SF 49ers position grades from lopsided Week 3 win vs. NY Giants

Niner Noise lists position grades for the SF 49ers after their blowout 36-9 victory in Week 3 against the New York Giants.

After so many injuries last week, exactly how the SF 49ers were going to respond against the New York Giants in Week 3 was a matter of some debate.

Could they win with a backup quarterback, two running backs out, their best wide receiver and tight end out, their best pass-rushing defender out, one starting linebacker out and the psychological issue of playing on the same field that caused a lot of these injuries?

Well, we got our answer. The Niners didn’t just win, but blew out the Giants in a one-sided 36-9 score from MetLife Stadium.

Granted, the Giants are not exactly among the NFL elite right now, but it cannot be understated how well the 49ers looked as a team even though they weren’t at their best in terms of personnel.

After such a big win, these position grades will, of course, for the most part be very positive.

However, we do have some bad things to get out of the way as well.

Have a day, Nick Mullens.

How does 25-of-36 passing, 343 yards and a touchdown sound to everybody? All without throwing the ball deep as well?

Also not included was a second touchdown pass called back due to a hands-in-the-face penalty that was more because someone didn’t strap their helmet properly, as well as a potential third overthrown by a fraction.

Mullens is not someone who has a rocket arm. His talents lay in his work ethic and considerable mental talents in a position where the mental is just as important as the physical.

So while he wasn’t able to throw the ball deep, he was able to dissect the Giants defense and spread the ball around to a considerable ten different receivers on the day.

Short passes and play action were the order of the day. And after a sluggish start where he was barely completing half his passes, he caught fire and blew out the Giants on a day where the running game wasn’t happening.

If the SF 49ers could combine his mental strength to the considerable physical talents of injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers would be unstoppable.

The only (minor) criticism was a few passes were errant, with a few tips in particular lucky they flew the right way from being intercepted, but that doesn’t take away what was a player of the game performance by Mullens.