The San Francisco 49ers are fortunate to be in first place in the NFC West. With wins over all three foes within the division, the five-time Super Bowl champions are stringing together a case to win a sixth.
At 4-1, the Niners enter Week 6 preparing for the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has strung together some big games as of late and figures to give head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad plenty of fits.
However, he hasn't been able to turn in a winning performance in the past two seasons against San Francisco. Mayfield and the Bucs have lost to the 49ers during the regular season the past two years and all three times this decade.
Yet, there is one player the Niners are about to see for the first time ever who could tilt the balance in this matchup in Tampa Bay's favor.
Buccaneers' newest weapon could be 49ers' demise
Despite previous struggles against San Francisco, this year, Mayfield has a lucrative weapon in rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
Half of Mayfield's 10 touchdowns have been thrown to the 2025 first-round draftee.
Emeka Egbuka:
25 REC
445 YDS
5 TD
Averaging 5/89/1 to begin his career. pic.twitter.com/uuQglVbadk
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 6, 2025
The 22-year-old pass catcher has proven he can score at will. In five games so far this season, Egbuka has five touchdown receptions, and his 445 passing yards rank fourth in the NFL entering Week 6.
Drafted out of Ohio State, Egbuka scored a pair of touchdowns in Week 1 on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. While Egbuka has tallied four touchdown grabs in three road games, the rookie has just one in two games at Raymond James Stadium.
As talented as veteran receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have been over the years (and both likely miss Week 6 with injuries), the Buccaneers have yet to win against the 49ers since 2018.
Egbuka could be the difference maker for Tampa Bay.
Hopefully for San Francisco, Mayfield doesn't find his rookie target in the end zone when the two teams square off on Sunday, Oct. 12.