The 49ers’ defense may not have lit up the stat sheet in their 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but according to their PFF grade, they clearly impacted the game.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his offense looked unstoppable in the first half, scoring on each of their three possessions. The 49ers defense made adjustments in the second half and caused two turnovers that ultimately sealed the win for the “away team”.
Nick Bosa still hasn’t recorded a sack since signing a lucrative extension with the team, but he still earned the highest grade on defense as he recorded five total pressures – three hits and two hurries.
Fred Warner was the only 49ers linebacker to actually get past the Rams’ offensive line and bring Stafford to the ground. The All-Pro linebacker also recorded a very productive eight total tackles – six solo and one stop.
The Rams game plan was to attack with the short game and not allow 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 hand, the 49ers’ offensive line was much improved on Sunday, allowing just six total pressures on quarterback Brock Purdy after 15 total pressures in their Week 1 performance. The 49ers’ quarterback was technically sacked once in Los Angeles, but PFF did not hold any player responsible.
Here are the highlights of the 49ers’ Week 2 PFF rankings:
QB Brock Purdy — 65.1
The 49ers quarterback struggled with his deep passes on Sunday, but was much more accurate on intermediate throws. Purdy completed all four of his attempts for 67 yards on throws of 10-19 yards down the field.
Those mid-range throws were Purdy’s sweet spot through two weeks, as he completed 13 of 14 attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown and a 142.6 passer rating.
RB Christian McCaffrey – 65.5
The running back completed 100 percent of the 49ers’ 57 offensive plays, carrying 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 rushing yards came after contact. The ball carrier forced seven fumbles Sunday, upping 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, hauling in five carries for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown. Samuel also caught six of his nine targets for 63 yards, three of which went 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 (one rush)
RG Spencer Burford – 27.8 overall, 0.0 pass block (three hurries)
RT Colton McKivitz – 58.1 overall, 61.0 pass blocking (one interception)
RB Christian McCaffrey was responsible for one rush
The 49ers defense could only technically record one quarterback sack, but they piled up a whopping 27 pressures — one sack, five hits and 21 hurries on Stafford over the 60-minute game.
The Rams’ game plan was for Stafford to get the ball out quickly to neutralize the formidable 49ers defensive line, which was effective.
Line of defense:
Nick Bosa: 92.1 overall – three hits, two hurries, one stop
Javon Hargrave: 68.7 overall grade – five hurries, one stop
Javon Kinlaw: 83.8 overall grade (second highest in career) – four rushes, one pass breakup
Kevin Givens: 67.2 overall grade – one hit, one rush
Drake Jackson: 71.5 overall grade – three rushes, one stop
Clelin Ferrell: 48.6 overall grade – one hit, one rush
Kerry Hyder: 52.7 overall grade – one rush
Arik Armstead: 67.4 overall grade – one rush, two stops
Fred Warner was responsible for the only quarterback sack of the day
Pass coverage:
CB Isaiah Oliver: 75.4 coverage grade, allowed five catches on six attempts but only 29 yards and an interception
With Tashaun Gipson: 71.2 coverage score, no catches allowed per attempt
CB Charvarius Ward: 68.5 coverage grade, allowed 10 catches on 11 attempts for 88 yards, one forced incompletion, one pass breakup
LB Dre Greenlaw: 68.1 coverage score, allowed three catches on seven attempts for 23 yards
LB Fred Warner: 67.0 coverage score, allowed three catches on five attempts for 24 yards
CB Ambry Thomas: 59.5 coverage score, allowed four catches on four attempts for 31 yards
With Talanoa Hufanga: 54.0 coverage score, two catches allowed on four attempts for 27 yards
CB Deommodore Lenoir: 46.3 coverage grade, seven catches allowed on 11 attempts for 85 yards, one interception
Details:
Pressure on Stafford:
The Rams quarterback was hit on just two of his 20 first-half dropbacks, or 10 percent, and four dropbacks, or 20 percent, under pressure. 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, blitzing 32.5 percent of Stafford’s drops and getting pressured on 45 percent. Stafford’s production dipped significantly as he completed just 20 of his 37 attempts for 164 yards, two interceptions, a 4.4 yards per attempt average and a 43.1 rating.
When Stafford was pressured throughout the game, he completed just seven of his 20 attempts for 60 yards, one interception and a 22.9 rating.
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