Niners Nation
This week’s game ball is an obvious candidate for the 49ers
Sunday’s loss to Seattle damages the 49ers’ playoff chances. At 5-5, the 49ers’ schedule is more difficult going forward, and their playoff probability dropped from 59 percent to 38 percent. It’s Monday, though, and we must give out gold jackets for the offensive and defensive MVPs starting Sunday.
Offense - Jauan Jennings
Jennings has continued his stellar season with ten catches, 91 yards, and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus graded Jennings as the highest offensive player with an 82.1 overall grade. As the new boundary receiver, Jennings ran 61.5 percent of his routes out wide. Leading the team in yards per route run is one thing, but Jennings doubled the 49ers receiving group with 2.68 yards per route run, and no other 49ers player was near one yard for the game.
Seven of Jennings’s catches went for first downs, and over the last two weeks, Jennings has hauled in 17 catches on 22 targets. Between his performances against Tampa Bay and Seattle, Jennings has 184 receiving yards. This is his best season as a professional. Jennings is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season and sits at 588 receiving yards.
Defense - Leonard Floyd
With six pressures, two sacks, a QB hit, three hurries, and two defensive stops, Floyd turned in his best performance as a 49er. The defensive line totaled 17 pressures and five sacks, and Floyd and Nick Bosa each had two sacks, with Yetur Gross-Matos tacking on one sack.
Floyd finished with a 71.0 overall defensive grade on 38 snaps. Floyd’s 15.9 pressure rate led the team in true pass sets, and his 18.2 pass rush win rate was third on Sunday behind Gross-Matos and Bosa. It was a big day for the defensive line, but Floyd was a big contributor.
Losses are tough, but Floyd and Jennings were stars on Sunday. The team will look to regroup and get back in the win column next Sunday.
