Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers Free Football Picks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers Free Football Picks: The 49ers are playing good football, the kind of football I expected them to play from the outset, and that’s good enough for me to go with them as a mirror field goal favorite at home – even against a very tough Bucs team that always seems to find a way to win.

Against, for being 6-3, the Bucs still give up more points than they score on average – and eventually that should come back to haunt them. Why not start this weekend in San Francisco.

I see the 49ers attacking the Bucs on the ground and through the air. I’ve always respected Troy Smith a lot, and the 49ers stole him earlier in the year when they picked him up on the cheap. He’s a leader and he’s showing an ability to really throw the ball. Him and Michael Crabtree have a good chemistry, and Vernon Davis is always tough to stop.

But I think this one will come down to the running game (as it most often does). The 49ers have Frank Gore, and I think he does some major damage against the Buccaneer front 7. I like what LaGarrette Blount is bringing to the Bucs offensive attack, but the 49ers are pretty solid against the run, and I think they end up winning that key battle.

I said earlier in the year that the 49ers, even at 1-4, had a good chance to take the NFC West. Well, if I bet on the 49ers losing here, that would make me wrong. But if the 49ers win here, that might make them just a couple games out with key divisional match-ups to go. I could be right. I love being right. I think the 49ers cover at home.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers (-3)