Here is how the 49ers (10-3) graded in Sunday’s 28-16 home win over the Seattle Sehawks (6-7):
PASS OFFENSE: A-
Brock Purdy not only passed for 368 yards and two touchdowns, and he not only mixed in deep shots with smart checkdowns, he also produced his seventh straight game with a 70%-plus completion percentage, which is one shy of Joe Montana’s NFL record in 1989. He’s not taking a victory lap alone, saying: “I’m part of a special group.” That includes Deebo Samuel (seven catches, 149 yards; 54-yard go-ahead touchdown), Brandon Aiyuk (six catches, 126 yards; second-straight 1,000-yard season), and George Kittle (44-yard touchdown). Each of those three had a catch over 40 yards, but Purdy and coach Kyle Shanahan’s favorite strike was a checkdown that Samuel took 30 yards once Purdy went through his progression. The Seahawks sacked Purdy three times and hit him seven as the line adjusted with Jon Feliciano in at right guard for Spencer Burford.
RUN OFFENSE: A-
McCaffrey sped off 72 yards on the opening snap en route to a 145-yard outing as the NFL’s leading rusher (1,177 yards). But McCaffrey was predictably steamed at getting tackled at the 3-yard line after some “amazing blocking” on that first carry, which meant getting pulled for a breather so Jordan Mason could enter and score the 49ers’ first touchdown. McCaffrey did not score for only the second time in 26 starts. He is 210 yards and three touchdown runs away from his 2019 totals, when he became the third player in NFL history to hit the 1,000-yard mark both rushing and receiving for a last-place, five-win Panthers team that can’t compare to this joy of success and stats.
PASS DEFENSE: B-
Drew Lock was a game-time replacement for Geno Smith and kept things too close through three quarters. He threw a tight, 31-yard touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf over Ambry Thomas, who had to cover the Seahawks’ top threat once Charvarius Ward exited that first series with a groin injury. Lock’s 25-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter made it a 21-16 score, which was too close for the 49ers’ comfort, so they teed off on him in the fourth quarter with three sacks and two interceptions, plus a Deommodore Lenoir interception that got nullified by a Nick Bosa offside penalty. Bosa, Clelin Ferrell, Randy Gregory and Javon Kinlaw combined for the four sacks this game, Bosa’s 1 ½ raising his season total to 9 ½. Injuries are noticeably impacting this unit’s communication and leading to missed tackles. Javon Hargrave (hamstring) joined inactive defensive tackle Arik Armstead (foot, knee) on the sideline. Ward has had groin issues in the past so that’s a concern, but the 49ers are expected to officially re-sign Jason Verrett to the practice squad Monday.
RUN DEFENSE: A-
Missed tackles by Dre Greenlaw and Ambry Thomas allowed Zach Charbonnet to run 23 yards on back-to-back carries, setting up a go-ahead field goal for the Seahawks. Charbonnet, however, had five other carries for minus-2 yards. Kenneth Walker III gained just 21 yards on eight plays. Needless to say, Fred Warner (team-high eight tackles, career-high fourth interception this season) is en route to a career-best year. “He’s going to be a lock All-Pro. He’s the best at his position in the league,” Bosa said of Warner. “He’s just the best and that’s no question.”
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Seeing Samuel get slammed at the 15-yard line on a kick return should give the 49ers pause in moonlighting him there; Ray-Ray McCloud went on Injured Reserve on Saturday. Ronnie Bell had punt returns of 16 and 11 yards, but not in a confidence-inspiring way. As for that 30-yard run by punter Mitch Wishnowsky, coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn’t call a fake; Wishnowsky would be denied his first career carry because of offsetting penalties (Bell illegal block, Seahawks’ unnecessary roughnes for hitting Wishnowsky out of bounds).
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COACHING: A-
The 49ers’ win streak is at five, matching their season-opening stretch, and that’s put Kyle Shanahan’s squad in firm control of the NFC West for a second straight year. It’s a four-game lead with four games to go, including a Week 18 date with the still-contending Rams (6-7). The Niners (10-3) can clinch a playoff berth tonight if the Packers (6-6) lose at the Giants (4-8). Next Sunday brings perhaps the 49ers’ penultimate road trip this season, to the last-place Arizona Cardinals, who are coming off their bye (as was the case when the 49ers played the Browns, the Bengals and the Jaguars). While the 49ers are 5-0 since defensive coordinator Steve Wilks moved from the booth to the sideline, his unit has played with more looks and more fire than the first two months.
