The San Francisco 49ers improved to 7-3 with a Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which they were far from perfect.

One player, starting quarterback Brock Purdy, was the statistical definition of perfect, posting the highest passer rating possible (158.3) in an outstanding display.

Away from Purdy, there was room for improvement in several areas as San Francisco held off the Bucs for a 27-14 win, but the players to watch we picked out ahead of the game mostly showed well to help the Niners take a one-game lead in the NFC West.

Christian McCaffrey: B

McCaffrey was always going to have a massive influence on the game because of the workload the 49ers put on his shoulders.

His skill set as the game's best pass-catching running back increased his importance as a player who could quickly help the Niners slow an aggressive Tampa Bay defense that excels stopping the run.

McCaffrey's presence was felt as early as the second series, which ended with him catching a four-yard touchdown pass on a beautiful red-zone design to give the Niners a lead they never relinquished.

He did an excellent job fighting for tough yards on the ground against a stout defense and finished with 103 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. The only blot on his performance was a failed fourth-down conversion as the Niners attempted to bleed the clock late in the game that left McCaffrey visibly frustrated on the sideline.

Jake Brendel: A-

The 49ers center had his hands full dealing with Vita Vea in the trenches and attempting to spring McCaffrey for frequent explosive plays on the ground.

Though there were a few plays on which Vea got penetration and was quickly in the 49er backfield, Brendel dealt well with the dual challenge of trying to slow down the Bucs' athletic nose tackle as a pass rusher and keeping the run game performing at an efficient level.

Brendel was consistently quickly up to the second level as a run blocker and, despite some obvious wins for Vea, prevented him from derailing the San Francisco offense. A very good day's work.

Javon Hargrave – C

The interior looked like being the area in which the 49er defensive front could have the most joy against the Buccaneers offensive line.

But Hargrave, after a tremendous performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, was kept quiet, with Arik Armstead delivering the lion's share of the production from the middle of the D-Line.

Hargrave still had four tackles, but the 49ers won't mind him and Armstead taking it in turns to blow up opposing pass games if it means they are both fresh for January football.

Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw – A

The 49ers' starting linebackers were highlighted in large part because of their potential role in defending the screen game.

Tampa Bay still found success throwing screens, but rarely did the Buccaneers enjoy attacking Warner, who policed the underneath areas of the field with devastating effectiveness.

Warner was everywhere, finishing with 12 combined tackles and a half sack on which he forced a fumble. Like Greenlaw (eight tackles), Warner went maddeningly close to picking off Baker Mayfield only to see the ball bounce off his hands.

The 49er defense had to stand up and be counted on several occasions in the fourth quarter without injured safety Talanoa Hufanga, and that placed extra pressure on the likes of Warner and Greenlaw.

They rose to the challenge tremendously well, leading by example in ensuring the Buccaneers' drives late in the game were arduous and ultimately unsuccessful. 

The heartbeat of the defense was strong on Sunday, and Tampa Bay was never allowed a route back into the game as result.

Deommodore Lenoir – B

Lenoir almost made a huge play on the Buccaneers' first offensive series, going close to picking off a pass intended for Mike Evans after masterfully executing the undercut.

The 2021 fifth-round pick kicked into the nickel position on clear passing downs once again, the 49ers showing little appetite to change things around too much in the secondary and bring Isaiah Oliver back into the mix.

Though Oliver, who was essentially benched from the nickel spot last week, got some snaps late when Charvarius Ward was injured, the Niners opted against playing the matchup game against two the more physically imposing power slots in the NFL in Evans and Chris Godwin.

San Francisco will want to maintain continuity in the secondary and, while Evans scored a touchdown, the fact he and Godwin combined for only 92 receiving yards between them should give the 49ers confidence they can stick with a Ward-Lenoir-Ambry Thomas trio down the stretch and still have significant success in the defensive backfield.

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