Josh Freeman is playing at a high level.
(Paul Abell / Associated Press)
The storyline
The Bucs keep hanging around the NFC playoff picture, while the 49ers badly need another win to make a push in the NFC West.
Why you should watch
Josh Freeman and Troy Smith look like athletic, natural-born playmakers at QB. Mike Williams and Michael Crabtree look like strong, athletic playmakers at receiver. This will be a nice road test for the young Bucs.
Did you know?
Williams leads all rookies with 627 receiving yards. ... Tampa Bay's Aqib Talib has four interceptions in his past four games on the road. ... 49ers running back Frank Gore has 7,846 yards from scrimmage since 2006 -- the most in the NFL over that span. ... San Francisco's Justin Smith has three sacks in three career games against Tampa Bay.
