49ers grades, analysis from dominant win vs. Commanders
49ers grades: Offense
Quarterback:
Brock Purdy refuses to be stopped, as the young quarterback because the first 49ers quarterback ever to go 3-0 in his first three starts.
Not John Brodie, not Y.A. Tittle, not Joe Montana, not Steve Young. Brock Purdy is the sole quarterback on that list.
Purdy went 15-of-22 passing for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that was absolutely no fault of his, Jauan Jennings somehow bobbling a pass right up into the air.
He was calm when under pressure and took the shots when available to him. This was the best defense he faced all season, and it hasn’t slowed him down. Only a slightly slow start from the first half stops this being a perfect grade.
Grade: A
Running backs:
The Commanders were quite good at shoring up the running lanes, so the 49ers were not as effective on the ground as they might have hoped.
Christian McCaffrey couldn’t find many holes with 15 carries for 46 yards only. He managed to salvage something for his fantasy owners with a touchdown late in the game. He surprisingly didn’t factor too much in the passing game either with 12 yards off only two receptions.
Rookie Tyrion Davis-Price had some rare carries but didn’t make the most of it, perhaps understandably so. He had 30 yards from nine carries.
Grade: C
Wide receivers:
Ray-Ray McCloud had the biggest impact play of the day, running 71 yards untouched on a wide receiver sweep to open the scoring. It was the most Deebo Samuel-esque play we’ve seen since the star wide receiver got hurt, and it shows McCloud can be a handy player to fill some of those shoes until Deebo gets back.
Brandon Aiyuk was his normal dependable self with five receptions for 81 yards, while Jauan Jennings had 21 yards off two receptions but was also fully responsible for the interception. A solid day out nonetheless.
Grade: B+
Tight ends:
George Kittle was the only tight end to register any stats, but what stats they were, with six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Kittle has really benefited from the change at quarterback, with Purdy having more chemistry with him than perhaps anyone else. Teams haven’t yet been able to find a way to stifle them or keep Kittle from breaking open deep.
Grade: A+
Offensive line:
Washington has one of the elite defensive lines in the NFL, so the blocking could be forgiven for having an off day.
Washington had three sacks and had additional pressure as well, particularly in the first half. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey has sometimes been unfairly maligned at times, but he really did struggle quite a bit vs. the Commanders.
To be fair they did perform better as the day went on, so it wasn’t a total disaster. However, they were defeated in the running portion, with Washington winning that battle in the trenches.
Grade: C+