SF 49ers position grades, analysis after costly Week 2 win vs. NY Jets

The SF 49ers convincingly beat the NY Jets 31-13 but ended up losing quite a bit. Niner Noise hands out position grades and analyzes the team’s performance.

Entering Week 2, the SF 49ers were already dealing with several injuries, placing cornerback Richard Sherman on short-term injured reserve, managing a new injury for defensive end Dee Ford, and dealing with an injured tight end, George Kittle, from last week. The team was depleted and, after a disappointing loss to a division rival in Week 1, was looking for a game to correct their issues.

Especially on offense.

In some ways, the Niners got what they wanted. The offense looked crisp, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked poised, and the defense played well. Yes, it was the New York Jets, but any momentum is positive momentum.

However the story of this game and the reason why, despite the one-sided 31-13 win, no SF 49ers fan is happy, are injuries.

Defensive end Nick Bosa got carted off the field after twisting his knee, a devastating injury that doesn’t look good at all. Solomon Thomas got injured and was carted off on the same series, and both players are feared to have torn their ACLs, effectively ending their seasons. Running back Raheem Mostert dealt with a knee injury that put him out after the first half, and Garoppolo got his legs cut under him, giving him a high-ankle sprain and taking him out of the game after halftime, and likely out for Week 3, to.

Some of those injuries are incredibly severe, others are less severe, but they all continue the trend of the Niners losing the war of attrition with player after player succumbing to the injury bug.

The game itself was quite satisfying to watch, though. The offense came right out the gate with a bang, scoring on a Mostert 80-yard touchdown scamper. From there, it was a steady trend for the first half with the SF 49ers offense moving down the field slowly and methodically for a score, and the Niners defense slowly giving up points before making timely stands.

Once the injuries took their toll, the second half was a much more dismal game. The offense had flashes when fellow tailback Jerick McKinnon took the ball, including a touchdown run. But by and large, both teams seemed content to get out of the game as healthy as they could be.

Though the injuries were a massive toll on the team, the SF 49ers overall performance was close to stellar.

Niner Noise hands out position grades from what happened.

SF 49ers Offensive Grades

Thirty-one points from the SF 49ers offense is a good day, but that doesn’t adequately describe how good the offense looked in the first half.

Quarterbacks: B+

Two quarterbacks played two different halves and had two different responsibilities, which makes giving a unified grade difficult. However, quarterbacking for this game was more than adequate, and at times, it looked phenomenal.

Jimmy Garoppolo in his one half of action, the majority of which came with a bum ankle, threw for 131 yards on 16 attempts with 14 catches. His two misses was a brutal drop by wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on a fantastic pass and a tightly contested play at the goal-line.

The injury took away from his mobility at times, yet somehow Garoppolo looked better after the injury than before it. He was composed under pressure, taking hits yet getting the ball out. His passes had a zip to them, and perhaps most encouraging, he was reading the field well. He looked like a quarterback the Niners could build around. The Jets passing defense is perhaps his easiest matchup on the schedule, but still, major improvement came from Garoppolo. He found the comfort zone I alluded to in my analysis of Week 1.

Nick Mullens came into the game having to protect a substantial lead, so obviously the offense was not meant to be as explosive as it could be. Mullens looked rusty, which is understandable, and his arm looked flat.

He was a little more timid, and his interception came off a poor throw Jerick McKinnon could have barely handled:

Overall, Garoppolo was spectacular even when injured, and Mullens was serviceable as a backup.

That’s all the SF 49ers could want from their depth chart.

Running Backs: A-

Two of the three major running backs for the 49ers played exceptional. Raheem Mostert got the majority of the snaps in the first half and immediately paid off with his 80-yard touchdown:

This is classic Mostert, foot in the ground, and go. The running game had some issues from here, but the Jets had one strength: their run defense, so the overall production was still good from the bell cow.

However, Mostert left the game at halftime with a knee injury, leaving the running back position up to the other two: McKinnon and Tevin Coleman.

Coleman had an abysmal day, rushing for 12 yards on 14 carries. His performance alone pulls down the running back grade, which is a shame because McKinnon played exceedingly well in his limited snaps.

Jet had three rushes for 77 yards, including a 55-yard scamper on 3rd-and-31 and a touchdown run for 16 yards:

Why Coleman had more carries than Mostert and McKinnon combined eludes me, but those two’s production was more than enough to make this a winning day for the San Francisco rushers.

Wide Receivers: A-

The 49ers offense again focused a lot on running backs and tight ends, with Mostert, McKinnon, and tight end Jordan Reed providing the peak offensive pressure. However, last week, the wide receivers were no threat at all. There was no trust, and they forced no pressure. This week was different.

Bourne had quite a day with 4 receptions for 67 yards as he was a consistent target. His drop on a Garoppolo dime hurts a little, but otherwise he played quite well. Slot receiver Trent Taylor was a decent target, with one of his receptions being his specialty: timely on third down.

He didn’t get much action, though.

The rookie, Brandon Aiyuk, also was not heavily featured. But when he did get his chances, he looked good. Strong, explosive, and most importantly aggressive, Aiyuk looked to be quite a player, and perhaps as the year goes on, his opportunities will expand as his snap count does as well.

