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49ers position grades after turnover-frenzied win in home opener

By

Jacob Hutchinson

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© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers tried to give the game away to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but thanks to a performance that was nothing short of heroic by the defense, they escaped with their first 3-0 record since 1998. Here’s how the position groups performed:

Position grades

Quarterback: B+

I know, Jimmy Garoppolo had two interceptions and fumbled snap for a turnover. But the interceptions can’t be fully blamed on him. The first, while not a good throw, went to an off-balance Matt Breida, who bobbled the ball in the air for the Steelers’ T.J. Watt to snatch. The next, to Dante Pettis, came on a route that Pettis admitted he didn’t run as well as he should have. Garoppolo was pressured from behind, and Pettis was hit from behind while not exactly in the right spot.

The only turnover that could be blamed on Garoppolo was his fumble; the ball was snapped into his left hand and looked lower than Garoppolo was prepared for. He seemed to turn away from the ball too quickly in preparation to hand the ball off.

Other than that, Garoppolo was slinging the ball and taking hits a la Brett Favre. He got out of the pocket when he needed to and most importantly, he was clutch. His 23-of-32 completion mark doesn’t do justice to the day he had; which featured him not throwing the ball into bad situations for the most part. He did take a bit too long to release the ball on a couple of occasions, but when those passes are completed safely, it’s hard to call them mistakes. His crowning play; the game-winner to Dante Pettis, was a demonstration of trust in his receiver and a ball which was (and needed to be) thrown inch-perfectly.

Running backs: C+

This is a tough grade to give out considering that the backs ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Breida had 14 carries for 68 yards along with a pair of receptions for 20 yards, Raheem Mostert had 12 carries for 79 yards, Jeff Wilson Jr. had eight carries for 18 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Kyle Juszczyk caught three passes for 51 yards and might have notched the greatest stiff arm in recent memory.

All of that is A+ worthy. What isn’t A+ worthy is turning the ball over twice (plus another fumble that Mostert miraculously recovered). Mostert’s red zone fumble was nearly crippling, and Matt Breida’s early bobble turned interception began the turnover epidemic that ensued. You could argue this grade should be lower or higher, but it has to end up on the positive side with the win and consistency shown in moving the ball on the ground.

Wide receivers: B

Every single one of the 49ers’ receivers caught a ball on Sunday, and all of them had at least 20 yards receiving. Most importantly, despite Pettis’ early error and criticism for not being able to fight through traffic, he made the catch of the day.

The only mistakes were that Deebo Samuel dropped a potentially extraordinary deep completion and Kendrick Bourne failed to make a third-down catch. Samuel cut underneath cornerback Joe Haden and looked to have completed a 50-plus yard play, only to lose the ball when his elbow hit the ground.

Dante Pettis: Four receptions, 20 yards, 1 TD

Deebo Samuel: Three receptions, 44 yards

Marquise Goodwin: Two receptions, 41 yards

Richie James Jr.: Two receptions, 22 yards

Kendrick Bourne: One reception, 22 yards

Tight ends: A

If you haven’t been following George Kittle’s run-blocking, you’re missing out. Kittle said he was credited with a career-high six takedowns last week against the Cincinnati Bengals:

It’s unclear how many Kittle had this week, but however many it was, he was relentless in the run game, frequently opening up running lanes and doing things like this on occasion:

He made tackles on both the interception intended for Pettis and the Mostert fumble… and oh yeah, he led the team in receptions and receiving yards with five for 54 yards. He was as good as he seems to always be, and it was hard to find a fault in the game he played. The other two tight ends, Levine Toilolo (10 snaps on offense, eight on special teams) and Ross Dwelley (two snaps on offense, 17 snaps on special teams), were rarely seen, mostly operating on special teams.

Offensive line: C+

Garoppolo was pressured frequently, though only sacked once. According to Pro Football Focus, Mike McGlinchey (lined up against T.J. Watt, finished dead last with a 34.9 grade) and Laken Tomlinson (54.9 grade) were among the five lowest-graded 49ers on offense, while Weston Richburg was in the top five with a 75.2 grade.

They did, however, create constant lanes for the running game, and when the 49ers did have the ball, they moved it downfield efficiently, accruing 168 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. However, the questionable fumbled snap and pressure Garoppolo sustained on his interception to Dante Pettis were symptoms of a struggle against the Steelers’ pass rush.

Defensive line: A+

Maybe you can argue that Nick Bosa missed a sack or two, but his seven pressures were part of a pass rush and run-stopping front that was relentless. James Conner (probably hurting) was limited to just 43 yards rushing and Mason Rudolph was sacked twice in a debut in which he finished 14-for-27 with 174 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception.

It was the defensive line’s unceasing pressure which limited the Steelers to just six points despite the 49ers’ four first-half turnovers, and which forced the crucial Conner fumble midway through the fourth quarter and set up the offense’s game-winning touchdown drive. The use of Dee Ford almost solely on third downs kept him fresh (still picked up a sack), Arik Armstead was ruthless and forced the Conner fumble, and DeForest Buckner was everywhere, picking up a team-leading eight tackles and a late sack that forced a fumble.

Linebackers: A

Kwon Alexander and Fred Warner are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most dynamic linebacking duos in the game (Dre Greenlaw only saw 10 defensive snaps). They wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage on a constant basis, excel for their position in coverage, and often prevent plays destined for long yardage from going for more first-down yardage. Alexander trailed only Buckner with seven tackles, including one for a loss, and Warner had three of his own.

Defensive backs: B

This may seem harsh, considering just how good the secondary was for the majority of Sunday’s game. But, the touchdown by Juju Smith-Schuster, when Ahkello Witherspoon was beaten, then missed a tackle, then free safety Tarvarius Moore took a horrible angle and allowed the touchdown, was an inexcusable display… as was the torching of Jason Verrett, who committed a defensive pass interference penalty, then was beaten badly for a touchdown.

It averaged out to a positive performance, but there were some glaring missteps. A cause for optimism, however, was the performance of K’Waun Williams, who, after a poor Week 2 against the Bengals, was close to perfect on Sunday, and came up with an interception.

Special teams: A-

The only issue here was poor snaps by Jon Condo, who retired on Monday. He had a poor snap on one of Robbie Gould’s extra-point attempts. Gould put it through, but it knocks the A+ down to a measly A. Richie James Jr., though frustrating some in the press box with his his wait-and-evaluate return approach, was excellent and consistently brought the ball back for 10-plus yards in his punt returns. He had five punt returns for 56 yards (a 10.6-yard average) with a 15-yard longest return.

Mitch Wishnowsky continued to flip the field effectively and nearly pinned the Steelers at their own 2-yard line. The punt unit couldn’t get to the ball in time, as it landed near the sideline at the 2, and caromed into the end zone. He had three punts for 150 yards with one punt inside the 20. Gould made his one chip-shot field goal from 24 yards out and knocked home his three extra points.

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