Color me worried. Yesterday’s game saw the offense play pretty well, the defense pretty well, and special teams pretty well. The offense had a nice robust 420 yards of total offense – 305 in the air, and 115 on the ground. Purdy had a flawless game ratings-wise, posting a 153.8 with 3 TDs and no picks. Rushing saw CMC get 78, and Mitchell 24, and it was nice to see him in the 2nd quarter.

Defensively, the 49ers only gave up 287. 221 in the air and 66 on the ground. 1 TD given up and 1 pick of Mayfield.

Special teams was solid, with a Wishnowski 60 yard punt, and 2 FGs & 3 PATs for Moody.

It all seemed like a fairly solid win, but the big buts are (aren’t there always big buts?) worrisome to me. Once the 49ers got the game to 27-7 late in the 3rd, the offense sputtered badly. The three 4th quarter drives saw two 3-and-outs, a 4th and 1 stop, and a two 1st down drive.

Defensively in the 4th quarter the Niners gave up a 6 play 75 yard TD drive, a 17 play 68 yard drive that ended with a turnover on downs (had TB scored, the game would have been 27-21), and gave up a 51 yard punt return to set Tampa Bay up on our 15 yard line. That drive ended up as a pick in the end zone, but the point remains that if TB converts those two drives the Niners are down a point.

After the pick, the offense did manage to get two 1st downs, but yet again gave the ball back to Tampa before the 2 minute warning.

Shanahan and his inability to close games out is a really big issue to me. Good teams don’t blow those opportunities like Tampa did. Or maybe they do. But if you don’t close out teams, someone WILL but you in the ass and take a game. Our losses weren’t of this comeback variety, but I don’t want this to continue to be Shanahan’s calling card. He HAS to figure out a way to keep drives going and stop letting teams hang around.