SF 49ers grades, breakdowns from ugly Week 4 loss to Eagles

SF 49ers Offensive Grades

Interestingly enough, the SF 49ers managed to outgain the Eagles 417 yards to 267. And the Niners managed 25 first downs to Philadelphia’s 17.

But the turnover battle is what killed San Francisco’s chances, and Nick Mullens has to bear a lot of the blame here.

C.J. Beathard coming into the game saves this grade a little bit. But it’s important to note his 138 yards passing largely came against a prevent-type Eagles defense.

Mullens, however, marks this down a lot.

He went 18-of-26 for 200 yards, one touchdown against two interceptions for a 72.6 passer rating before being benched in the fourth quarter. Mullens’ second interception was particularly troublesome, too, a “gift” to Eagles linebacker Alex Singleton for a pick-six:

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1312952174083805185

No clue what Mullens saw there.

In addition, Mullens took a strip sack, which led to more Eagles points, and generally looked uncomfortable within the pocket when San Francisco’s running game broke down, thereby negating the effectiveness of play action.

It seemed as if Mullens’ overthrow of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, which would have at least been a huge gain if not a touchdown, set the tone for one of the quarterback’s worst games as a pro.

For the second straight week, the SF 49ers were without running backs Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, who were out with knee injuries.

This meant a lot of No. 3 tailback Jerick McKinnon, who struggled to get going in the first half against an Eagles defense that entered the game allowing an average of 3.4 yards per rush attempt.

While McKinnon managed to find a bit of rhythm after the half, he still finished with just 54 yards on 14 carries, an average of 3.9 yards per attempt.

Adding 43 yards on seven catches with a touchdown through the air helps save McKinnon’s grade a bit.

San Francisco sure was glad to get tight end George Kittle back from a two-game absence after his own knee injury.

Kittle was a stud during the game, hauling in all 15 of his targets for a whopping 183 yards and a touchdown. Without Kittle, the 49ers could have suffered a blowout loss, as he was clearly the team’s best offensive weapon.

This shouldn’t overlook the contributions from rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk, who found the end zone on one of the most impressive rushing touchdowns — and leaps — seen this season:

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1312920907971792902

Aiyuk had only two catches for 18 yards, but that 38-yard rushing touchdown made him a standout.

Second-year wide receiver Deebo Samuel returned to action after suffering his offseason foot injury, recording three catches for 35 yards and adding another 10 on the ground.

There’s no other way around it: San Francisco’s offensive line was terrible against a good Eagles defensive front.

Left tackle Trent Williams, the team’s best blocker, struggled in particular. He surrendered two of the five sacks the 49ers gave up, and he was also flagged with a crucial false start when the Niners were trying to stage their comeback in the fourth quarter.

Likewise, the rest of the O-line didn’t fare much better, allowing Philadelphia to shut down the run game early and get plenty of pressure on Mullens thereafter.

If there’s been a major offensive weakness for Kyle Shanahan this season, it’s come from this unit.