49ers 37, Panthers 15: Grades
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CHARLOTTE -- The 49ers just beat the Carolina Panthers 37-15. Here are the 49ers' grades.
GAROPPOLO: B
He was excellent in the first quarter when he completed 8 of 10 passes including some big-time throws downfield, then he cooled off and completed just 10 of 20 passes after the first quarter. To be fair, his receivers dropped a few passes, but the Panthers also dropped a couple easy interceptions, too. The 49ers won because when Baker Mayfield gave them interception opportunities, Emmanuel Moseley picked him off and scored a touchdown. That was the difference in the game. Mayfield and Garoppolo are extremely similar -- Garoppolo simply has a better team around him. And even though he hasn't thrown an interception in two consecutive games, he has thrown multiple passes that should have been picked off, which means he has been lucky. Let's see if his luck continues.
RUNNING BACKS: A
Jeff Wilson Jr. ran extremely hard and finished with 17 carries for 120 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. And he was fresh enough to put the game away in the fourth quarter because the 49ers rotated running backs for a change and gave Tevin Coleman 8 carries. Coleman gained just 23 yards on the ground, but he scored two touchdowns and caught three passes, including a deep one on third down. Coleman appears to be the 49ers' best receiver out of the backfield. He's not a short-yardage back, though -- he got stuffed for a one-yard loss on 3rd and 2. The 49ers should make Jordan Mason their short-yardage back.
WIDE RECEIVERS: B-PLUS
Deebo Samuel dropped a few passes, but also caught a touchdown pass in traffic. Brandon Aiyuk led all 49ers with 58 receiving yards. And Jauan Jennings was critical in the second half with big plays after the catch. First, he had a 33-yard catch-and-run that put the 49ers at the 1-yard line and set up a touchdown. Then he prevented a punt by converting a third and long when it looked like he had no room to run. Somehow, he juked the defensive back and ran up the sideline for 13 yards. He's also an excellent blocker -- all the wide receivers are.
TIGHT ENDS: C-MINUS
George Kittle blocked well and caught four passes for 42 yards in the first quarter -- the 49ers clearly made it their business to get him involved early and often. But then he fumbled, and the Panthers recovered, and he caught just one pass for five yards the rest of the game.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: A
The 49ers gave up just two sacks and averaged 5.3 yards per carry without Trent Williams. Enough said.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: A
The 49ers gave up just 3.8 yards per carry without Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, their two main run stuffers in the middle. The 49ers also recorded a whopping six sacks without Nick Bosa for most of the second half. Bosa had no sacks, because he injured his groin and will undergo further tests on Monday. Rookie Drake Jackson stepped in for Bosa and played extremely well.
LINEBACKERS: A
Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner combined to record 20 tackles, which is routine for them.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: A
Jimmie Ward broke his hand on the first play of the game while playing outside linebacker. No idea why the 49ers put him there. Now he probably will miss even more time. Emmanuel Moseley also may have torn his ACL in the fourth quarter -- he will have an M.R.I. on Monday. Moseley was having a phenomenal season and made the key play of this game -- a pick-six. It will be interesting to see who replaces him in the starting lineup. The other starting cornerback, Charvarius Ward, gave up one long throw but broke up four others. He is the 49ers' best defensive player while Bosa is out.
SPECIAL TEAMS: F
They gave up a 45-yard kickoff return and a 48-yard kickoff return. On the second one, kicker Robbie Gould injured his knee making the tackle. The 49ers say his injury is just a contusion. He also had a field goal blocked.
COACHES: A
Kyle Shanahan had by far his best performance of the season. He got his run game going against a defense that was selling out to stop it. He called long passes up the sideline against a defense that was determined to take away throws over the middle. He rotated running backs for the first time this season. He got George Kittle involved in the offense. And he called another pass for Kyle Juszczyk at the perfect time, a pass which picked up 18 yards on 3rd and 8 late in the fourth quarter. Shanahan needed to be on top of his game today, because the 49ers needed to make a statement. And they did make a statement: they can blow out bad teams. The 49ers haven't faced a playoff-caliber opponent yet, and they're only 3-2 -- they should be 5-0. But if they keep playing like they did today, they will win the NFC West easily. Talk about a big confidence booster. Unfortunately for the 49ers, lots of key players went down in this game, and that's not Shanahan's fault. But now he must be extra careful next week in Atlanta, because the Falcons are another bad team and the 49ers can't afford anymore serious injuries. Fortunately for Shanahan, quality control has his back.
