49ers 30, Giants 12: Grades

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just beat the New York Giants 30-12. Here are the 49ers' grades for this performance.

BROCK PURDY: B-MINUS.

Threw for 310 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, posted a passer rating of 111.3, and yet those numbers don't show how many check down passes went for big gains because great players picked up big yardage after the catch. Purdy's two touchdown passes were absolute dimes, but he also threw at least two other passes that should have been intercepted, plus he fumbled a snap for the second time this season. Overall, Purdy played well, but not as well as last week when he missed three deep passes. His play has gotten slightly worse every week this year. Perhaps the league is beginning to catch up with him. He'll need to play much better to beat playoff teams.

RUNNING BACKS: B-PLUS.

Christian McCaffrey rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown, and tied Jerry Rice's franchise record for most consecutive games scoring a touchdown with 12. And Elijah Mitchell actually got to play, although he averaged a mere 3.7 yards per carry.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A.

Brandon Aiyuk missed his first game since 2020, but the 49ers didn't miss a beat, because Deebo Samuel carried the offense by gaining a whopping 131 yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown. He looks every bit as good as he was two years ago before he signed his big contract extension. In addition, Ronnie Bell caught the first pass of his career, and it was a touchdown. He's a promising rookie.

TIGHT ENDS: A.

George Kittle almost always steps up in primetime, and tonight was no exception -- 7 catches for 90 yards. It's clear that at this stage of his career, the 49ers try to preserve Kittle and pace him for the playoffs. But he's a performer, and he can't resist performing on national television.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: B-MINUS.

Brock Purdy got sacked just twice, but he deserves credit for avoiding pressure and getting rid of the ball quickly against blitzes. Also, the offense averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. And Trent Williams committed three penalties.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: A.

Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave each recorded one sack, and collectively this group and the rest of the 49ers defense held the Giants to a mere 2.6 yards per carry. In addition, they held Daniel Jones to just five rushing yards, which is impressive. Arik Armstead had no tackles and one quarterback hit.

LINEBACKERS: B.

Fred Warner had four tackles and Dre Greenlaw had a team-leading five tackles, but he also committed his second 15-yard penalty of the season and we're only three games in. He needs to stop hitting people out of bounds and after the whistle.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A.

Gave up just 137 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 64.2. The Giants' leading receiver had a mere 32 yards. Talanoa Hufanga intercepted his second pass of the season. He's the biggest playmaker on the 49ers defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-MINUS.

Jake Moody made all three of his field goals and hasn't missed one yet in his career, which is surprising considering how much he struggled in the preseason. He seems like the real deal. But Tre Swilling and Shemar Jean-Charles each committed a penalty. I'm guessing Qwuantrezz Knight is better than both of them, but the 49ers never called him up from the practice squad, and now he's with the Cardinals.

COACHES: A-MINUS.

Steve Wilks called lots of man-to-man coverage on third down, which is a big reason the Giants converted just 25 percent. Credit Wilks for being more aggressive with his coverages this game as opposed to last game. And Kyle Shanahan did a masterful job calling quick passes to beat all the Giants' various blitzes. The 49ers were much more prepared schematically than you would expect from a team playing on Thursday night. Still, the 49ers were sloppy for three quarters and let a putrid Giants team missing two of their best players hang around longer than they should have. Maybe the 49ers were sloppy because it's Thursday, or maybe they were sloppy because they're not quite as good as we think. But they still won by 18, as a Super Bowl contender should against the freaking Giants.