Here are five things to watch when the San Francisco 49ers try to get their first road victory of the season Sunday against the 3-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Missing receivers
The 49ers on Saturday afternoon announced Marquise Goodwin’s status was downgraded to “doubtful” as he was excused from the team to deal with a personal matter. If Goodwin doesn’t play, quarterback Nick Mullens will be without his two starting receivers after Pierre Garçon was ruled out Friday with an ongoing knee issue that caused him to miss the last game against the New York Giants.
That means San Francisco is likely to start rookie Dante Pettis and second-year pro Kendrick Bourne at receiver against Tampa Bay’s 28th-ranked passing defense that last week allowed 359 yards to New York.