QUARTERBACK: ONE
Brock Purdy had another almost flawless match. This time he did it without Mike Evans, who went down in the first half with a rib injury, and Trent Williams, who went down in the second half with a stinger. These injuries didn’t affect Purdy at all. At the end of the game, his No. 1 wide receiver was Deebo Samuel, who finished with zero catches, although he scored after catching a lateral from Evans. Purdy also had a long run that should have been a touchdown, but it was called back due to a questionable holding penalty on George Kittle. Purdy is currently playing as well as any quarterback in the league and has a legitimate chance to win MVP if he maintains this level of play. The 49ers need him to keep it up because he is carrying the team right now.
RUNNING BACK: A-MINUS
Christian McCaffrey only rushed 15 times, but averaged 5 yards per carry and scored a touchdown, meaning the reduced workload is having a positive impact on his performance. Kaelon Black was averaging just 4.3 yards per carry and could still be hampered by a groin strain. Kyle Juszczyk, who was fined twice last week for illegal celebrations, didn’t catch a pass today.
WIDE RECEIVERS: B
Mike Evans took a big hit to the ribs on the 49ers’ second offensive play, stayed in the game, caught a 23-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, then collapsed on the field late in the second quarter as he struggled to breathe. According to Ian Rapoport, Evans is suffering from a rib strain, which is extremely painful and can take up to six weeks to heal. Without Evans, the 49ers’ leading receiver was Jordan Watkins, who had two catches for 60 yards. Deebo Samuel technically had no catches, but he also had an 80-yard touchdown on a hook and ladder play, and he also had 14 rushing yards on two carries. Looking back, his touchdown made the difference in the game. He’s not the wide receiver he once was, but he’s still dangerous when used correctly, and if anyone knows how to use him correctly, it’s Kyle Shanahan.
TIGHT ENDS: A
Mike Evans went down and someone had to step up and become the new No. 1 option in the passing game. Of course, the player who stood up was George Kittle, who finished the game with 6 catches for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. This man tore his Achilles tendon just eight months ago, and he’s already back at Hall of Fame level. He is not human.
OFFENSIVE LINE PLAYERS: A
The offense averaged 6.1 yards per carry and had no sacks, and it was without Trent Williams for most of the second half. It’s amazing how offensive line coach Chris Foerster gets this bunch of misfits to punch above their weight every week. He’s the most underrated coach on the team.
DEFENSIVE LINES: B-MINUS
Kris Kocurek is also a very good position coach. Today, he got a defensive line missing six players, including Nick Bosa, to sack Jacoby Brissett twice and limit the Cardinals to just 94 rushing yards on 27 carries (3.4 yards per attempt). Rookie Gracen Halton played particularly well – he had a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. He’s clearly the healthiest rookie on the team right now. Thank goodness they drafted him in the fourth round.
LINEBACKERS: B-PLUS
Fred Warner finished the game with 17 tackles, one quarterback hit and one tackle for loss. He has to be a top 10 player in the NFL, regardless of position. He is also one of the best 49ers of all time. His sidekick, Dre Greenlaw, played well, recording 8 tackles, until he left the game with a quad injury. The 49ers put him back on the field for one play, didn’t like what they saw and shut him down for the rest of the game. Greenlaw had a quad issue last year in Denver that persisted. It is unknown if this quad injury is related. Either way, it’s not good. He’s another older, injury-prone player.
DEFENSIVES: C-MINUS
They didn’t allow a single long pass, but they allowed 38 completions and two touchdowns to an offense led by Jacoby Brissett, who scares no one. Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green both left the game temporarily to be checked for concussions before returning. It will be interesting to see if their symptoms return this week. Overall, it’s troubling that this group couldn’t intercept Brissett even once, even though he threw 52 passes. These defensive backs gave big cushions and played conservatively, which makes sense given the current injuries to the 49ers defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
Eddy Pineiro made a 57-yard field goal just before halftime – it was incredible – but he also missed two extra points, and those misses kept the Cardinals in the game. Pineiro is somehow more accurate at making field goals than at making extra points, which seems impossible, but it’s true. Additionally, Siran Neal let a punt hit his foot and the Cardinals recovered, almost costing the 49ers the game. Luckily for them, their offense saved them.
COACHES: A
Give Raheem Morris credit – his defense didn’t give up any explosive plays despite missing six defensive linemen. Sure, the 49ers were murdered on the possession, but Morris was able to limit the Cardinals rushing attack and force Brissett to check for most of the game. It’s hard to ask more of Morris given what he currently has to work with. He didn’t need his defense to take risks to force turnovers. He simply needed his defense to keep the Cardinals out of the end zone as much as possible so the 49ers offense could win the game, which it did.
Also give credit to Kyle Shanahan. For the third game in a row, he pressed all the right buttons. On the first series of the game, it looked like the offense would go three-and-out, until on third-and-12, Kyle Shanahan called a hook and ladder that led to an 82-yard Deebo Samuel touchdown run. This playcall required courage and intelligence in equal measure. Then, in the fourth quarter, when his defense was gassed, Shanahan was able to turn to his running game to hold off Arizona. Through three weeks, the only NFL coaches who have played nearly as well as Shanahan are Andy Reid, Kevin O’Connell and Klint Kubiak, all undefeated. The 49ers need Shanahan to continue coaching well, as they seemingly lose at least three key players to injury every week. This game was no exception.
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