The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-17. Here are the 49ers grades for this performance. Quarterbacks: A-MINUSBrock Purdy played one drive and completed 4 of 6 pass attempts for 29 yards. He moved the chains twice on third down with a pair of seven-yard completions to De’Zhaun Stribling (more on him in a minute). Purdy even ran three yards to establish himself third and manageable. Overall, he was solid without his veteran playmakers. The next quarterback, Mac Jones, made two of the best throws of the night: a 21-yard dime up the middle to Stribling and a deep hit to Stribling, who dropped the ball. Jones has a beautiful deep ball, making him a perfect fit with Stribling and Mike Evans. I’d still like to see Purdy hit those two on the field. The third quarterback, Adrian Martinez, threw a pick-six, a second interception, ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Jordan Watkins. He seems like a good scout team quarterback who should never be involved in meaningful snaps. RUNNERS: B-PLUS Kaelon Black showed that he is explosive and tough even though he averaged just 4.1 yards per carry. He looks like he will improve the run game, even if his biggest issue remains blocking, particularly on the interior of the offensive line. The longest run of the night belonged to Sincere McCormick, who gained 37 yards down the right sideline. He is having a good training camp and could make the team over Isaac Guerendo, who has been injured all offseason. WIDE RECEIVERS: B-PLUSDe’Zhaun Stribling was excellent despite dropping a perfectly placed deep throw from Mac Jones and failing a run block for the second time in two preseason games. He still has plenty of room for improvement, yet he’s already the team’s second-best wide receiver behind Mike Evans. Which means that when Evans is injured, which is often, Stribling is the team’s No. 1 receiver. The second-best receiver tonight was Jordan Watkins, who caught a long pass in the first half and a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Too bad he’ll have to sit behind washed-up veterans like Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robinson all year. Speaking of those two, they played and did almost nothing. Samuel had two targets for one reception and four yards. Yippee. Thank goodness they have Stribling. TIGHT ENDS: CLuke Farrell may know the offense better than last year, but he still seems pretty middle-of-the-road to me. The good thing is that they have Jake Tonges and George Kittle, who could return for the season opener against the Rams. OFFENSIVE LINES: C-PLUS Carver Willis started at left guard and actually created some movement at the point of attack, allowing the 49ers to run the ball behind him. Unlike Connor Colby, who started at right guard and couldn’t move anyone. Willis is clearly the team’s second-best guard behind Dominick Puni. Backup offensive tackle Austen Pleasants took some reps at left guard and injured his right knee. He should remain at tackle. DEFENSIVE LINEMANS: C-PLUS They didn’t sack or hit any of the opposing quarterbacks, but they did block running backs, unlike last week against the Titans or last Tuesday at joint practice in El Segundo. Both Romello Height and Sam Okuayoninu made tackles in the backfield, which is promising. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa didn’t record any statistics, but he penetrated the backfield repeatedly and wreaked havoc. Unfortunately for these guys, they still can’t contain a mobile quarterback. They let Trey Freaking Lance rush for 42 yards on two carries. ALIGNERS: B Garrett Wallow was outstanding. He played without hesitation against the run and made some great solo tackles in the hole. He is the second best middle linebacker on the team after Fred Warner. Nick Martin also played well against the run, but he’s still a little lost in coverage. Like rookie Jaden Dugger, who allowed an 11-yard completion on a simple check right in front of him, was then hit by Oronde Gadsden Jr., but the pass fell short and incomplete. Teams will relentlessly pursue Dugger when the regular season begins. I hope it’s ready. DEFENSIVE BACKS: B-PLUSDeommodore Lenoir did not allow a catch. Renardo Green gave up one and then left the game with a hamstring injury. His replacement, Jack Jones, broke up two passes without turning his head to find the ball. Ephesians rookie Prysock broke up a pass over the middle. And sophomore cornerback Jacob Robinson nearly intercepted a pass. If Green has to miss a few weeks, I imagine Jones will fill in for him, but I think Prysock is the better player. And at safety, the 49ers are still waiting for someone to emerge. SPECIAL TEAMS: Jacob Cowing returned a punt for a touchdown, Nick Martin forced a fumble, which the 49ers recovered, and Eddy Piñeiro scored two field goals. This group is good. Cowing essentially wrote his ticket to the 53-man roster with the return of the punter. Good for Jacob. He is a young, talented player who has been injured most of his career. COACHES: We give credit to Kyle Shanahan. After injuring Kurtis Rourke on a risky quarterback draw last week, Shanahan effectively protected both Brock Purdy and Mac Jones tonight. Shanahan also brought life to his running game and found a pair of quality backup running backs in Black and McCormick. Finally, Raheem Morris had a good night closing out the race. It didn’t create much pressure, but it didn’t need it either. Overall, the 49ers sent a message to the Chargers after being dominated during Tuesday’s joint practice. Tonight, the 49ers were the bullies. Add us as a preferred source on Google. Continue
