The 49ers’ defense may not have lit up the stat sheet in their 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but they clearly impacted the game, according to their PFF grades.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his offense looked unstoppable in the first half of the contest, scoring on each of their three possessions. The 49ers’ defense made adjustments in the second half and caused two turnovers that ultimately led to the ‘away team’ winning.
Nick Bosa has yet to record a sack since signing a lucrative extension with the team, but he still gets top marks on defense, recording five total pressures — three hits and two hurries.
Fred Warner was the only 49ers defender to actually get past the Rams offensive line to get Stafford to the ground. The All-Pro linebacker also recorded eight very productive tackles – six solo and one run stop.
The Rams’ game plan was to attack with a short game, and not allow the defensive line to get to the quarterback. Warner was also effective in coverage as he allowed three on five targets for just 24 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers’ offensive line improved dramatically on Sunday allowing just six total pressures on quarterback Brock Purdy after allowing 15 total pressures in his Week 1 performance. The 49ers’ quarterback was technically sacked once in Los Angeles, but PFF did not attribute responsibility to any player.
Here are the highlights of the 49ers’ Week 2 PFF grades:
QB Brock Purdy – 65.1
The 49ers quarterback struggled with his deep passing on Sunday but was more accurate on intermediate throws. Purdy completed all four of his attempts for 67 yards on throws 10-19 yards down the field.
Those mid-range throws have been the sweet spot for Purdy over the course of two weeks, after he completed 13 of his 14 attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown and a 142.6 passer rating.
RB Christian McCaffrey – 65.5
The running back played 100 percent of the 49ers’ 57 offensive plays and carried the ball 20 times for 116 yards and one touchdown. The All-Pro ball carrier also caught all three of his targets for 19 yards.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of McCaffrey’s stats was that 99 of his 116 yards came after contact. The ball carrier forced seven missed tackles on Sunday, bringing his season total to 12, which leads the NFL.
WR Deebo Samuel – 71.1
The “wide back” returned to his ball-carrying ways in Los Angeles recording five carries for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown. Samuel also caught six of his nine targets for 63 yards, three of them on first downs.
Offensive line:
LT Trent Williams – 83.4 overall, 88.4 pass blocks
LG Aaron Banks – 55.2 overall, 86.7 passes blocked
C Jake Brendel – 63.8 overall, 66.9 pass blocks (1 speed)
RG Spencer Burford – 27.8 overall, 0.0 pass blocks (three-hit wonder)
RT Colton McKevitz – 58.1 overall, 61.0 pass blocks (1 hit)
RB Christian McCaffrey was responsible for one rusher
The 49ers’ defense may have technically only recorded one quarterback sack, but they exerted a whopping 27 pressures — one sack, five hits and 21 hurries on Stafford during the 60-minute contest.
The Rams’ game plan was for Stafford to get the ball out quickly to neutralize the 49ers’ massive defensive line, which was effective.
Defense line:
Nick Bosa: 92.1 Overall Grade – Three hits, two hurries, one run scored
Javon Hargrave: 68.7 overall grade – five hurries and one run stop
Javon Kinlaw: 83.8 overall grade (2nd highest of his career) – four takeaways and one assist.
Kevin Givens: Overall score 67.2 – one hit, one wheel
Drake Jackson: 71.5 overall grade – three hurries and one run stop
Clelin Ferrell: 48.6 Overall Score – One hit, one wheel
Kerry Hyder: 52.7 Overall Score – One Wheel
Eric Armstead: Overall score 67.4 – one wheel, two running stops
Fred Warner was responsible for the only quarterback sack on the day
Traffic coverage:
CB Isaiah Oliver: Coverage grade of 75.4, allowed five catches on six attempts but for just 29 yards and recorded an interception.
Tashaun Gibson: Coverage grade 71.2, no catches allowed on a single attempt
Wing CB Charvarius: 68.5 coverage grade, allowed 10 catches on 11 attempts for 88 yards, one forced incompletion, one pass breakup.
LB Dre Greenlaw: Coverage grade 68.1, allowed three catches on seven attempts for 23 yards.
LB Fred Warner: Coverage grade of 67.0, allowed three catches on five attempts for 24 yards
CB Ambry Thomas: Coverage grade of 59.5, allowed four catches on four attempts for 31 yards.
S Talanoa Hufanga: 54.0 coverage grade, allowed two catches on four attempts for 27 yards.
CB Deommodor Lenoir: 46.3 coverage grade, allowed seven catches on 11 attempts for 85 yards, one interception.
Odds and ends:
Pressure on Stafford:
The Rams’ quarterback was attacked on just two of his 20 first-half turnovers, or 10 percent, and under pressure on four, or 20 percent. Stafford completed 14 of his 18 attempts for 183 yards, 7.9 yards per attempt, one touchdown, and a 118.3 passer rating.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes turned up the pressure in the second half, hitting 32.5 percent of Stafford’s dropbacks and applying 45 percent pressure. Stafford’s production declined significantly as he completed only 20 of his 37 attempts for 164 yards, two interceptions, a 4.4 yards per attempt average and a 43.1 rating.
When under pressure, over the course of the entire game, Stafford completed just seven of his 20 attempts for 60 yards, one interception and a rating of 22.9.
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