49ers grades, analysis from refreshing Week 8 win vs. Bears

49ers Week 8 Grades: Coaching

DeMeco Ryans still has a lot of learning to do, and that was pretty apparent throughout the game and in light of all the struggles San Francisco’s defense had against Justin Fields on Sunday.

In one small positive, though, the sheer volume of defensive pass-interference calls went down a lot, and the 49ers weren’t hit by repeated flags in this category after being subjected to them at regular intervals in Week 7 against the Colts.

So, perhaps, all that mid-week preparation to guard against committing pass interference paid off. Now, it’s going to be about putting defenders into better positions to cut off rushing lanes against mobile quarterbacks while also not sacrificing those crucial interior rush lanes, too.

For Kyle Shanahan, the first half saw a lot of the same problems the head coach has been dogged with in recent weeks, namely the lack of a systematic approach and an overall lack of rhythm.

Fortunately, Shanahan seemed to figure out the woes as the game wore on, finding out what would work against a still-talented Bears defense.

A lot of this had to do with continuing reliance on Elijah Mitchell, particularly working towards getting those outside runs going in the wake of largely abandoning them in previous weeks.

Oh, and it was also beneficial for Shanahan to call Brandon Aiyuk’s name a lot, too.

Grade: B-