Where to watch 49ers vs. Buccaneers: TV channel, live stream, prediction, pick, odds, spread

Through the first five weeks of the season, seven teams possess a record of 4-1. And of those seven, the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had particularly interesting paths towards being tied for the best record in the league.

Despite injuries they have suffered to rob them of star power, the 49ers have managed to go 4-1 following their tried and true formula under coach Kyle Shanahan, but this time with a different quarterback: With a toe injury having sidelined Brock Purdy, Mac Jones has stepped into the starting role and revitalized his own career, leading the 49ers to three wins that have allowed them to take the top spot in the NFC West after a Thursday Night win over the Los Angeles Rams.

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The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have gotten to 4-1 by putting the ball in their leader's hands when the chips are down and letting him do his thing. In each of the Buccaneers' four wins this year, quarterback Baker Mayfield has managed to drive his team down the field when he's needed to most, and each time he has cashed in and put his team in the win column. He did it again in a 38-35 win on the road in Seattle a week ago, and now it's up to Mayfield and the Bucs to defend their turf in against a similarly unrelenting 49ers team.

Where to watch 49ers vs. Buccaneers live

• When: Sunday, Oct. 12 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
• Where: Raymond James Stadium -- Tampa, Florida
• TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+
• Odds: Buccaneers -3.5; O/U 47.5 (via DraftKings)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
  

49ers vs. Buccaneers: Need to know

It's still time for some Mac-tion. With Brock Purdy continuing to deal with a toe injury, the 49ers' saving grace has been the fact that Mac Jones -- formerly cast off by the New England Patriots -- has fit their offense like a glove. Jones is in line to start yet again against the Buccaneers, and he is coming off of a win against the Los Angeles Rams in which he threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Jones has kept San Francisco's offense running right on schedule, and it has yet again proved tough for any defense in football to defend -- particularly when Jones has been running it, as he has won all three of his starts to date.

The NFL's king of clutch. Baker Mayfield has earned the right to be put squarely in the NFL's MVP conversation in large part thanks to his late-game heroics. Mayfield's flair for the dramatic was on display yet again last week, as he had to cap off a performance where he went 29-for-33 passing for 379 yards by leading his team down the field to win the game in the final minutes, giving Tampa Bay come-from-behind victories in all four of their wins this season. Mayfield has become one of the most compelling figures in the NFL, as his impeccable performance in the clutch has backed up his brash and ever confident demeanor.

49ers vs. Buccaneers prediction, pick

The Buccaneers are currently favored in this matchup at -3.5, and I'm hard pressed to go against that considering all that they have continually shown throughout the season so far in being able to win close games. The 49ers are no pushover no matter who their quarterback is, and Jones' success has shown that Kyle Shanahan's offense has all the answers to any defense as long as it is run by a quarterback that can process things relatively quickly. But what a system can't bring out of a quarterback is the ability to pluck their hairs out of their chest and lead their team to victory even when the chips are down late in the game. Mayfield keeps doing it, and you've got to feel like he'll be posed to do it again. Pick: Bucs -3.5; Over 47.5