Niners Nation
Fred Warner’s season ended on Sunday with a devastating ankle injury. The San Francisco 49ers will be without their best defensive lineman and the best linebacker in the NFL for the remainder of the season. Effort won’t be an issue moving forward, but talent level will be. This is a players’ league; the 49ers coaches will put their players in the best positions possible, but losing high-end players has Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh coaching with one arm tied behind their backs.
As far as standings go, this one goes in the loss column, but it isn’t the biggest story. The 49ers could have lost this game even with Warner, but losing Warner feels incredibly worse following Sunday’s loss. The 49ers won’t quit, but how much more can this team endure?
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades from Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus.
Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones 69 (69.2)
The 49ers’ rushing attack put the offense in pass-heavy mode again on Sunday, with Jones dropping back 47 times. Jones finished with another 300-plus yard day, but finished with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. The first interception was a miscommunication with Kendrick Bourne, which led to the Bucs’ first points of the game. The second interception was on fourth down with a good disguise from Todd Bowles in the secondary. Jones didn’t see the sinking corner and was baited into the interception.
All in all, Jones was fine on Sunday. Six sacks taken is hard for any quarterback to play through, and Jones was under constant pressure. This week will be about Brock Purdy’s progress and who will get the start on Sunday night against the Falcons.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 64 (66.5)
Kyle Juszczyk 25 (52.8)
Brian Robinson 5 (63.6)
The first rushing touchdown of the season went to Christian McCaffrey, but the run game is still stuck in neutral. With 24 more touches for McCaffrey, the running back is putting together the toughest 100-yard scrimmage games anyone has ever seen. McCaffrey was split out as a receiver six times (two slot, four wide) and finished with 41 yards after the catch.
Brian Robinson didn’t have a carry, but caught three passes for eight yards. Juszczyk added a catch for nine yards.
Wide Receiver
Kendrick Bourne 55 (75.4)
Jauan Jennings 53 (52.2)
Marquez Valdez-Scantling 42 (56.9)
Demarcus Robinson 13 (72.7)
Skyy Moore 3 (57.0)
Another career day for Kendrick Bourne with 142 yards on five catches for a 28.4 yards per reception output. The connection between Bourne and Jones has shown up in back-to-back games. Bourne has earned a role when the 49ers gain reinforcements down the line.
Jauan Jennings and Kyle Shanahan were observed having a heated discussion at the end of the first half. Hard to speculate on the reason, but Jennings revealed he’s playing through five injured ribs and low and high ankle sprains. Jennings finished with one catch for seven yards on three targets. Robinson and MVS combined for four catches and 66...
