minutes, he looked the part. The news came following the game that Garoppolo was out for the season. So the 49ers had no choice but to turn to their rookie third-string QB.

Purdy was going up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady, of all people. No rookie quarterback has beaten Tom Brady in their first NFL start. Well, until Brock Purdy did. He went 16 for 21 (75 percent), 185 yards, and two touchdowns, which included a bucket to Christian McCaffrey that led to the “Purdy” Chants:

I said that moment was when I knew the 49ers had something special, and unlike Troy Smith, Purdy continued to win.

And, of course, the Tom Brady loss. It’s a shame Purdy had to tear his elbow up, because I do think the 49ers would have won the NFC Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles that year.

The 49ers have a very crucial game Sunday against the Bucs. They aren’t 8-4 like two years ago. While Purdy did have a follow up win against Tampa Bay in 2023, it was more business as usual.

Whenever I see the Buccaneers I’m reminded of “that game” where you realized we’ve come a long way from the “We want Carr!” chants. How about you? When you see the Buccaneers do you reminisce on that being “the game”?

Read More