The 49ers’ defense may not have shined on the report card in Sunday’s 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams, but PFF’s numbers show they had an impact on the game. It’s obvious that it was.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his offense looked unstoppable in the first half of the contest, scoring on each of their three possessions. The 49ers’ defense made some adjustments in the second half, causing two turnovers and ultimately clinching the victory for the “away team.”
Nick Bosa has yet to record a sack since signing a hefty extension with the team, but he’s still one of the best on defense, totaling five pressures (three hits, two hedgehogs). are recorded.
Fred Warner was the only 49ers defender to actually break through the Rams’ offense and knock Stafford to the ground. The All-Pro linebacker had a very productive tackle with eight total tackles (six solo, one run stop).
The Rams’ game plan was to attack using the short game, not allowing the defensive line to get to the quarterback. Warner was also effective in coverage, allowing three catches on five targets for just 24 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers’ offensive line improved significantly on Sunday, allowing 15 total pressures against quarterback Brock Purdy in their Week 1 performance, while allowing just 6 total pressures. It was only once. Technically, the 49ers’ quarterback has been fired once in Los Angeles, but PFF doesn’t believe any one player is at fault.
Here are the highlights of the 49ers’ Week 2 PFF performance.
QB Brock Purdy — 65.1
The 49ers quarterback struggled with deep passes Sunday, but his accuracy on intermediate throws was much higher. Purdy completed all four of his attempts, gaining 67 yards on throws between 10 and 19 yards downfield.
Those mid-range throws have been Purdy’s sweet spot throughout two weeks, completing 13 of 14 attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown and a 142.6 passer rating.
RB Christian McCaffrey – 65.5
The running back played 100 percent of the 49ers’ 57 offensive plays, carrying the ball 20 times for 116 yards and one touchdown. The All-Pro ball carrier caught all three targets and he gained 19 yards.
Perhaps the most impressive statistic for McCaffrey is that 99 of his 116 rushing yards came after contact. The ball carrier was forced into seven missed tackles on the rush Sunday, increasing his season total to 12, leading the NFL.
WR Deebo Samuel – 71.1
The “wideback” returned to his ball-running style in Los Angeles, finishing with five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown. Samuel also caught six of nine targets for 63 yards, three of which were first downs.
Offensive line:
LT Trent Williams — 83.4 overall, 88.4 pass block
LG Aaron Banks — 55.2 overall, 86.7 pass blocking
C Jake Brendel — 63.8 overall, 66.9 pass block (1 rush)
RG Spencer Burford — 27.8 overall, 0.0 pass block (3 hurries)
RT Colton Mackiewicz — 58.1 overall, 61.0 pass block (1 hit)
RB Christian McCaffrey was responsible for one rush.
The 49ers defense may have technically only recorded one quarterback sack, but they had 27 total against Stafford over the course of 60 minutes: one sack, five hits, and 21 hurries. It put a lot of pressure on me.
The Rams’ game plan was for Stafford to get the ball out quickly and neutralize the 49ers’ formidable defensive line, and it worked.
Defense line:
Nick Bosa: 92.1 overall grade – 3 hits, 2 fast breaks, 1 run stop.
Javon Hargrave: 68.7 overall grade – 5 rushes, 1 run stop.
Javon Kinlaw: 83.8 overall grade (second-highest of his career) – 4 rushes, 1 pass hit.
Kevin Givens: 67.2 overall grade – 1 hit, 1 rush.
Drake Jackson: 71.5 overall grade – 3 rushes, 1 run stop.
Clelin Ferrell: 48.6 overall grade – 1 hit, 1 rush.
Kelly Hyder: 52.7 Overall Grade – One Rush
Aric Armstead: 67.4 overall grade – 1 rush, 2 run stops.
Fred Warner committed the only quarterback sack of the day.
Path coverage:
CB Isaiah Oliver: Coverage grade of 75.4, allowed five catches on six attempts but only gained 29 yards and had an interception.
S Tashaun Gipson: Coverage score of 71.2, no catches allowed on 1 attempt.
CB Charvarius Ward: Coverage score of 68.5, allowed 10 catches on 11 attempts for 88 yards, 1 forced incompletion, 1 pass breakup.
LB Dre Greenlaw: Coverage score of 68.1, gained 23 yards and allowed three catches on seven attempts.
LB Fred Warner: 67.0 coverage score, gained 24 yards and allowed 3 catches on 5 attempts.
CB Ambry Thomas: Coverage score of 59.5, allowing 4 catches for 31 yards on 4 attempts.
S Talanoa Hufanga: 54.0 coverage score, allowed two catches for 27 yards on four attempts.
CB Deomodore Lenoir: 46.3 coverage score, allowed 7 catches on 11 attempts for 85 yards, 1 interception.
Odds and ends:
Pressure on Stafford:
The Rams’ quarterback was blitzed on just 2 of 20 dropbacks (10%) in the first half and failed on 4 dropbacks (20%) under pressure. Stafford completed 14 of 18 attempts for 183 yards, 7.9 yards per attempt, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 118.3.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes ramped up the pressure in the second half, hitting 32.5 percent of Stafford’s dropbacks and forcing pressure on 45 percent. Stafford’s production dropped significantly, as he completed just 20 of 37 attempts for 164 yards and two interceptions, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt and a 43.1 rating.
When under pressure, Stafford had only seven of 20 attempts for 60 yards, one interception, and a 22.9 rating throughout the game.
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