NFL Picks Week 5: Multiple Factors Point to 49ers Slashing Buccaneers

It’s funny how a head coaching change can alter the direction of a franchise.

Four games into his NFL coaching career, it’s clear Jim Harbough is pushing all the right buttons with his team. The new voice in the locker room is keeping Alex Smith under control and isn’t asking him to do anything he’s not capable of doing.

The result has been a game manager that’s not turning the ball over and is moving the chains with the aid of a strong running game..to the tune of a 3-1 record.

This week the 49ers welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town, who are playing on a short week after beating the Colts on Monday. The Bucs are also 3-1.

They used the power-running game with Legarrette Blount to batter a so-so Colts defense. The 49ers are currently ranked fourth in the league against the run and have a linebacker in Patrick Willis that is going to be one of the favorites to win the Defensive Player of the Year by the end of the year.

Expect the 49ers to neutralize Blunt with their bulk upfront.

If the run is shutdown, I think Bucs QB Josh Freeman is in big trouble. His top receiver Mike Williams has been a huge disappointment and the rest of the group is marginal at best. The 49ers are going to limit the Bucs to a passing team that is forced into lots of 3rd and longs.

More importantly, I believe this game will come down to turnovers. The 49ers are plus-6 and have only two giveaways. Tampa Bay is even.

Expect the suffocating defense to keep the mediocre Bucs offense in check and the 49ers to do enough offensively to grab a fourth quarter lead and run out the clock behind the legs of Frank Gore and backup Kendall Hunter.

This won’t be the prettiest game of the day, but it’s a terrific barometer to prove just how far the 49ers have come in such a short amount of time.

Prediction: 49ers 23 Buccaneers 17