San Francisco 49ers: Top 3 takeaways from Week 1 victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Justin Fried
3. Turnovers come in bunches
Last season, the 49ers ranked dead-last in the NFL with just seven turnovers over a 16-game period. That mark was so bad that it was actually half the number of turnovers that the second-to-last team, the Detroit Lions, managed.
So for the 49ers to come out in Week 1 and force four turnovers was something that very few likely expected.
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The talk all summer had been about the team’s improved defense starting up front with the pass rush — we’ll get to that. And now, we got to see it unfold before our very eyes.
The likes of Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Mark Nzeocha of all people — filling in for an ejected Kwon Alexander — secured interceptions on the day thus surpassing the team’s total from last year.
Yes, you read that right. After just one game, the 49ers have now intercepted more passes than they did during the entirety of the 2018 season. Two of those interceptions went for touchdowns by the way, with Witherspoon’s coming late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.
On top of that, linebacker Fred Warner managed to punch the ball out of the hands of tight end O.J. Howard to halt a Buccaneers offense that was threatening to score.
Sometimes in football, teams are just due. And on Sunday, the 49ers were certainly overdue for turnovers and they all came pouring out in bunches.