Panthers vs. 49ers: Position grades, analysis from Week 8 domination

49ers Offensive Grades

With a game like this, not many players are leaving this game with a low grade.

Quarterbacks: A-

Nick Mullens received game action, a sign of how dominant the Niners were on offense. He led the Niners to a touchdown on his first play, so maybe there is a quarterback controversy in Santa Clara (we’re joking here, in case you were seriously wondering).

In all reality, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played very well, again making sure the Niners were constantly in a position to win. He finished 18-of-22 for 175 yards with two touchdowns. His throw to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was a beauty.

Garoppolo continues to make one bad play a game, this time with an interception by Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly on a pass intended for tight end George Kittle:

This is a terrible read by Garoppolo. Kuechly is clearly blanketing Kittle on the play. Furthermore, wide receiver Dante Pettis was wide open on the out route.

However, the Niners did win. And apart from that play, Garoppolo played very well. The next step for Jimmy G is losing these bone-headed plays.

Running backs: A++

Running back Tevin Coleman had a day, finishing with 118 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. That type of production is exactly why head coach Kyle Shanahan splurged in free agency, picking Coleman up for $5 million a year.

It wasn’t just Coleman, though. Raheem Mostert had a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Matt Breida, before he got hurt, was running pretty well. Even without their star fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, to lead the way and their bookend tackles cleaning out the outside, the 49ers running backs continue to wreak havoc on the league.

Wide receivers: A

The 49ers simply don’t use their wide receivers as extensively as other teams do, but this game, the Niners receivers made sure to make an impact. Both Deebo Samuel and the newly acquired Emmanuel Sanders had touchdowns, and no wide receiver had a noticeably bad day.

The harsh reality of the 49ers offense is the wide receiver core simply won’t be the focal point of the offense. That said, given their opportunities, they did what they had to do and helped the 49ers to victory.

Tight Ends: A+

Kittle continues to be a monster, absolutely wrecking shop whenever he gets on the field. He finished with 86 yards on six targets, yet another game where he led the team in receiving yards.

Ross Dwelley also continued to put in the dirty work, as he fills in at the fullback position. Together, the two tight ends allowed the 49ers to run their scheme as they wanted to.

Offensive Line: A

The 49ers offensive line was on a mission. They dominated the run game, allowing the running backs to ride roughshod over the rest of the league. That was a clinic.

In pass protection, tackles Justin Skule and Daniel Brunskill both got beat by Bruce Irvin, with one sack resulting in a safety. Skule will likely move back to the bench with Joe Staley returning, but as the game tape showed, the young tackles played relatively well.

The offense as a whole played very well, indicative of the 50-burger they put up.