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

49ers Special Teams and Coaching Grades

49ers Special Teams

Kicker Jake Moody went 3-of-3 on field goals, including a 57-yard try that gave the 49ers the lead for the final time. The kick barely snuck in, but they count all the same.

He has continued to give the Niners confidence that they have found the kicker of the future.

The rest of the special teams played well enough. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had four punts, two of which were downed inside the 20-yard line, and one that took a bounce into the end zone. Return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud did not have much opportunity to return on punts, and the kickoff coverage showed no holes.

However, Moody kicked the ball out of bounds on a kickoff and seemed to be missing left on every kick. That is unacceptable in any circumstance, and there should never be a moment when the ball goes out of bounds.

It was only one play, but it set in motion the Rams touchdown drive, and in games when field position can determine everything, it was an unfathomable blunder.

49ers Coaching

San Francisco's offensive game plan against the Rams is always an attempt to mitigate how much damage All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald can cause, and to that extent, it worked well.

Donald finished with no sacks and was unable to change the game. It was nothing particularly special, but it got the job done.

Whatever the 49ers had planned on defense did not work very well in the first half, but credit Steve Wilks for finding a solution to get the Rams offense off kilter. That level of adjustability is an important part of any defense's success in the NFL.

The true success of the 49ers coaching was Kyle Shanahan's decision to go for it on 3rd-and-goal with one second left in the first half. It was a decision the Shanahan of a few years ago would likely not have made, but it changed the game entirely.

With Brock Purdy's touchdown on a sneak, the 49ers headed into halftime tied, which changed the complexion of a first half where they had been an inferior team.

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