I realize no QB making his first-ever NFL start has beaten Tom Brady. But it's a short week for the Bucs and their offense just stinks. I don't see Tampa Bay scoring more than 17 points against this stellar Niners unit. And I think Kyle Shanahan can use Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, etc., in ways that will limit the risk for Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy. At least he got a lot of game time in last week. I might think different if this was his first time taking the field and if Tampa wasn't on a short week and obviously having to travel across country (not that going East to West is a huge deal). I can totally understand those on the Bucs +3.5 but I simply don't want to worry about it.

In no way is this pick based on faith in the Tampa Bay offense. It has stunk. But surely Tom Brady can deliver the bare minimum amount of points needed to overcome any scattered scoring by the 49ers with Brock Purdy at QB. Not only is he a rookie in his first start but was so overlooked in the draft that he was Mr. Irrelevant. A Bucs secondary regaining health complicates matters for Purdy. Brady is 23-6 outright versus first-year QBs. In a projected low-scoring game with a total in the 30s, the 3.5-point spot is magnified.