The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a beating in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, dropping to the 49ers by a 48-3 final. As a result, they took a beating in ESPN's power rankings as well, dropping five spots to No. 16 overall. Mike Sando, who covers the NFC West for ESPN, writes the Bucs blurb:
All's well if the Bucs rebound to beat the Saints following their horrific showing against the 49ers. (Sando)
The loss to the 49ers certainly stings, but one indeed gets the impression that it'll be water under the bridge if the Bucs can hold off the New Orleans Saints, their rivals in the NFC South, this coming Sunday. But if they can't, the Bucs will stand at 3-3 having lost just six games all of last season, and questions about the team's legitimacy among the NFL's more promising young squads will grow.