You may believe that in a 27-14 loss there would be few-to-no highlights for the Bucs. Well, you would be wrong. Despite the blowout loss, several players had good performances. Here are this week’s most impressive.

DL Calijah Kancey

Calijah Kancey continues to show he was a good pick in the first round with several pressures as he was a handful for the 49ers’ offensive line to try and handle. Utilizing his quick hands, initial burst, and ability to reduce surface area and shoot gaps he was able to make Brock Purdy uncomfortable throughout the game. Kancey failed to show up on the stat sheet. But don’t tell that to the 49ers interior offensive line. They felt him.

NT Vita Vea

Similar to Kancey, Vita Vea was constantly in the backfield as he whipped left guard Jon Feliciano and any other 49ers offensive lineman who got in his way. Vea recorded a sack on 2nd drive and added several more pressures throughout the game while also helping plug the middle and limit Christian McCaffery’s best runs to when he got to the perimeter.

This was another in a long line of good games for Vea as he pursues what should be a Pro Bowl season. He was able to add four tackles, two for a loss, a quarterback hit, a sack, and a bevy of pressures to his season total on the day.

P Jake Camarda

Jake Camarda only had three punts in the game as the Bucs’ offense was constantly going for it on 4th down or turning the ball over. But his punt to lead off the second half was a beaut-and-a-half. 56 yards down to the San Fransisco two-yard line.

Can’t do it much better than that.

Camarda finished with three punts for 144 yards and a 48-yard average.

Bucs Pass Protection

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

The offensive line largely held up against a vaunted San Francisco pass rush, giving quarterback Baker Mayfield time to find receivers. Mayfield dropped back 43 times and for the vast majority of those snaps was able to survey the field and find receivers over and over. San Francisco logged five sacks on the day.

Three of those came on the final drive after left tackle Tristan Wirfs returned from an injury and the Bucs were chucking deep balls. But for 59 minutes the Bucs pass protection was stout and something for them to be proud of.

WR Rakim Jarrett

Rakim Jarrett’s 41-yard catch and run set up a second-half touchdown that helped keep the Bucs in the ballgame late. That was Jarrett’s only catch of the day on two targets, but it was a big one at a pivotal moment.

Buccaneers rookie Rakim Jarrett with a huge play down the seam.

The undrafted free agent out of Maryland reminding people why he was a blue chip recruit. pic.twitter.com/a1opH4c4yl

— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) November 19, 2023

OLB Yaya Diaby

YaYa Diaby had a two-sack performance. While his first was an unblocked rep that was there for the taking, the second was a really great move by Diaby to run rip the offensive lineman’s arms down and pull him through to give Diaby the path to Purdy and the first two-sack game of his career.

Diaby has absolutely earned the right to continue to cut into Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s snap share as they are comparable run defenders and he is flashing more as a pass rusher. Diaby’s final line was four tackles, three for loss, two quarterback hits, and the two sacks.

The rookie is really coming into his own.

WR Mike Evans

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

Largely silent until his short touchdown catch late in the first half, Mike Evans had a more productive second half. With four catches for 42 yards after halftime, he helped keep the Bucs offense on schedule and in a game that their defense constantly tried to give away.

Evans finished the day with five catches on 12 targets for 43 yards and a touchdown.