The receivers didn’t have significantly more time in this game than the last one, but unlike last week, they came to play, and they produced.

Tight Ends: A+

Reed is no George Kittle; his run-blocking is not the same.

But as a receiver, Reed is a monster, and the SF 49ers truly benefited today.

His two touchdown grabs were both great plays by him after Garoppolo gave him an accurate pass. His seven receptions led the team, and his presence was impactful from the get-go. He did everything the Niners needed and more.

Offensive line: C+

The one damp spot of the entire game for the offense was the offensive line, which did not have a very clean game. The Jets brought pressure early and often, and the SF 49ers O-Line was not ready for it.

Left tackle Trent Williams had his typical game from the naked eye, but the rest of the line seemed to struggle. Laken Tomlinson gave up the sack that took Garoppolo’s ankle, and Mike McGlinchey in particular seemed to have a rough go of it.

With protection, as Garoppolo got in flashes, the offense hummed, and luckily the quarterback was able to get over the lack of it most of the time.

But cleaning up the pocket will be huge for future success.

SF 49ers Defensive Grades

Despite a bevy of injuries, the Niners defense held strong and flashed at times, putting a workmanlike effort.

Defensive Line: B

The defensive line constantly was buzzing with pressure early on, though the Jets countered it with quick passes. However, Arik Armstead missed a sack on a third down and the next plays after that were the flood of injuries, including a likely ACL tear for Nick Bosa.

After that, the pressure was less potent, but it was constant. The Niners got a sack, courtesy of Armstead, and generally, they made life miserable for Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. It wasn’t an elite performance, but it was plenty good enough, especially with all the players they were lacking.

Linebackers: A

The SF 49ers linebackers have the potential to be the best in the entire league, and when they are committed and disciplined, they play like it.

Fred Warner had himself a typical elite day with 12 tackles, Kwon Alexander wasn’t glaring over-anxious, and he made some plays, and Dre Greenlaw was quietly efficient while healthy.

The biggest play of the game, injuries notwithstanding, was a fourth-down stop with the Jets marching that essentially ended any momentum for their offense.

And like most good things for the SF 49ers defense, it was led by Fred Warner:

Overall it was a good game from the 49ers linebackers. No mistakes means they get an A-grade.

Secondary: B-

The way the Jets tried to combat the Niners pass rush was by hitting the flats and slants, taking advantage of soft coverage by the 49ers. Safety Jimmie Ward was playing too far away and was unable to stop a barrage of flat passes. The corners gave up 8-yard curls and outs quite often.

In the second half, things started to get better, thanks to an adjustment from defensive coordinator Robert Saleh with more aggressive man coverage. That said, the secondary still just played alright. Ahkello Witherspoon had himself a relatively rough day, though not terrible by any standards. Emmanuel Moseley had a penalty. That was about it.

The Jets offense midway through the second quarter became anemic, and the SF 49ers just let them fail on their own. Out of the three major position groups on defense, the secondary played the worst. They were just average.

SF 49ers Special-Teams and Coaching Grades

The 49ers had a pretty clean day on special teams, though there were a few issues that could be corrected.

Special teams: B+

The kicking unit nearly messed up their only opportunity, as a Robbie Gould kick hit the post and bounced in. His extra points were also trending towards the right post, so it was looking likely for a situation to arise.

Luckily, there was no issue, but it could be an issue in the future.

The punting game has been a revelation, in my opinion this year, with the notable exception of the blocked punt Week 1. Mitch Wishnowsky had four punts for an average of 49.8 yards, with two dropped inside the 20-yard line and a third nearly downed at the 1. It’s a small thing, but Wishnowsky wasn’t looking too good last year, and seeing his improvement is a good sign.

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The one qualm with special teams in Week 2 was kickoffs, where Dre Greenlaw got injured because the Niners weren’t kicking the ball through the end zone. With that lead, there’s no need to get cute. Just boot it and save your players the trouble and the pain.

Coaching: A-

Kyle Shanahan called a fine game on the offensive side, though his insistence on giving Tevin Coleman extended reps continues to baffle me. His offense took care of business. The only potential problem was how over-complicated plays could be. Sometimes, the simplest way to go is the best. But that’s a minor concern for a great job.

Robert Saleh had a big test without Dee Ford or Richard Sherman. He needed to prove his play-calling wasn’t carried by the 49ers talent.

In some ways, he succeeded.

The 49ers defense played well, giving up only a garbage-time touchdown. But his initial plan of defense was poor. The Jets feasted on the soft coverage Saleh offered both this week and last week. His adjustments in the second half were good enough to help seal the win, but Saleh needs to find different looks to make his defense harder to scheme against.

BONUS GRADE

Football Gods: F-

I’m being partially facetious, but the string of injuries the SF 49ers have dealt with during the Shanahan era has been incredulous. And this year, the team has seemed to fall apart before October.

There is plenty of time for some players to get healthy, and likely this upcoming Week 3 game will be the worst the Niners are, health-wise. But this recent string is simply terrible horrible bad luck.

Still, the NFL churns on, and despite the injuries, the Niners will pick it up next week against the Giants on the same field as they try to fight their way back to the playoffs and the Super Bowl.