Snap Counts & Grades: Timely stops and gutsy QB play help the 49ers win in an instant classic

No Brock Purdy, no Jauan Jennings, no Ricky Pearsall, no problem. Oh, and no George Kittle, no Brandon Aiyuk, no Nick Bosa, also. Mac Jones, Christian McCaffrey, and Kendrick Bourne willed the 49ers offense to a gutsy, gritty win over their division rivals to move into sole possession of first place, pending this weekend’s game, and to a 3-0 division record.

The defense came up with timely plays. Alfred Collins punched the ball away from Kyren Williams, and the 49ers held on fourth down in overtime to notch the victory before a mini-bye, where the 49ers will see substantial reinforcements on offense.

Let’s look at the snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Offense

Quarterback

Mac Jones 86 (66.5)

What can you say about Mac Jones on Thursday? Fighting through a knee injury, an apparent sickness, and cramping, the former Alabama quarterback played a clean, crisp football game and operated Kyle Shanahan’s offense, led by their fourth, fifth, and sixth options at certain positions.

On 49 (!!) passing attempts, Jones threw for 342 yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Jones was under pressure on 28% of his dropbacks and finished 8/13, with 89 yards. His two touchdowns were when blitzed, which was a 24% rate by the Rams. What a performance, especially given the circumstances.

Running Back

Christian McCaffrey 76 (67.8)

Kyle Juszczyk 36 (61.4)

Brian Robinson 12 (68.6)

Ho-hum. Just another casual 100-yard scrimmage game for Christian McCaffrey. Yes, the 49ers’ rushing offense still is stuck in the mud, but McCaffrey continues to will this offense in whatever way necessary. Eight more catches for 89 yards and a touchdown will do the job. However, this pace is unsustainable, and with the possible return of Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, and George Kittle in Week 6 at Tampa Bay, it might be time to take the gas off McCaffrey’s workload.

McCaffrey has been a constant force for this offense. Sure, maybe the juice isn’t there, but an excellent football player continues to be very good.

Wide Receiver

Demarcus Robinson 73 (57.9)

Kendrick Bourne 70 (80.6)

Marquez Valdez-Scantling 46 (55.5)

Skyy Moore 8 (50.9)

Malik Turner 6 (54.7)

Ladies and gentlemen, your highest graded offensive player is Kendrick Bourne. Despite another drop, Bourne was sensational Thursday night with ten receptions, 142 yards, eight first downs, and three missed tackles forced. Quite the bounce-back performance for Bourne, who has a clear connection with Jones following their time in New England together. Bourne’s addition potentially rounds out a receiver room of Pearsall, Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, and Brandon Aiyuk, perhaps?

Robinson returned to his old stomping grounds of SoFi Stadium and pitched in 39 yards on three catches. Even MVS got into the act with a catch for nine yards. Healthier days seem to be ahead for the 49ers’ wide receiver group.

Tight End

Jake Tonges 63 (61.1)

Luke Farrell 38 (47.5)

Brayden Willis 2 (57.3)

Hey now, the 49ers may have a second passing catching tight end when Kittle returns. Tonges was targeted early and often to the tune of ten targets with seven catches, 41 yards, and a touchdown. Also, Tonges was the second-highest graded run blocker (65.4) and the fourth-highest pass blocker (72.1).

Offensive Line

Dominick Puni 86 (51.7)

Connor Colby 86 (39.2)

Colton McKivitz 86 (48.0)

Jake Brendel 86 (65.2)

Trent Williams 86 (65.7)

Where do we start? On 53 pass blocking snaps, the 49ers’ offensive line allowed 16 pressures, seven hurries, seven QB hits, and two sacks collectively. Jones routinely got the ball out quickly on Thursday as the Rams sat back in deeper zones, in accordance with Shanahan’s game plan. What is even more alarming is the true pass set (no play actions or screens) numbers. Colby (25.3 pass blocking), McKivitz (23.8), and Brendel (23.0) combined for eight pressures, a hurry, four QB hits, and both sacks.

Puni and Williams were dinged for three pressures, two hurries, and a QB hit (charged to Williams) in true pass sets. Brendel (73.6) and Williams (69.2) were graded highly as run blockers, but the facts are that this running game is stuck in neutral.

Defense

Defensive Line

Sam Okuayinonu 51 (49.2)

Mykel Williams 47 (63.5)

Alfred Collins 40 (85.0)

Jordan Elliott 40 (29.4)

Bryce Huff 40 (58.0)

CJ West 28 (29.8)

Yetur Gross-Matos 11 (89.5)

Trevis Gipson 8 (61.5)

Kalia Davis 7 (57.2)

Alfred Collins made the play of the night, and possibly the season, with his forced fumble on what was undoubtedly the game-winning touchdown run from Kyren Williams. PFF graded YGM higher, but Collins takes the crown given the higher amount of snaps. Gross-Matos was very effective in his 11 snaps with a 100% win rate on true pass sets. Bryce Huff paced the 49ers’ defensive line with four pressures, three hurries, and a sack. Mykel Williams was the third-highest graded run defender (70.3) behind Collins and Fred Warner.

Linebacker

Dee Winters 68 (29.2)

Fred Warner 68 (78.1)

Winters came up with four defensive stops, but was dinged for his coverage after allowing nine catches on 11 targets for 83 yards. Warner had another stellar showing with nine tackles, two defensive stops, and allowed only one catch on two targets for 26 yards. Winters and Warner weren’t asked to rush the passer at all, with only three pass-rushing opportunities combined.

Secondary

Marques Sigle 68 (33.0)

Renardo Green 68 (62.4)

Jason Pinnock 68 (65.7)

Deommodore Lenoir 68 (59.5)

Upton Stout 38 (34.7)

Chase Lucas 18 (54.6)

Ji’Ayir Brown 12 (68.1)

In coverage, it was a rough day at the office for the two rookies in the secondary. Stout allowed seven catches on eight targets for 86 yards, and Sigle allowed six catches on seven targets for 138 yards, and added a PBU. Robert Saleh warned about bumps and bruises; this is exactly that. However, Sigle tied with Warner with a team-high two defensive stops in run defense, including the biggest one.

Three penalties just aren’t going to cut it for Deommodore Lenoir. Renardo Green was targeted nine times, but allowed only three catches for 34 yards. Both Lenoir and Green added a PBU each.