San Francisco 49ers: 2017 midterm positional grades after Week 8
By Peter Panacy
Special Teams
If there’s been a serious bonus to San Francisco’s otherwise bad season, it’s on special teams.
According to Football Outsiders, which uses the defensive-value-over-average (DVOA) metric, the 49ers are ranked sixth in the NFL with a 2017 DVOA of 4.7 percent. The higher the percentage, the better everyone on special teams is performing.
While this number is down from the 6.7 percent the Niners had after the Week 3 mark, it’s at least comforting to know the Niners are effective in one area of the field.
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Granted, there have been a few mistakes, such as returner Trent Taylor’s fumble on a punt return in Week 7 against the Cowboys. Kicker Robbie Gould has missed a couple of field goals, which haven’t helped the Niners chances. But that’s about it.
What the 49ers Are Doing Well
Taylor’s fumble was one of his few mistakes. Overall, he’s averaging 11.2 yards per return, which ranks seventh in the NFL halfway through the season. On the flip side, opponents aren’t gaining much of anything from their own punt returns. According to ESPN, the Niners are allowing just 2.2 yards per punt return — best in the league.
What Needs Improvement
While Taylor and San Francisco’s punt-coverage units have done their job, the Niners haven’t gotten a lot out of kick returner Victor Bolden, who ranks 15th in the NFL with an average of 20.2 yards per kickoff return.
This hasn’t helped the offense much, which is averaging a drive-starting location of the 49ers’ own 27.0-yard line — ranked 25th in the NFL.
Considering San Francisco’s offensive woes, better field position is a clear need.