SF 49ers receive high grades from impressive Week 6 win vs. LA Rams

SF 49ers Defensive Grades

The Niners stymied the Rams for the better part of three quarters, including holding Los Angeles to a 4-of-12 mark on third-down attempts and a 1-of-3 mark within the red zone.

The Rams own one of the league’s better third-down offenses and were particularly potent in the red zone coming into Week 6. San Francisco stopping those efforts to good effect was exceptional, and getting contributions from two cornerbacks, Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley, was crucial, too.

The SF 49ers defensive line is never going to be as potent this year without EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, yet there were some positive moments from this unit despite it not registering a sack on Rams quarterback Jared Goff.

Rookie defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, despite being flagged for two penalties, managed to swat down a Goff pass, while EDGE Kerry Hyder got himself another quarterback hit.

A C-plus grade might seem a bit harsh, although the D-line essentially did as good a job as it could be expected to do against a top offense.

Linebacker Fred Warner is elite. Seven combined tackles from Warner don’t tell the entire story, as he was regularly converging sideline to sideline making key tackles and limiting Los Angeles’ rushing attack early for two-plus quarters.

True, the Rams finished the game with 113 rush yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. But most of those totals came in the second half when the Niners offense was struggling to stay on the field, tiring out the defense.

Still, Warner’s playmaking efforts were crucial, and even second-year linebacker Dre Greenlaw delivered with some key red-zone plays, too.

One of those set things up nicely for Verrett.

Verrett has been exceptional for San Francisco’s defense this season, and he sure made his presence known Sunday night. He had two pass breakups, and his fourth-down red-zone interception off Goff helped ensure the Niners would preserve a two-possession game heading into the fourth quarter:

Moseley was flagged for two penalties, one of them being declined. Yet he was a major factor, too, tying with Greenlaw with seven tackles and also adding three passes broken up.

No, this wasn’t a secondary consisting of corners like Brian Allen and Dontae Johnson. Verrett and Moseley have to make San Francisco fans feel much better about the secondary.