49ers grades from one-sided road win over Jaguars in Week 11

49erse Offensive Grades vs. Jaguars

The 49ers managed 333 net yards of offense on Sunday against a noticeably good Jacksonville run defense, which limited much of what head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to do on the ground.

Yet Shanahan’s creativity, plus the multifaceted use of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, meant whatever the Jaguars tried to do on defense usually didn’t work.

Quarterback — B

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had his fourth quality game in a row, tossing 176 yards and two touchdowns against zero interceptions by going 16-of-22.

Tight end George Kittle hauled in one of those two touchdowns, while wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk hauled in the other, both passes in relatively tight spaces where there wasn’t a lot of room to operate.

True, Garoppolo missed a wide-open running back, Jeff Wilson Jr., on the Niners’ first red-zone drive, forcing the team to settle for a field goal.

Overall, though, Garoppolo should be satisfied with his performance, which was good enough to lead the way to rookie quarterback Trey Lance getting some garbage-time snaps.

Running Back — C

It was going to be tough for San Francisco to move the ball on the ground, both with starting running back Elijah Mitchell out with a finger injury and Jacksonville having allowed a mere 3.9 yards per carry against entering Week 11.

Wilson had the volume carries, 19 in total for 50 yards, but only averaged 2.6 yards per attempt. Rookie runner Trey Sermon, meanwhile, finally got into the action a bit, churning out 32 yards on 10 carries, but it’s evident the 49ers offense works much more efficiently with Mitchell’s speed and decisiveness.

Wide Receiver — B

Aiyuk might have been the Niners’ leading wide receiver with seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, using his growing ability against man coverage to his advantage with some key catches in contested situations.

But San Francisco’s offensive star was still Samuel, who had only one grab for 15 yards and is still shy of the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Yet Samuel ended up being the 49ers’ leading rusher with 79 yards on eight carries.

And this beautiful 25-yard touchdown run:

In terms of all-purpose use, there are few players in the NFL right now who have Samuel’s kind of impact, and he continued that trend despite the low receiving stats in Week 11.

Tight End — B+

Kittle, like Samuel, might not have been the yardage master in Jacksonville, but he was still a force in blocking and also added that touchdown, too.

That now makes three games in a row where Kittle has scored a touchdown.

Offensive Line — B

For the most part, Garoppolo was well protected against a still-stout Jaguars defensive front. And while Garoppolo took two sacks and four quarterback hits, the 49ers offensive line still was the better unit at the line of scrimmage.

Left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Laken Tomlinson remain dominant, while no one noticed right tackle Jaylon Moore.

That’s a good thing, considering Moore is filling a tough assignment in place of the injured Mike McGlinchey.