49ers grades and analysis following Week 1 win over Buccaneers

49ers Offensive Grades

As you saw from the brief game summary, San Francisco’s offense did not play particularly well.

There was a ton of sloppiness and not a lot of cohesiveness, both through the air and on the ground.

Quarterback: C-

Jimmy Garoppolo was incredibly rusty. This was more like what I anticipated for his first preseason game, not the season opener. The only reason he doesn’t reach a D-grade is because he limited his turnovers to one, a costly interception, and he managed to throw a touchdown.

But this was not what you want to see from your $20 million quarterback.

Todd Bowles, defensive coordinator of the Bucs, had a terrific pressure package in place, and he rattled Garoppolo. Throws were off time and off target. He didn’t have a strong control of the offense, he didn’t anticipate his throws very well, there isn’t really much to praise him on.

There was this one throw to Richie James, which served as a brief glimpse into what could be with this offense:

This is the Jimmy G fans want to see.

Running Backs: C+

The running game for the 49ers was just locked up from start to finish. That doesn’t inherently fall on the backs themselves, but there was nothing to talk about.

Tevin Coleman exited the game with an ankle injury, which is a major blow for a suddenly thinning running back group. There was a drive in the third quarter where the 49ers finally commanded the run.

That was the only drive.

On the positive side, Raheem Mostert played pretty well in the limited chances he got, with 40 yards on only nine carriers. With Coleman potentially sidelined, this can give Mostert the opportunity he needs to be more than a special-teams player.

Wide Receivers: D+

The entire offense did struggle, something that relates to head coach Kyle Shanahan more than any specific position group. But the wide receivers were non-descript from the beginning. Except for the aforementioned James touchdown, the biggest play from the 49ers receiving corps was Deebo Samuel’s fumble, one that could have cost the 49ers the game.

The biggest thing from the 49ers wide receivers was the absence of Dante Pettis. Pettis barely played, with most of the snaps being taken by Samuel and Kendrick Bourne.

The 49ers have a plan for this second-year receiver, but what it is is up in the air.

Tight Ends: B

George Kittle was the leading receiver for the 49ers and had two touchdowns taken away by penalties. He made the most of his opportunities, but again, the overall ineptitude of the offense takes away from what could have been a terrific day.

Offensive Line: F

The 49ers offensive line was not ready to be challenged by the Bucs. This unit committed several penalties. And when it didn’t get called for a flag, it got beat.

It wasn’t just pass blocking; the O-line didn’t execute against the run either. Just overall, the blocking was not up to par, and that led to a disjointed offense.

Mike McGlinchey getting flagged for being off the line of scrimmage, taking away a touchdown, was indicative of the O-line’s performance.