Grades for 49ers' offense, defense in blowout win over Pats
The 49ers dominated the Patriots in all facets of Sunday's game.
The 49ers turned to a bunch of their reserves on Sunday, and many of those lesser-knowns helped carry the team to a blowout victory over the once-great New England Patriots.
At the top of the list of heroes were running back Jeff Wilson, safeties Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris, and nickel back Jamar Taylor.
The 49ers’ defense has been ravaged by injuries. On Sunday, that banged-up unit surrendered just 241 total yards and generated four takeaways in a 33-6 victory over the Patriots.
“I’m extremely impressed,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of the backups. “Both of those safeties come in and have the game they did.
“Jamar Taylor, who wasn’t here a few weeks ago. He was one of the tough guys not to keep because he had a hell of a camp with us.”
Taylor, who was among the team’s final cuts before the start of the regular season, had two interceptions on the day – a day that belonged to the 49ers and their spotless grade sheet.
Here are the 49ers’ Week 7 grades coming off an impressive showing against Bill Belichick and Co.:
Wilson got the surprise start, and he produced the game of his young career. Wilson rushed for career-bests with 112 yards and three touchdowns on 17 rushing attempts. However, the day ended for a sour note for him. Shanahan said the initial diagnosis shows that Wilson likely sustained a high left ankle injury that could keep him out of action for a while.
Before he left the game, it was nothing but positive vibes, though. The 49ers’ offensive line controlled the Patriots’ defensive front. The success on the ground did not stop with Wilson, as rookie JaMycal Hasty made a contribution, too. Hasty had 57 yards rushing on nine attempts.
Grade: A
Jimmy Garoppolo had a successful return to New England, as he engineered the 49ers’ offense on a magnificent game-opening drive to set the tone for this blowout victory. Garoppolo completed 20 of 25 passes for 278 yards. He had no touchdowns and threw two interceptions – though one was on a throw-it-up-for-grabs toss at the end of the first half.
Rookie Brandon Aiyuk had his best day in the pros with six receptions for 115 yards. Deebo Samuel had 65 yards on five receptions, and tight end George Kittle chipped in with 55 yards on five catches.
Grade: A-minus
The Patriots came into the game with one of the top rushing attacks in the league. But the 49ers’ defense made that phase of the game a complete non-factor. New England had just five first downs on the ground, and the 49ers’ made the Patriots settle for just two field goals.
Grade: A
Nickel back Jamar Taylor, filling in for K’Waun Williams, registered interceptions against Cam Newton and Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham. Fred Warner and Emmanuel Moseley also picked off Newton, who had a rough day.
Newton completed just nine of 15 passes for 98 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions before getting benched early in the fourth quarter.
Grade: A
Robbie Gould had two field goals. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had a quiet day with just one punt, which is always a good sign for the team. About the only bad thing that happened was a blocked extra point that occurred when Justin Bethel beat 49ers rookie Javon Kinlaw around the left edge.
Grade: A-minus
The 49ers’ offensive balance was fantastic, as Shanahan had the Patriots on their heels from the opening drive of the game. The 49ers had 13 first downs rushing and 13 passing. The 49ers were ultra-prepared on both sides of the ball.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh dialed up a strong plan to take care of the Patriots’ offense, too. The 49ers’ coverages were on point, and made things extremely difficult on Newton, who struggled and was ultimately benched.
Grade: A
These are not the Patriots you’ve been accustomed to seeing over the past two decades. The 49ers made sure of that with a dominating performance in every phase of the game. After winning just two of their first five games against seemingly lesser opponents, the 49ers have turned it around with back-to-back strong performances to serve notice that they are not going away so easily.
The only negative things that came out of this game were the injuries to Wilson (ankle), Samuel (hamstring) and Richie James (ankle) that places their status for Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks in doubt.
Grade: A
