49ers vs. Seahawks: Position grades from San Francisco’s blowout loss

Offensive Grades

Quarterback

Mullens showed vast improvement after his poor showing in Week 12. The youngster still made his fair share of mistakes, including taking a third-down sack that knocked the team out of field-goal range and his late goal-line interception, but he wasn’t the reason the 49ers lost this football game. After finishing the contest with a passer rating of 95.3 and a yards-per-attempt average of 8.6, Mullens earned himself another start, and may continue under center for the Niners for the remainder of the 2018 season.

Grade: C

Running Back

San Francisco didn’t have a productive day on the ground, as Breida got dinged up pre-game and was supplemented by Wilson, who was forced to fight through injury as well. Breida finished the game with just six yards on five carries, while Wilson tallied 61 yards at a 4-yard-per-carry clip, and fumbled in the red zone although the rookie appeared to be down before he lost the ball. However, both running backs were active in the passing game. Wilson finished the day with eight receptions for 73 receiving yards and Breida added 51 yards on three catches.

Grade: C-

Wide Receiver / Tight End

Sunday was Pettis’ breakout rookie performance, as the wideout hauled in five passes for 129 yards and a pair of scores, including his impressive 75-yard score. Pettis did miss a third-down conversion when he was unaware of the location of the first-down marker, but the 49ers were able to move the sticks on the following play. Tight end George Kittle was again fairly quiet — at least by Kittle’s standards — with six catches for 70 yards. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne added 60 yards on four catches, and Trent Taylor had a single reception for 11 yards.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The 49ers’ offensive line didn’t look like a cohesive unit that has been playing together throughout the season. San Francisco’s blocking problems were worst in the interior of their offensive line, as the trio of linemen missed assignments, failed to open running lanes for the Niners’ RBs, and left Mullens in constant pressure on passing downs. Center Weston Richburg also airmailed a shotgun snap over his quarterback’s head in what has become a disappointing season for the expensive free-agent acquisition.

Grade: D