The 49ers are 3-0, but at a heavy cost
The San Francisco 49ers won a gritty, at times ugly, football game on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium with a game-winning field goal from Eddy Piñiero as time expired. It doesn’t matter how you win, only if you win. The 49ers are one of six teams in the NFL that are unbeaten through three weeks, and sit atop the NFC West in sole possession. However, things aren’t all rosy for the 49ers. Nick Bosa was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Sunday’s game was a glimpse of life without the superstar pass rusher.
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades from Pro Football Focus.
Quarterback
Mac Jones 65 (80.7)
Jones was the highest graded offensive player on Sunday. While dealing with a knee injury, Jones engineered a game-winning drive, completing passes to Jake Tonges, Skyy Moore, and Kendrick Bourne. It was the Christian McCaffrey and Ricky Pearsall show, but on the final drive, Jones spread the wealth. The one mistake was a forced attempt to Pearsall that resulted in an interception, but the highlight of the day was the fourth-down throw to Pearsall, which set up the first touchdown drive of the game for either side.
With two wins under his belt, Jones has been steady and is likely to earn a nice contract next season, giving him a chance to start again in the NFL.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 59 (63.0)
Kyle Juszczyk 22 (65.7)
Brian Robinson 6 (69.0)
Given the injuries to the 49ers’ receivers, McCaffrey was going to have to shoulder more of the workload. His current touch number isn’t sustainable, but with the return of Demarcus Robinson, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Brandon Aiyuk, you can bet the touches will slow down. For now, McCaffrey will be leaned on until the offense is fully healthy.
Brian Robinson popped the longest run of the season at 19 yards. It is fair to wonder why Robinson only played six snaps on Sunday. It makes sense to spell McCaffrey with Robinson more to ease his touch numbers.
Wide Receivers
Ricky Pearsall 63 (75.2)
Kendrick Bourne 47 (58.1)
Skyy Moore 34 (57.4)
Marquez Valdez-Scantling 17 (66.6)
Malik Turner 1 (60.0)
Pearsall now sits at number three in the NFL in receiving yards and put on another impressive display against Arizona’s depleted secondary. The second-year wide receiver was targeted early and often with 11 targets on the day, and only two of his catches on the season haven’t gone for first downs.
The combination of Bourne, Moore, Valdez-Scantling, and Turner doesn’t invoke much confidence, but both Moore and Bourne had catches on the game-winning drive, which helped ease Moore’s mistake of fielding a punt near his own goal line, which led to a safety for Arizona.
Tight Ends
Jake Tonges 45 (63.7)
Luke Farrell 30 (55.7)
Brayden Willis 1 (60.0)
The 49ers need George Kittle back. Full stop. Tonges is hustling, but lacks the explosion to be a reliable pass catcher or weapon. Still, Tonges contributed to the final drive with a reception. Get well soon, George.
Offensive Line
Trent Williams 65 (78.5)
Colton McKivitz 65 (69.0)
Jake Brendel 65 (60.2)
Dominick Puni 65 (45.4)
Connor Colby 65 (46.6)
Williams and McKivitz were the two best offensive linemen on the field on Sunday. Williams allowed two pressures and hurries, but finished with a 69.8 pass blocking grade, which was the highest on the offensive line. McKivitz allowed two pressures, a hurry, and a QB hit, and was behind Williams for the highest pass blocking grade.
The interior struggled mightily against Arizona’s defensive tackles. Connor Colby (playing through an injured groin) allowed five pressures, two hurries, two QB hits, and a sack. Puni finished with two pressures allowed and two hurries and was penalized for a hold, which resulted in a safety.
Look away, but Colby finished with a 14.1 pass blocking grade, while Puni and Brendel finished with a 28.9 and 38.1 pass blocking grade, respectively.
Defense
Defensive Line
Mykel Williams 43 (65.3)
Sam Okuayinonu 42 (58.2)
Bryce Huff 36 (90.1)
Jordan Elliott 32 (71.2)
Alfred Collins 31 (35.7)
Kalia Davis 31 (35.7)
Yetur Gross-Matos 22 (67.3)
CJ West 14 (53.9)
Nick Bosa 14 (79.1)
There is no easy way to say this: the 49ers won’t be able to replace someone as valuable as Bosa. Not with one person or a committee of players. You may get a semblance of impact with players pitching in, but his presence allows the 49ers and Robert Saleh to play chess with their other defensive linemen. Bryce Huff will likely take on an increased snap count, but his true value is opposite Bosa in the NASCAR package. Still, Huff was the highest-graded defender on Sunday.
Mykel Williams exited briefly with a wrist injury but led the team with six pressures, a QB hit, five hurries, and was second on the team with two defensive stops. It’ll take a village to replace Bosa, but if Williams continues to improve, it will make things easier on Saleh. Sam Okuayinonu finished with three defensive stops and will be leaned on to help anchor the outside without Bosa.
Linebackers
Fred Warner 66 (82.4)
Dee Winters 66 (79.5)
Luke Gifford 12 (70.0)
Just another day at the office for Fred Warner. With nine tackles, seven defensive stops, and a critical batted pass to end an Arizona drive, Warner is building a case for DPOY. Winters pitched in seven tackles and three defensive stops, and a forced fumble. The duo continues their stellar play.
Secondary
Marques Sigle 66 (54.0)
Jason Pinnock 66 (58.9)
Deommodore Lenoir 64 (72.9)
Renardo Green 57 (56.8)
Ji’Ayir Brown 25 (59.4)
Darrell Luter, Jr. 7 (65.8)
Lenoir continued his stellar season with 18 yards allowed on three receptions and a coverage grade of 71.2. Renardo Green exited briefly with an injury, but didn’t allow a catch on his lone target. However, he was flagged for PI in the end zone, which led to Arizona’s first touchdown of the game. Upton Stout’s PBU on Arizona’s final drive on third down gave Jones and the 49ers offense an opportunity to win the game.
Without Bosa, the secondary will need to tighten its coverage to help with the loss of pass rush.
Category: General Sports
