Niners Nation
No Brock Purdy, no Jauan Jennings, no Ricky Pearsall, no problem. Oh, and no George Kittle, no Brandon Aiyuk, no Nick Bosa, also. Mac Jones, Christian McCaffrey, and Kendrick Bourne willed the 49ers offense to a gutsy, gritty win over their division rivals to move into sole possession of first place, pending this weekend’s game, and to a 3-0 division record.
The defense came up with timely plays. Alfred Collins punched the ball away from Kyren Williams, and the 49ers held on fourth down in overtime to notch the victory before a mini-bye, where the 49ers will see substantial reinforcements on offense.
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones 86 (66.5)
What can you say about Mac Jones on Thursday? Fighting through a knee injury, an apparent sickness, and cramping, the former Alabama quarterback played a clean, crisp football game and operated Kyle Shanahan’s offense, led by their fourth, fifth, and sixth options at certain positions.
On 49 (!!) passing attempts, Jones threw for 342 yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Jones was under pressure on 28% of his dropbacks and finished 8/13, with 89 yards. His two touchdowns were when blitzed, which was a 24% rate by the Rams. What a performance, especially given the circumstances.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 76 (67.8)
Kyle Juszczyk 36 (61.4)
Brian Robinson 12 (68.6)
Ho-hum. Just another casual 100-yard scrimmage game for Christian McCaffrey. Yes, the 49ers’ rushing offense still is stuck in the mud, but McCaffrey continues to will this offense in whatever way necessary. Eight more catches for 89 yards and a touchdown will do the job. However, this pace is unsustainable, and with the possible return of Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, and George Kittle in Week 6 at Tampa Bay, it might be time to take the gas off McCaffrey’s workload.
McCaffrey has been a constant force for this offense. Sure, maybe the juice isn’t there, but an excellent football player continues to be very good.
Wide Receiver
Demarcus Robinson 73 (57.9)
Kendrick Bourne 70 (80.6)
Marquez Valdez-Scantling 46 (55.5)
Skyy Moore 8 (50.9)
Malik Turner 6 (54.7)
Ladies and gentlemen, your highest graded offensive player is Kendrick Bourne. Despite another drop, Bourne was sensational Thursday night with ten receptions, 142 yards, eight first downs, and three missed tackles forced. Quite the bounce-back performance for Bourne, who has a clear connection with Jones following their time in New England together. Bourne’s addition potentially rounds out a receiver room of Pearsall, Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, and Brandon Aiyuk, perhaps?
Robinson returned to his old stomping grounds of SoFi Stadium and pitched in 39 yards on three catches. Even MVS got into the act with a catch for nine yards. Healthier days seem to be ahead for the 49ers’ wide receiver group.
Tight End
Jake Tonges 63 (61.1)
Luke Farrell 38 (47.5)
Brayden Willis 2 (57.3)
Hey now, the 49ers may have a second passing catching tight end when Kittle returns. Tonges was...
