49ers grades vs. Cardinals: Fourth-quarter collapses hurt Kyle Shanahan

Offensive Grades

While their offense is a total mess, the Cardinals defense still packs a bit of a punch. And early on, Arizona head coach Steve Wilks made it a point to load the box in an attempt to prevent running back Matt Breida and the 49ers ground game from beating them.

It worked pretty well, and San Francisco mustered just 267 yards of total offense — 107 of which came on the ground.

The Niners were going to have to figure out some things up front, especially with center Weston Richburg (knee) out for the game. That put backup offensive lineman Erik Magnuson into starting capacity, and the end result was, well… painful.

San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback

C.J. Beathard didn’t take a lot of risks. If anything, he looked hesitant and continued a problematic trend of holding onto the ball for too long. Three of the four sacks he took were likely on his shoulders.

He finished the day going 14-of-27 for 190 yards and a touchdown — a passer rating of 87.0. And while his 55-yard hookup with wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was nice and Beathard didn’t turn the ball over, it’s clear the quarterback has almost zero anticipation and pocket awareness.

He didn’t lose the game for San Francisco, per se. But he did very little to put the Niners in a position to win it.

Grade: C-

Running Back

Despite the 107 rush yards, none of the 49ers’ ball carriers had any massive impact on the game. While he was hobbled by an ankle injury, Breida managed just 42 yards on 16 carries — an average of 2.6 yards per attempt.

The Niners tried to get No. 3 running back Alfred Morris going. Outside of his 26-yard run in the second half, Morris was a non-factor. He had just two more yards on five more carries.

All against a Cardinals defense that had allowed more rush yards than any other squad in the NFL up until Week 8.

Grade: D

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Goodwin’s 55-yard touchdown grab was pretty cool. It briefly sparked San Francisco’s offensive efforts, helping open up the run game a bit:

And wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, starting in place of the injured Pierre Garçon, managed seven catches for 71 yards. If Garçon winds up being moved by the NFL trade deadline on Oct. 30, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Bourne assume a much larger role.

Tight end George Kittle had a decent game, hauling in five catches for 57 yards. But no one else through the air made an impact.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

The Cardinals did a good job preventing San Francisco’s offensive line from establishing consistent rush lanes for most of the game, although rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey continues to be a force in run support.

It’s hard to peg those four sacks on the O-line, though. Put in a quarterback with better pocket awareness, and that number would have been much lower.

Still, the O-line’s efforts in Week 8 will be defined by Magnuson’s high snap on the 49ers’ last play of the game when trailing by three. That sealed it for the Cardinals.

Grade: D+