49ers vs. Packers: Position grades and analysis for San Francisco

Special Teams and Coaching

Special Teams

Kicker Robbie Gould made all three of his field goal attempts as well as his three extra point tries, but he didn’t put each kick down the middle of the uprights like he usually does. Punter Bradley Pinion had a good game, as his three punts averaged 42 yards, with just one return for six yards. And two of Pinion’s kickoffs were returned, but for only 20.5 yards a return. James averaged 27 yards on four kickoff returns after cornerback D.J. Reed fumbled his lone kickoff return, which led to a score for the Packers. Reed likely lost his job after his second fumble of the season.

Grade: C+

Coaching

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan coached well in the first half and poorly in the second half. Shanahan is well aware of Rodgers’ ability to lead his team to victory; the head coach needed to be more aggressive in the second half in order to put the game out of reach. Shanahan continued to run on second-and-long, and he called too many consecutive unsuccessful running plays, which forced Beathard into difficult third downs. Shanahan showed some development in his clock management skills in the first half with a conservative but intelligent decision, but unfortunately, he continued to be far too conservative as the game progressed:

With each passing loss, 49ers defense coordinator Robert Saleh’s seat gets hotter and hotter. Saleh continues to utilize the wrong personnel, and makes extremely confusing play calls when his defense is in the red zone. The 49ers still have problems tackling and regular breakdowns in coverage, and the 49ers’ DC isn’t getting the production he should be getting out of his talented linebacking corps. The season is still young, but Saleh’s long-term future with the team will remain in question if his defense doesn’t show stark improvement.

Grade: C-

Next Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers will be back home at Levi’s Stadium for a showdown with the undefeated Los Angeles Rams.