Game grades, analysis from 49ers narrow Week 10 win over Chargers

49ers Defensive Grades vs. Chargers

Defensive Line

Justin Herbert had only been sacked 10 times coming into the game, and San Francisco sacked him twice, and then it sacked the backup quarterback once for good measure.

While the 49ers’ pressure did not really mount up during the first half, when the game was on the line, the Niners’ pass rush was in Herbert’s face, even forcing the interception that sealed the game.

Grade: A-

Linebackers

Fred Warner continued his stellar play, Azeez Al-Shaair had a solid return to action, but Dre Greenlaw was all over the field. He finished with seven total tackles, six of them the solo kind, in just one half.

His ejection at the end of the first half was a bad call, but even before then, he had a pronounced coverage bust on the Chargers’ touchdown drive, and the flag is the flag.

Overall, though, he and the unit at large were active and aggressive.

Grade: B

Secondary

When the pressure wasn’t right in Herbert’s face, he was dicing the 49ers’ secondary up. Some of it was the byproduct of an elite quarterback doing elite things, but some of it was basic coverage busts (like on the Chargers touchdown) and just being beaten by a receiving core that was missing their two best receivers, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.

Talanoa Hufanga’s interception and the overall line paint the secondary as having a dominant performance, but it was a work in progress.

Grade: B-