2 bounce-back performances: Colton McKivitz was the lone bright spot for the 49ers offensive line

2 bounce-back performances: Colton McKivitz was the lone bright spot for the 49ers offensive line
Niners Nation Niners Nation

I had to squint very hard to find two bounce-back candidates for the 49ers on Sunday. Kendrick Bourne didn’t need to bounce back, but followed up his Thursday night performance with another big receiving day. Renardo Green was good again in coverage for the second straight week. Mac Jones didn’t play terribly, but just not as well as he did against Los Angeles. Jake Tonges was solid again, and Christian McCaffrey continues his streak of the hardest-fought 100-yard scrimmage games in NFL history.

So, who did I settle on from Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay?

Offense: Colton McKivitz

The 49ers’ offensive line, the interior offensive line specifically, didn’t have a great day as a collective unit. However, Colton McKivitz rebounded from his four pressure, two QB hits, a hurry, and a sack allowed performance against the Rams. McKivitz finished with one pressure and a hurry allowed, and was the highest graded offensive player (81.8) and run blocker (82.9). Couple that with a not-too-shabby 76.8 pass blocking grade, which was second only to Trent Williams, and McKivitz bounced back in a big way.

As of today, of all NFL offensive tackles with at least 20% of 433 blocking snaps, McKivitz ranks 12th with a pass blocking grade of 74.4. Lane Johnson of the Eagles is two spots ahead of him. As a run blocker and an overall offensive grade, McKivitz ranks 16th in the NFL in both categories.

Defense: Ji’Ayir Brown

First of all, we’re not blaming Ji’Ayir Brown for Fred Warner’s unfortunate injury. It is worth noting that the 49ers’ defense had only 10 players on the field, and the Bucs ran right toward where the 11th player should have been. Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way, Brown bounced back in a big way when his number was called after falling out of favor with the 49ers coaching staff.

It was Jason Pinnock who left the field with the return of Malik Mustapha, but with the 49ers easing Mustapha in, it was Brown who was on the field for all 53 defensive snaps. Brown wasn’t targeted on Sunday and finished with two tackles, but cleaned up his angles to tackles and didn’t miss any. With a 79.8 tackling grade, which is good for third best on the team, Brown can use this performance as a confidence builder.

There may not be a spot for him to start with Mustapha back and the team interested in developing promising rookie Marques Sigle, but Brown remaining ready when his number was called shows his mental makeup and toughness.