SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Brad Johnson probably could not believe these were the San Francisco 49ers he dissected nine months ago.
The Niners picked off Johnson three times and rolled to a surprisingly easy 24-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Over the past three years, we've led the NFL in giveaways and takeaways, but today we had some weird plays," Johnson said. "We were not successful on first downs which put us in trouble in third and long situations."
Meanwhile, San Francisco (3-4) bullied the Bucs, rushing for 212 yards. Garrison Hearst enjoyed his first 100-yard game of the season, producing 117 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and Kevan Barlow added 75 yards on 15 carries.
"The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and created opportunities for us," said Niners coach Dennis Erickson. "They did a good job. And when we get right down to it, defensively we played unbelievable today."
"The offensive line took the initiative from the get-go," said Niners quarterback Jeff Garcia, who passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns. "We played more physically, controlling the line of scrimmage. It was awesome to watch them dominate and create opportunities for our backs to get through."
The Buccaneers (3-3) started their Super Bowl run with a 31-6 rout of the 49ers last January 12 at Tampa. Johnson threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.
The Niners didn't have a chance against Tampa Bay's defense, committing four turnovers and managing just a pair of field goals.
But San Francisco turned the tables on Sunday. Cornerback Ahmed Plummer set the tone with an interception on the third play from scrimmage, setting up the Niners at the Tampa Bay 38.
Garcia hit Terrell Owens with a 17-yard pass before Hearst scored on a seven-yard run 3:22 into the game.
In last year's playoff game, Tampa Bay's speed on defense negated Garcia's scrambling ability and the Bucs' "Cover-2" defensive scheme rolled a safety or linebacker to provide double coverage on Owens and held the Pro Bowl receiver to four catches for 35 yards.
But this time Owens made a major impact, catching six passes for a season-high 152 yards. He provided the highlight of the day when he caught a five-yard pass by Garcia over the middle and turned it into a 75-yard touchdown, giving the Niners a 21-7 lead with 7:20 left in the first half.
"It was old-school T.O. (Owens' initials)," Garcia said. "The T.O. that everyone knows and has been waiting to see. It was great to see him make that kind of play."
"No. 81 (Owens) is as good a player as there is in the league," said Bucs coach Jon Gruden. "And they have two physical backs."
The Niners totaled 458 yards and easily overcame three missed field goals by Owen Pochman, who converted a 27-yarder with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter.
Johnson completed 21-of-34 passes for 241 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown to Keenan McCardell in the first quarter. McCardell finished with three catches for 119 yards.
"They sat back in Cover 2 and Cover 3 defenses today," Johnson said. "We were prepared. They'd play 15 yards off and I would have to throw the dump off a lot of times. We had our chances and just couldn't it done."
Tampa Bay had scored 30 or more points in each of its previous three games, but committed four turnovers, including the three interceptions.
"You can't do that on the road against a good team," Gruden said. "I have no problem with the effort, but we have to execute."
After being steamrolled on the ground, many of the Bucs admitted they were guilty of poor tackling.
"Hearst and Barlow are very good runners, but all those missed tackles made them look even better," said Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks. "We've got to tighten up our tackling starting now."
"Poor tackling really hurt us today, especially on running plays," said Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber. "We're playing like a .500 team and we're not one."
Erickson called the win his biggest in five seasons as an NFL coach with Seattle and San Francisco.
"We can play with anybody, and I've always felt we can," Erickson said.
The Niners nearly doubled Tampa Bay in total yards in the first half, 306-164, and held the Bucs to nine rushing yards.
Garcia hit Tai Streets with a 14-yard touchdown five seconds into the second quarter to give the Niners a 14-7 lead. Hearst broke off an 18-yard run and caught a 26-yard pass and Barlow rushed twice for 19 yards to highlight the eight-play, 81-yard drive.
Owens has grabbed headlines for his criticisms of coaches and teammates this season more than for his play on the field. He had seven catches for 118 yards in the season-opening win over Chicago, but failed to reach the century mark again until Sunday.
Midway through the second quarter, Owens caught a short pass at the San Francisco 30, slipped around two tacklers, sprinted past two others, stutter-stepped by two more and raced to the end zone, where he celebrated with a funny collision with the goalpost.
"I thought I had an angle on him and missed the tackle," said Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece. "He gave me a little stutter and he's gone, like the wind. It was amazing how he got away."
However, Owens dropped a 21-yard pass in the third quarter and an 18-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
