49ers game grades from tough Week 2 victory over division-rival Rams

49ers Offensive Grades

Brock Purdy

A special paragraph for the second-year quarterback, who increased his record to 8-0 in regular-season games, Brock Purdy has played entirely true but also played arguably his worst game as a pro. Now if going 17-of-25 for 206 yards and a 93.1 passer rating is his worst game ever donning the red and gold, the 49ers will have drafted a Hall of Fame QB.

However, the stat sheet is not indicative of some of the acute struggles he had.

Purdy is an elite distributor, and that's what has gotten him so far with a team chockful of weapons. Several of his yards came on quick screens to running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, allowing his playmakers to attack with the ball in his hand.

But until the fourth quarter, Purdy seemed to struggle with his accuracy, particularly with the deep ball. He had opportunities to hit Samuel and fellow wideouts, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings on deep passes. Two of them (to Aiyuk and Samuel) would have likely been touchdowns, and the Jennings miss came on a crucial third down.

A few throws never define a quarterback, but in a game that seemed to hang in the balance for San Francisco, they could have been the difference from a close game to an absolute blowout.

The interception by Isaiah Oliver was a smart play off a bobble by Kyren Williams, and then Deommodore Lenoir undercut another Stafford pass to ding the Rams quarterback with two turnovers.

49ers Passing Offense

Segwaying from Purdy into the passing attack as a whole, the 49ers statistically got it done. Nothing was particularly flashy, most of it was short and intermediate, and it was a quiet day for Week 1 Offensive Player of the Week, Aiyuk, who seemed to be battling a shoulder ailment throughout the day.

The Niners offensive line held up decently in pass protection, but the game plan never required them to truly keep the Rams' defenders at bay.

The star of the passing attack was Samuel, who finished with six receptions for 63 yards. His yards were the typical Deebo variety, a hardnosed attack that powered for extra yards.

But, although the passing game produced, it lacked the explosiveness seen in Week 1.

49ers Rushing Offense

Here lies the Niners' bread and butter, and against the Rams, it was the rushing attack that ended up bringing them a victory.

It starts with McCaffrey, who notched his second 100-yard game of the season with 116 yards on 20 carries. Samuel joined the rushing attack as well with 38 yards on the ground, and Purdy had 5 yards on three carries, two of them quarterback sneaks.

All three players scored a touchdown on the ground as well.

The rushing numbers, though, tell a happier story than what happened in the game. McCaffrey gained 51 of his yards on a single run, Samuel 17 of his 38 on a single run as well, and Purdy 4 of his on one sneak.

Remove those chunk plays and the stats show a team that was not able to consistently churn yards on the ground.

That, of course, is not how the games work. Chunk plays matter and are a huge part of what offenses try to gain. The 49ers got it done on the ground, and their stats are skewed by a couple of drives near the end of the game.

But overall, the Niners would have loved for a more consistent showing on the ground, and they hope to improve on it for next week.