Last season, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road following the Niners’ bye week in Week 11. What followed was a 27-9 shellacking by Tampa Bay, likely influenced by the sudden release of linebacker Reuben Foster and the gut punch stemming from yet another legal run-in by San Francisco’s 2017 first-round NFL Draft pick.
Now, the 49ers open up their 2019 campaign on the road against the Buccaneers again, facing off against these NFC foes in Week 1.
The context is entirely different, of course. Tampa Bay has a new head coach, Bruce Arians, who is familiar with San Francisco from his days coaching the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.