49ers vs. Buccaneers Performance Preview

It’s time for another round of “Performance Preview,” in which Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix and I make our picks to click for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ next game. This is more than just a brief bit of game analysis, it’s a competition. That’s right: We’re keeping score

The rules are simple: Bri and I each pick one Buccaneers player on Friday and explain why we think they are poised for a big game. We can’t duplicate picks so order may matter; I picked first last week so that honor rotates to her this week. Since neither of us would be impartial enough to do the judging after the game, we’ve asked Team Reporter Casey Phillips to step in as the guest judge each week.

There was no winner in Week Four, as neither of our picks produced any noteworthy statistics. That meant I went into Week Five with a chance to tie the season series up, and my choice was Chris Godwin, who I thought might have one of his signature big games after he had knocked the rust off in his return against the Eagles. Alas, Godwin sustained a leg injury during the game and there were a number of other offensive players with more noteworthy outputs, including Bri’s pick of running back Rachaad White. She reasoned that White, who had one of the best games of his career against Seattle in 2022, was in position for another strong outing against the Seahawks due to Bucky Irving’s absence.

This is how Judge Casey ruled this week:

“Going into this week, Scott had the chance to tie it up with Bri since they sat at 2-1-1. Alas, he let the opportunity slip through his fingers with what seemed like a great pick in Chris Godwin, only to be outdone by a two touchdown performance by Rachaad White. With Bucky being out and knowing how Rachaad likes to do big things against Seattle, Bri knew the safe pick here and takes a 3-1-1 lead.”

And, thus, our updated Performance Preview Scoreboard:

Well, this isn’t going great. Let’s make our picks for Week Six as I try to avoid falling into a deep hole in this competition.