Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams wasn’t completely unexpected for the San Francisco 49ers, but man, was it deflating at times, given the lack of resistance from the defense. The 49ers’ defense actually generated one more pressure than the 15 against the Giants, but the back seven had a tough time holding up in coverage and against the run. Matthew Stafford is playing out of his mind right now, but the 49ers’ defense fell apart during many drives, especially the secondary. Finding a bounce-back
player for the defense wasn’t easy, but I found someone who fit the description. The 49ers’ offense was much easier given how Mac Jones looked on Sunday.
Defense: Dee Winters
Against the Giants, Winters was the lowest-graded defender at 43.1. With two missed tackles, the linebackers’ tackling grade sank to a 29.0. Winters finished with two tackles, three assists, and a defensive stop on 57 defensive snaps. The performance went overlooked as the 49ers dominated at MetLife Stadium. It wasn’t Winters’ best showing.
On Sunday, Winters was on the field for 63 defensive snaps (he exited for three snaps) and was far more impactful. The pass rush needed everything and everyone at their disposal, so Winters responded with three pressures and QB hits on eight pass rushing snaps. As far as the missed tackle issue, Winters finished with a team-high 80.1 tackling grade and didn’t miss a single tackle. Throw in the four defensive stops, and Winters bounced back from a poor showing against the Giants.
There wasn’t much to be happy about with the 49ers’ defense, but Winters did improve on his Week 9 performance.
Offense: George Kittle
Now, Kittle didn’t have a bad game against the Giants by any stretch of the imagination. Christian McCaffrey did the heavy lifting, but Sunday was Kittle’s game. In Week 9, Kittle finished with 32 yards on four catches as the 49ers rolled, running the football against the Giants. With a run blocking grade of 77.0, Kittle helped pave the road for McCaffrey and Brian Robinson.
Although the 49ers struggled at times to run the football against the Rams, Kittle finished with the second-highest pass blocking grade at 73.6 on four pass blocking snaps. As the highest-graded 49ers offensive player (81.5), Kittle put up big receiving numbers with nine catches, 84 yards, and a touchdown. The chemistry between Kittle and Jones is growing, but Brock Purdy may return this week.
If the 49ers are going to have any semblance of success down the stretch, the 49ers’ offense will need to do the heavy lifting.
