49ers defense may not have lit up the stat sheet in their 30-23 victory on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but they clearly affected the game, according to his PFF grades.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his offense seemed unstoppable in the first half of the game, scoring on each of their three possessions. He 49ers defense made adjustments in the second half and caused two turnovers that finally sealed the victory for the “visiting team.”
Nick Bosa still has yet to register a bag since signing a lucrative extension with the team, but he still received top marks on defense, recording five total pressures: three hits and two hurries.
Fred Warner was the only 49ers defender who actually got past the Rams’ offensive line to take down Stafford. The All-Pro linebacker also recorded a very productive eight total tackles: six solo and a run stop.
The Rams’ game plan was to attack using a short game, not allowing the defensive line to get to their quarterback. Warner was also effective in coverage allowing three catches on five targets for just 24 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers offensive line was much improved on Sunday allowing just six total pressures on quarterback Brock Purdy after allowing 15 total pressures in his Week 1 performance. Technically, the 49ers quarterback The 49ers were fired once in Los Angeles, but PFF did not hold any player responsible.
Here are the highlights of the 49ers’ Week 2 PFF grades:
Quarterback Brock Purdy – 65.1
The 49ers quarterback struggled on his deep passes on Sunday, but he was much more accurate on intermediate pitches. Purdy completed his four attempts for 67 yards on throws 10 to 19 yards downfield.
Those mid-range throws have been Purdy’s sweet spot through two weeks, having completed 13 of his 14 attempts for 209 yards, a touchdown and a 142.6 passer rating.
RB Christian McCaffrey – 65.5
The running back played 100 percent of the 49ers’ 57 offensive snaps, carrying the ball 20 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. The All-Pro ball carrier also caught all three of his targets for 19 yards.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of McCaffrey’s statistics was that 99 of his 116 rushing yards came after contact. The ball carrier forced seven missed tackles on the ground on Sunday, raising his season total to 12, which leads the NFL.
WR Deebo Samuel – 71.1
The “broadback” 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 which were for first downs.
Offensive line:
LT Trent Williams: 83.4 overall, 88.4 pass blocking
LG Aaron Banks: 55.2 overall, 86.7 pass blocking
C Jake Brendel: 63.8 overall, 66.9 pass blocking (rush)
RG Spencer Burford: 27.8 overall, 0.0 pass blocking (three hurries)
RT Colton McKivitz: 58.1 overall, 61.0 pass blocking (one hit)
RB Christian McCaffrey was responsible for a rush
The 49ers defense technically could have only recorded one quarterback sack, but they racked up a whopping 27 pressures: one sack, five hits and 21 hurries on Stafford during the game’s 60 minutes.
The Rams’ game plan was for Stafford to get the ball out quickly to neutralize the 49ers’ formidable defensive line, which was effective.
Defensive line:
Nick Bosa: 92.1 overall rating: three hits, two hurries, one run stop
Javon Hargrave – 68.7 Overall Rating – Five Hurries, One Run Stop
Javon Kinlaw: 83.8 overall grade (second highest of his career): four hurries, one batted pass
Kevin Givens: 67.2 overall rating: a hit, a rush
Drake Jackson – 71.5 Overall Rating – Three Hurries, One Run Stop
Clelin Ferrell: 48.6 overall rating: a success, a hurry
Kerry Hyder – 52.7 Overall Rating – A Rush
Arik Armstead – 67.4 Overall Rating – One Hurry, Two Stops to Run
Fred Warner was responsible for the only quarterback sack of the day.
Pass coverage:
CB Isaiah Oliver: 75.4 coverage grade, allowed five receptions on six attempts, but only for 29 yards and recorded one interception.
S Tashaun Gipson: 71.2 coverage score, no catches allowed on one down
CB Charvarius Ward: 68.5 coverage rating, allowed 10 catches on 11 attempts for 88 yards, one forced incompletion, one pass deflection
LB Dre Greenlaw: 68.1 coverage score, allowed three receptions on seven attempts for 23 yards
LB Fred Warner: 67.0 coverage score, allowed three receptions on five attempts for 24 yards
CB Ambry Thomas: 59.5 coverage score, allowed four receptions on four attempts for 31 yards
S Talanoa Hufanga: 54.0 coverage score, allowed two catches on four attempts for 27 yards
CB Deommodore Lenoir: 46.3 coverage score, allowed seven receptions on 11 attempts for 85 yards, one interception
Scraps:
Pressure on Stafford:
The Rams quarterback was blitzed on only two of his 20 first-half dropbacks or 10 percent, and under pressure four dropbacks or 20 percent. Stafford completed 14 of his 18 attempts for 183 yards, 7.9 yards per attempt, one touchdown and a passer rating of 118.3.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks turned up the pressure in the second half, attacking 32.5 percent of Stafford’s dropbacks and pressuring 45 percent. Stafford’s production dropped significantly completing only 20 of his 37 attempts for 164 yards, two interceptions, an average of 4.4 yards per attempt and a rating of 43.1.
When under pressure, over the course of the entire game, Stafford only completed seven of his 20 attempts for 60 yards, one interception and a rating of 22.9.
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