The San Francisco 49ers sit at 6-3 after a convincing win over the New York Giants. Following a thorough beating from the Houston Texans, the 49ers played bully on Sunday and ran the football right at the Giants and their defense. The 49ers’ offensive line did a much better job protecting Mac Jones, even against the vaunted Giants front four, and the defense was very solid in coverage and the back end.
But which two players bounced back on Sunday?
Offense: Dominick Puni
It was a rough go for Puni and
the offensive line against Houston two Sundays ago. Puni allowed two pressures, a hurry and a QB hit. In true pass sets, Puni struggled even more with a pass-rushing grade of 40.7. The running game was stuck in neutral against Houston, but Puni finished with a respectable 61.3 run blocking grade and a 65.1 run blocking grade on zone runs.
Fast forward to Sunday against the Giants, and Puni was stellar. With only allowing a pressure and a hurry on 29 pass blocking snaps, Puni racked up a 74.0 pass blocking grade and a 71.5 pass blocking grade in true pass sets. On the day, Puni finished with the highest offensive grade (89.4), and finished second in run blocking at 86.4 to Colton McKivitz. On zone runs, Puni was the second-highest graded run blocker at 90.0. It was a great day for the run game, the offensive line, and Puni.
Defense: Ji’Ayir Brown & Malik Mustapha
The safety duo struggled to slow down the Texans and their passing attack, allowing six catches for 121 yards and a touchdown combined. Ji’Ayir Brown allowed a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted, and Mustapha allowed a 116.7 passer rating. Brown also missed a team-high two tackles for a missed tackle rate of 28.6%. It was a rough day for the duo.
On Sunday, Mustapha and Brown allowed 17 yards combined on four catches. Brown finished with a PBU on a play in the end zone, also. On the day, Brown finished with a 75.8 coverage grade, and Mustapha finished with a 70.5 coverage grade. Oh, Mustapha and Brown finished second and third in overall defensive grade with 74.0 and 70.7 defensive grades, respectively.
Did I miss a bounce-back performance? Who do you think bounced back from the Houston game to help the 49ers dominate on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!
