49ers position grades, analysis from Week 16 win vs. Rams

49ers offensive grades

While he had some big moments, Jimmy Garoppolo struggled during the game which might be the target of closer scrutiny if not for his ability to come up in the clutch.

Garoppolo finished 16-of-27 passing for 248 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. One interception was his fault when he didn’t see cornerback Jalen Ramsey undercut the pass, while the second was a great defensive play by Ramsey on an otherwise accurate pass that popped into the air and was intercepted.

Garoppolo showed poor touch on some passes, while heavy pressure created other problems as well. He did have nice moments, however, and his leadership is beyond question. So is his clutch ability.

When it comes down to it, he did enough to help his team to win.

It’s a shame the Niners found themselves in a early deficit, because it caused them to abandon the running game at times.

Raheem Mostert ran 11 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Tevin Coleman did well as the backup with five carries for 33 yards.

Kyle Juszczyk got onto the stat sheet with a catch for 23 yards.

If the 49ers had gotten a bigger lead and relied more on the run, it would have been interesting to see how their stats would have finished up.

It would have been a grade similar to Garoppolo for the wide receivers, but like Garoppolo, they had the benefit of coming through in the clutch to really bump up this grade.

Deebo Samuel once again goes from strength to strength for the 49ers. He served double duty with four catches for 31 yards as a receiver and as a change-of-pace running back with three carries for 28 yards and a touchdown.

Emmanuel Sanders reeled in the bomb that was effectively the game-winning reception and finished with three catches for 61 yards. Kendrick Bourne had two catches for 29 yards, but one of the catches was the clutch catch on 3rd-and-16 late in the game.

Anything George Kittle touches, turns to absolute gold.

Five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown (essentially a third of the receiving stats, minus the touchdown where he was the only receiver to have one) and his trademark blocking was on hand to see.

His touchdown was a thing of beauty between Garoppolo and Kittle: Garoppolo buying time by running to the sideline before firing it to Kittle who had broken free of double coverage.

Even Ross Dwelley had a splash play with his only catch going for 25 yards.

The tight end position continues to be a beacon for the 49ers offense.

Unfortunately, there was no real heroics from the offensive line which just frankly struggled.

The injuries to the interior are a bridge too far, and the 49ers need some help in the interior trenches either in the draft or free agency. This is true especially of center, where backup Ben Garland struggled with shotgun snaps being too high or low.

Luckily, a range of linemen are available in the draft. Some of which are on the Niner Noise 49ers big board which can be found here.

The 49ers were fine in run blocking, but letting Garoppolo get sacked six times (including in the final drive where good offensive play dug the 49ers out of holes they shouldn’t have been in) shows San Francisco needs more.

Granted, it was a tough defense to go against, but the 49ers offensive line is still in need of some depth.