San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025.
Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) rushes with the ball during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Oct 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.
Peter Joneleit/AP
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones makes a pass attempt during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Oct 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.
Peter Joneleit/AP
TAMPA — It’s not easy to find the silver lining, especially on a cloudless day, when you lose a tough game and also lose the player who might have been the league’s baddest dude through the first five weeks.
But there is a path to success for the San Francisco 49ers.
All they have to do is channel their inner AFL spirit. In the old American Football League, teams let ’er rip on offense, they were creative and freewheeling, they scored like they were playing pinball. The league’s official motto was “Defense, schmeefense.”
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That’s the secret sauce for the rest of the 49ers’ season: Score more. Probably a lot more. Or else.
The 49ers have lost their two defensive superstars, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Warner went down and out in the first quarter Sunday against the Buccaneers, with an ugly ankle injury that left his teammates emotionally shaken, and their rookie-dependent defense badly compromised
The 49ers allowed 19.6 points per game while starting the season 4-1, but Sunday, Fred-less, they lost 30-19, which feels like a trend. They gave up 49 points combined in the previous two weeks without Bosa.
That puts big pressure on the 49ers’ offense to score more, and the case can be made that they have the stuff to do that. The football injury gods taketh away, but they also giveth, grudgingly. Coming back as soon as potentially next week are Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle. And at some point, Brandon Aiyuk.
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While those guys have been mending, the 49ers have discovered some very effective additional offensive contributors in tight end Jake Tonges and wideout Kendrick Bourne. The 49ers have also learned that they have a very solid backup quarterback in Mac Jones.
Starting to see that silver lining? Hey, don’t take my word for it.
“That’s the positive stuff that you’ve got to try and focus on when guys are out,” Kyle Juszczyk said in a very somber postgame lockeroom. “People get an opportunity to show what they can do, and we’ve had a lot of guys who have stepped up and shown that they can be real contributors in this league and they can help this team win. So that is the bright side of this situation.”
Tonges stepped in for Kittle in Week 1, caught the game-winner in Seattle, and through six games has 25 catches with three touchdowns.
Bourne caught five passes Sunday for 142 yards, after a 10-catch, 142-yard game the previous week. That makes him the first 49ers’ wide receiver to have at least 142 yards in back-to-back games since a fellow named Jerry Rice in 1995. Bourne did break the wrong way on a route in the first quarter, which caused Jones to throw an interception that led to a 7-0 Bucs’ lead, so he’s not perfect, but he is dangerous.
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Speaking of Jones, a Purdy return to action next Sunday would be helpful to Jones, who is playing with multiple injuries. He threw two picks and took six sacks, and the case could easily be made that one advantage Purdy has over Jones is pocket escapability when protection breaks down.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield squirmed out of a sure sack in the third quarter, on a crucial 3rd-and-long, and ran for a first down. Two plays later he threw a 45-yard touchdown. The only thing Jones squirmed out of was his jersey, after the game, favoring bruised ribs.
Jones’ time at starting quarterback, during which the 49ers went 3-1, gave his teammates and coaches confidence, and respect for his ability and toughness.
Another plus: Christian McCaffrey had a light work day (for him) Sunday — just 25 touches (17 rushes, eight pass receptions). When the big playmakers all get back, you have to like McCaffrey’s chances of busting out of his (and the team’s) rushing slump. He’s averaging just 3.1 yards per rush, 1.5 yards below his career average.
So, imagine an offense with Purdy, Kittle, McCaffrey, Pearsall, Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings (who is banged up and might have to miss some time). With an improving offensive line, led by still healthy superstar left tackle Trent Williams.
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“We got some really good players that we look to get back,” Williams said.
That was ol’ Trent trying to find a positive straw to grasp. The injury to Warner, a truly ugly incident, had the 49ers in a funk. Williams, sitting at his locker talking about his partner in team leadership, was clearly emotionally shaken.
Logic says that the 49ers can’t sustain a Super Bowl path after losing Bosa and Warner. But here’s another ray of hope: Last season the Detroit Lions lost their two best defensive players, DE Aidan Hutchinson and LB Alex Anzalone, and still went 15-2, scoring 34 or more points in five of their final eight games.
So all the 49ers have to do is get their offensive firepower back, have Kyle Shanahan go all Nutty Professor on playcalling, and dazzle opponents with old AFL-style fireworks. They have never made the playoffs on Shanahan’s watch without scoring at least 400 points in a season. Six games in, they’re on pace to score just 354 — which would be their lowest total since 2018, which we might remember as the Nick Mullens/C.J. Beathard season.
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So with the many men on the mend due back in uniform soon, the hope here is that Shanahan opens the throttle on his offense to give his team a chance.
It’s either that or have Eddy Piñeiro — after he’s 15-for-15 on field goals for the Niners — kick 12 field goals every game. But that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.