49ers game grades from seemingly dominant Week 4 win over Cardinals

49ers Defensive Grades

The defense started out strong, but eventually, it was worn down, allowing the Cardinals to move the ball far more easily than they should have been able to on both ends of halftime.

49ers Rushing Defense

A mediocre day stopping the run for San Francisco, though that has more to do with Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs scrambling. But running back James Conner finished with 52 yards on 11 carries, a 4.7 YPC that will not cut it for the high standard the 49ers defense holds itself to.

Dobbs was able to get free on a couple of scrambles, something the Niners defense did well against the Giants but struggled with a bit on Sunday. The Cardinals never had a chance to take the game over, though, so the rushing efficiency will just go down as a byproduct of the game, but it's something to work on.

Grade: B-

49ers Passing Defense

The 49ers pass defense allowed too many yards. Even if you take "garbage time" yards out of the equation, there was an ease in moving the ball through the air that is simply unacceptable for a defense of this caliber.

Dobbs finished with 265 yards on 41 attempts and a passer rating over 100.

What made the situation more frustrating for San Francisco was that Dobbs was typically playing into the defensive schemes, with short passes that the 49ers had to corral.

But the defensive line had pressure without sacks, and the Cardinals offense never had to go backward. Add in a couple of explosive plays that the Niners could ill-afford, and the Cardinals were able to move the ball with ease.

The Cardinals sustained long drives, and they found the soft spots in the zone. The 49ers won handily, and they raced to a big lead because of their defensive pass play, so it wasn't all bad. But it was disappointing, especially compared to last Thursday.

Grade: C+