How PFF graded Warner, James in 49ers' loss to Packers

The 49ers were dominated in their 34-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and the numbers bare that out. 

While it was a challenging game for San Francisco, there were a few good performances. The 49ers’ Pro Football Focus grades show the good, bad and the ugly. 

Nick Mullens completed 22 of his 35 attempts for 291 yards and one touchdown while throwing one interception. The quarterback was only sacked once but was hurried on several occasions without much time in the pocket to throw. 

While the 49ers quarterback’s totals look good, most of Mullens’ productivity occurred in the fourth quarter when a win was already out of reach.

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Kyle Shanahan needed to make adjustments to the offensive line with Trent Williams being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the game. Justin Skule stepped into the fire at left tackle and had a rough outing while Daniel Brunskill took over at center after Hroniss Grasu struggled in the team’s loss to the Seahawks. 

Richie James had the standout performance of the night, topping even Davante Adams in yardage. James caught nine of his 13 targets for 184 yards and one touchdown. He bested his receiving yard totals in his two previous seasons. In 2018, he had 135 yards total and in 2019, 160 yards. 

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Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers had his way with the 49ers secondary completing 25 of his 31 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns. He had quite a bit of time in the pocket, virtually untouched by the 49ers pass rush. 

Davante Adams was responsible for the majority of the Packers passing yard total, catching 10 of his 12 targets for 173 yards and one touchdown. 

Fred Warner was the star on the defensive side of the ball. He led the team with 13 total tackles, nine of which were solo. He seemed to be everywhere on the field excelling in coverage and stopping the Packers run game. 

Here’s a few more Pro Football Focus highlights: 

Offense:

LT Mike McGlinchey: He scored a 83.5 overall grade, 90.9 in run blocking. He allowed just one quarterback pressure/hurry. 

WR Richie James Jr.:  He scored a 76.6 overall grade. His one drop and holding call lowered it a bit. 132 of his 184 receiving yards came after the catch.

C Daniel Brunskill: He had a decent showing in his first live regular season game at center. He received a 74.8 overall grade, while allowing just one quarterback pressure/hurry. 

LT Justin Skule: Scored a 44.6 overall grade, 22.1 in pass blocking. He allowed six quarterback pressures, one sack, two hits, three hurries. 

Defense:

LB Fred Warner: Was the star of the 49ers defense with a 87.7 overall grade. He allowed catches on all three of his targets for a total of one yard. His 90.3 coverage grade on the season is best among all qualifying linebackers. He had four run stops, giving him a total of 21 on the year, second in NFL (New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez has 23). 

S Marcell Harris: He scored a 30.3 overall grade after coming to replace Jaquiski Tartt who left the game early with a toe injury. 

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The 49ers pass rush had Rodgers under pressure on just five of 33 dropbacks.  Rodgers completed 24 of his 28 attempts for 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, 150.6 rating when kept clean.

The 49ers blitzed on 10 of 33 dropbacks, and only got pressure on one of them.

Javon Kinlaw: 19 pass rushes, 0 pressures
Kevin Givens: 17 pass rushes, 0 pressures
Kerry Hyder Jr.: 24 pass rushes, 1 pressure (hurry)

Jordan Willis' sack was the only sack/hit the 49ers pass rush had all night.