49ers vs. Eagles: Full San Francisco Week 8 grades and analysis

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 29: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers tries to tackle Jalen Mills #31 of the Philadelphia Eagles after Mills intercepted his pass and ran it in for a touchdown in the second quarter on October 29, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Offensive Grades

In a way, this contest resembled a lot of what the 49ers endured in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers — a promising defensive effort, only let down by a lack of offensive output.

Granted, injuries to San Francisco’s offensive line — tackles Trent Brown (concussion), Garry Gilliam (knee) and Joe Staley (eye) — didn’t help, although the interior O-line play wasn’t particularly favorable for quarterback C.J. Beathard.

Overall, the Niners managed just 238 yards of offense over the course of the game and characteristically went 3-of-15 on third down.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 29: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers is sacked by Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Quarterback

All those fans clamoring for Beathard just a few weeks ago surely saw the reality he brings to the table.

Beathard was 17-of-36 for just 146 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions — a passer rating of 46.9 — although one of those interceptions, intended for wide receiver Aldrick Robinson, wasn’t entirely his fault.

The bigger issues for Beathard are the lack of pocket awareness and his tendency to throw behind his receiving targets. This was a frequent problem on Sunday.

Grade: F

Running Back

The Niners weren’t going to have an easy day on the ground against the Eagles’ No. 1-ranked run defense.

Carlos Hyde led all 49ers tailbacks with 12 carries for 25 yards — an average of 2.1 yards per carry, although the veteran did manage 22 yards receiving through the air. Still, rookie runner Matt Breida might have been the bigger storyline, even if Philadelphia’s run defense largely held San Francisco’s ground game in check.

Great job by Breida getting his first career touchdown, though:

Here's @MattBreida's first @nfl touchdown! #SFvsPHI pic.twitter.com/9HLtMZi0n0
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 29, 2017

Grade: D

Tight End

San Francisco’s tight ends, Garrett Celek, Cole Hikutini and George Kittle, weren’t the biggest of factors during the contest. And it’s likely they had to be part of the blocking efforts, as the Niners O-line was regularly giving up pressure to the Eagles’ solid pass rush.

Celek, Hikutini and Kittle all had catches, and Kittle’s 22-yard reception late in the third was neat.

Grade: D

Wide Receiver

Poor quarterback play affects and is caused by the ability of receivers to make an impact. Considering how bad Beathard looked under center, one can point out his receivers were neither aided nor helped the rookie quarterback.

San Francisco’s No. 1 receiver Pierre Garçon had just two catches for 17 yards before coming out with an injury.

Grade: F

Offensive Line

Injuries. Injuries are bad.

The Niners entered the game without Brown, putting Gilliam into a starter’s role instead. But even Gilliam was lost to an injury, eventually giving way to undrafted rookie Erik Magnuson seeing his first NFL action.

Combined with Staley’s absence, it’s easy to see why Beathard was under pressure all day and the Niners couldn’t get much out of the running game. Beathard was sacked four times and hit 12 times as well.

Grade: F