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About the Author: Bailey Adams
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The 6-6 Bucs have a unique challenge set ahead of them in Week 14 as they travel west to face the 8-4 49ers.
As good as San Francisco is, the unique aspect of Sunday’s game comes in the form of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. The final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft is making his first career start one week after coming in to relieve the injured Jimmy Garoppolo in a 33-17 win over the Dolphins.
Purdy is the 49ers’ No. 3 quarterback, but he’ll be the guy the rest of the way as Kyle Shanahan’s team barrels toward the playoffs. Starter Trey Lance is out for the season, and now Garoppolo is as well. The good news for Shanahan and Co. is that the offensive system and the presence of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle will help the rookie settle in. Not to mention, Purdy will be protected well by an offensive line that features dominant left tackle Trent Williams.
But in his first extended NFL action last week, the former Iowa State standout more than held his own. Purdy finished the day 25-of-37 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception as San Francisco beat Miami. Now, he’ll start his first career game on the opposite sideline from Tom Brady. It’s not as much about Purdy vs. Brady as it is Purdy vs. the Bucs’ No. 5 scoring defense, though.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
So, how can Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay prepare for the 22-year-old? The head coach said earlier this week that it’s about matching up with San Francisco’s scheme.
“You try to go up against the scheme. They’ve got a lot of talented players over there – they’re not going to change their scheme just because somebody else is at quarterback,” Bowles said. “I think [49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] does a great job of doing things that the quarterback is comfortable doing – they have a great knowledge of the system and they have a wide variety of things they can do to make him feel comfortable.
“He’s talented to begin with or he wouldn’t be in this league. But they have a lot of talented players around him and he’s going up against a great defense everyday in practice. He’s not going to be nervous, he’s going to play his game – we just have to play ours. It’s not about the quarterback, it’s about all 11 guys on the offense.”
Bowles had some praise for the rookie earlier this week as well, mentioning his “moxie” and how he’s dangerous as a dual-threat quarterback. Bucs run game coordinator and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers spoke Thursday about how well Purdy dealt with pressure against the Dolphins last week.
“No doubt, and they didn’t just pressure him, they went zero – they went all out to get him,” Rodgers said. “They didn’t just call a soft fire zone, they went all out to get him, and he just stood in there like he’d been there before and knew where to go with the ball – get his playmakers the ball. That’s what you expect when I saw – he was under duress, it wasn’t like they played some soft zone, they went to get him with zero and he got the ball to the right people.”
How Have Bowles’ Bucs Defenses Fared Against Rookie Quarterbacks?
As soon as it became clear that the Bucs would be facing a rookie quarterback making his first start in Week 14, a collective groan could likely be heard throughout Tampa Bay. Why? Because Bucs fans have been jaded by the team’s past performances against rookie quarterbacks – and backups, for that matter. But how have the Bucs done against rookies under Bowles specifically?
Bucs LB Lavonte David, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Patriots QB Mac Jones – Photo by: USA Today
Tampa Bay’s defense has certainly been better under Bowles than it had been in the years (and decade?) leading up to his arrival in 2019. But even still, the unit’s performances have been a mixed bag when facing rookies over the years. Let’s take a look at each rookie signal-caller Tampa Bay has seen over the last four seasons:
2019 Week 3: Daniel Jones 23-of-36, 336 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 4 rush, 28 yards, 2 TD (Giants 32, Bucs 31)
2019 Week 10: Kyler Murray 27-of-44, 324 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3 rush, 38 yards (Bucs 30, Cardinals 27)
2019 Week 13: Gardner Minshew (off the bench) 16-of-27, 147 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (Bucs 28, Jaguars 11)
2019 Week 15: David Blough 24-of-43, 260 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT (Bucs 38, Lions 17)
2020 Week 5: Justin Herbert 20-of-25, 290 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT (Bucs 38, Chargers 31)
2021 Week 4: Mac Jones 31-of-40, 275 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (Bucs 19, Patriots 17)
2021 Week 7: Justin Fields 22-of-32, 184 yards, 3 INT, 8 rush, 38 yards (Bucs 38, Bears 3)
2021 Week 17: Zach Wilson 19-of-33, 234 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT (Bucs 28, Jets 24)
2022 Week 6: Kenny Pickett 11-of-18, 67 yards, 1 TD, 2 rush, 16 yards (Steelers 20, Bucs 18)
The interesting takeaway from that list is that the Bucs are 7-2 against rookie quarterbacks under Bowles, and they’ve won seven of their last eight games against them. But some of those performances could’ve just as easily led to losses.
Murray and the Cardinals gave Tampa Bay some issues in 2019. Herbert and the Chargers very well should’ve beaten Brady and the Bucs in 2020. Jones and the Patriots came close to ruining Brady’s homecoming to Foxboro last year, while Wilson and the Jets were a missed fourth down away from beating Tampa Bay last January.
How Has Tampa Bay Handled Backup Quarterbacks Under Bowles?
Panthers QB P.J. Walker – Photo by: USA Today
The Bucs have had far less success under Bowles against backup quarterbacks. Of course, as much of a rookie as Purdy is, he’s also a third-string quarterback. Both statuses should give Tampa Bay an edge, yet it doesn’t feel like it. Here’s how Tampa Bay has performed against backup signal-callers since Bowles arrived in 2019:
2019 Week 5: Teddy Bridgewater 26-of-34, 314 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT (Saints 31, Bucs 24)
2019 Week 6: Kyle Allen 20-of-32, 227 yards, 2 TD (Panthers 37, Bucs 26)
2020 Week 3: Jeff Driskel 17-of-30 176 yards 1 TD 1 INT (Bucs 28, Broncos 10)
2020 Week 16: Chase Daniel 13-of-18, 86 yards; David Blough 6/10, 49 yards,1 INT (Bucs 47, Lions 7)
2020 Wild Card: Taylor Heinicke 26-of-44, 306 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 6 rush, 46 yards, 1 TD (Bucs 31, WFT 23)
2021 Week 5: Jacoby Brissett 27-of-39, 275 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT (Bucs 45, Dolphins 17)
2021 Week 8: Trevor Siemian 16-of-29, 159 yards, 1 TD (Saints 36, Bucs 27)
2021 Week 15: Taysom Hill 13-of-27, 154 yards, 11 rush, 33 yards (Saints 9, Bucs 0)
2022 Week 6: Mitch Trubisky 9-of-12, 144 yards, 1 TD (Steelers 20, Bucs 18)
2022 Week 7: PJ Walker 16-of-22, 177 yards, 2 TD (Panthers 21, Bucs 3)
