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The 49ers are 10-4 and they’re slated to return linebacker Tatum Bethune, defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, and linebacker Eric Kendricks to practice this week. All three can be key reinforcements for a defense that’ll be tested over the critical three-game stretch run that awaits.
The bad news: Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who had his best game since returning from a knee injury, aggravated his PCL sprain and also sprained his ankle on Sunday.
Pearsall, who had six catches for 96 yards, helped stretch the field for the 49ers’ offense, enabling other passing game threats including George Kittle to haul in shorter passes and rumble forward to pick up yards after the catch.
The 49ers have historically been an excellent YAC team under Kyle Shanahan, but outside of Christian McCaffrey (2nd in the NFL with 654 yards after the catch), no other player on their offense ranks in the top 75 in that statistical category.
Here are grades and snap counts from the 49ers’ 37-24 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Quarterback: Brock Purdy (74 snaps)
Game grade: A+
We recently wrote about how the 49ers have the best quarterback room in the NFL. Purdy’s sensational game only strengthened that claim. He now ranks first in success rate (percentage of plays that generate a positive EPA) by a wide margin. And perhaps even more remarkably, 49ers’ backup Mac Jones ranks No. 4.
Shanahan is cooking with gas this season. The degree of difficulty for his QBs will increase from Tennessee’s No. 27 defense over the final three weeks. Here are the defensive EPA ranks of the 49ers’ remaining opponents: No. 11 Indianapolis, No. 13 Chicago, and No. 2 Seattle.
Running back/fullback: Christian McCaffrey (62), Brian Robinson Jr. (12), Kyle Juszczyk (46)
Game grade: A
A big chunk of the 49ers’ rushing production came from Purdy, who racked up 44 yards on the ground. This was a quieter day for McCaffrey, who managed 73 yards on 22 carries. The Titans clearly keyed on him. But that focus opened the door for Purdy and the pass offense to thrive, so consider the mission accomplished.
McCaffrey was a key contributor on Purdy’s 26-yard run. He fooled a Tennessee linebacker into thinking he was tracking a pass, goading the defender away from Purdy as he sprinted down the sideline.
“I had a high school coach that said a great fake is worth two blocks,” McCaffrey said with a smile.
Work smarter and harder — that’s the CMC way.
2 days ago
5 days ago
Friday, Dec. 5
Wide receiver: Jauan Jennings (60), Pearsall (43), Demarcus Robinson (23), Kendrick Bourne (33)
Game grade: A
No Brandon Aiyuk, no problem. The 49ers executed the post-Aiyuk blueprint to perfection, relying on a mixture of efficient contributions from Pearsall, Jennings, Robinson, and Bourne.
The wrench here is Pearsall’s health. Pearsall likely won’t practice this week, but Shanahan hasn’t ruled him out for the Colts game. Pearsall seems to be the linchpin of the 49ers’ plan to deliver consistently top-notch offensive play down this stretch run. He has the talent to be that kind of space-maker on the field.
“Guys like Ricky are such elite playmakers,” McCaffrey said. “If you’re going to leave him open, eventually he’s going to have a game. If you’re going to try to stop him, it opens up so much for us. … He’s an unbelievable player. … There’s really no one that can cover him. He’s so good. He’s so shifty. He’s so fast. Great hands.”
Tight end: Kittle (71), Luke Farrell (18), Jake Tonges (2)
Game grade: A+
A whopping 89% of Kittle’s 88 receiving yards came after the catch on Sunday. That’s vintage Kittle and a direct byproduct of the 49ers’ success at receiver, where the other two members of the original ‘Yac Bros’ — Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk — are gone. The more space the wideouts open, the more room there is for Kittle to pick up steam and rumble.
Offensive line: Trent Williams (74), Spencer Burford (65), Connor Colby (9), Jake Brendel (74), Dominick Puni (74), Colton McKivitz (74)
Game grade: B+
Burford struggled the most, allowing four pressures in a tough matchup with star Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Colby replaced Burford, who dealt with an ankle issue, for a short stretch and played solid football. The good news is that it’s not a high ankle sprain and Burford will be back at practice this week.
Then there’s Williams, who’s one of the greatest linemen of all time. He continues to play like it. In fact, Williams’ Pro Football Focus score of 95.6 for the game was the highest of his illustrious career.
Defensive line: Bryce Huff (31), Clelin Ferrell (39), Keion White (38), Kalia Davis (30), Alfred Collins (32), CJ West (14), Robert Beal Jr. (11), Kevin Givens (18)
Game grade: C
An already shorthanded 49ers defensive line lost Elliott two hours prior to kickoff when the veteran defensive tackle tweaked his knee while stretching in the locker room. Givens, who’d been slated to be inactive, replaced him on the fly.
The 49ers might get Yetur Gross-Matos back for their next game, which could be a huge boost for a unit in need of some more juice.
Linebackers: Curtis Robinson (53), Dee Winters (53), Luke Gifford (3)
Game grade: C-
This wasn’t a pretty game for the 49ers’ run defense, which allowed 136 yards on just 20 carries to Tennessee. The Titans had a 70% success rate on designed runs, according to ESPN Analytics. That was the highest designed run success rate in a game by any team all season.
Much of Tennessee’s success came in targeting big nickel Jason Pinnock whenever Gifford, the Sam linebacker, was not on the field. Pinnock is better than Gifford in pass coverage, but the opposite is true for run defense. Perhaps a rookie such as Nick Martin can effectively hybridize those two players’ skillsets, but he’s still in the concussion protocol.
Safeties: Ji’Ayir Brown (53), Malik Mustapha (53), Pinnock (13)
Game grade: D
The 49ers have dropped a lot of interceptions ever since the most fateful one, Jaquiski Tarrt’s muffed pick in the January 2022 NFC Championship Game against the Rams. Their safeties — Mustapha twice and Brown once — blew three more opportunities on Sunday.
There’s no sugarcoating this: Against better competition, the 49ers must capitalize on takeaway opportunities. That’s the only way this beleaguered defense can stay afloat when facing more firepower.
Cornerbacks: Deommodore Lenoir (53), Renardo Green (52), Upton Stout (37)
Game grade: B
This was one of Stout’s best NFL games so far. He didn’t miss a single tackle — the 49ers cut their missed tackle total from 15 in Cleveland to 11 on Sunday. Lenoir and Green have been solid on the perimeter, which is a big development for the 49ers. Removing what’s been a targetable weakness in the slot can go a long way toward patching up this defense.
Special teams grade: A
Eddy Piñeiro remains allergic to missing field goals. Yes, he did finally push one in the fourth quarter – but a leveraging penalty on Simmons gave Piñeiro a second chance. He’s now 25-of-25 on field goals since the 49ers signed him in Week 2.
Their punter, meanwhile, enjoyed a day off.