Position grades, analysis from 49ers NFC West-clinching victory over Seahawks

49ers special teams and coaching grades

Special teams: C+

Kicker Robbie Gould made both his field goals, which was good. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky wasn’t a liability when punting the ball away. That was also good.

The bad included Wishnowsky kicking the ball out of bounds on a fourth-quarter kickoff and special teams being shoddy in punt coverage and punt returns. As the Niners move on, little things will begin to matter much more.

Special teams is a place where teams can get that extra edge (see the Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots as examples). The 49ers won this game despite miscues with this unit, something that may not happen as the team moves forward.

San Francisco 49ers

Coaching: B-

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had a stellar game plan for a 30-minute game, but his game plan didn’t work for the full 60. It felt like the Niners made no discernible adjustments after the break, and the Seahawks walked down the field repeatedly in the second half. Saleh has had his moments with key adjustments to stifle an opposition’s attack; this was not one of them.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan had a terrific game as an offensive play caller, putting his team in position to score almost every time. A few bad screen calls mire that, but overall great work from the head coach. However, where Shanahan may have had a problem is with the game-management part, most specifically when the Niners were up 10-0 and had a 4th-and-1 at the 6-yard line.

The Niners opted to kick and go up 13-0, a move that could be justified given the game flow. But it was not the right decision to make. Think about this way: If the Niners don’t convert there, but the rest of the game goes the same way, the Niners would be up 24-21 (this assumes they just kick the PAT on their second touchdown). That’s not horrible, although the Seahawks probably get a chance to tie with a kick. If they converted it and scored a touchdown, the Niners would have been up 31-21 when the Seahawks made their final march.

That game would have been over.

And then, with a little more than two minutes to go, the Niners had another 4th-and-1, this time on their own side of the field. That decision is completely linked to being up five versus 10. The 49ers did win, when it’s all said and done, but results don’t justify actions.

This played out the same way the Niners’ grueling loss to the Falcons did, only the inches were in the Niners favor this time.

WIth all that said, the 49ers can rest, relax, heal up and get ready to sit at Levi’s Stadium for the postseason. It’s a wonderful feeling to end the decade.