49ers 13, Saints 0: Grades
SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just won 13-0 against the New Orleans Saints, who freaking stink without Sean Payton. Now the 49ers are 7-4, and in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Here are the 49ers' grades for this shutout.
JIMMY GAROPPOLO: D. His defense pitched a shutout, so all he had to do was dial back his ego, minimize mistakes and manage the game, and yet he struggled to do those basics. His only touchdown pass was a lucky throw that tipped off the hands of a defensive back. Garoppolo also threw another pass which a Saints defensive back dropped in the end zone. Garoppolo also threw an interception in the second half while winning by double digits that was called back due to a penalty. Garoppolo also overthrew a wide open deep pass to Christian McCaffrey and averaged a measly six yards per pass attempt. Last week against the Cardinals, Garoppolo had tons of time to throw and played extremely well. This week, he got hit hard a few times early and did not play well. He also took a hit to his surgically-repaired left knee -- that will be something to monitor the rest of the season. He's lucky the other team couldn't score a single point. He'll need to play much better to beat a playoff-caliber team. So far this season, the 49ers have faced only one of those -- the Chiefs -- and lost by three touchdowns.
RUNNING BACKS: D-MINUS.
Christian McCaffrey had just 49 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches -- the Saints completely shut him down. So much for him fixing the 49ers' offense. McCaffrey left the game late with knee irritation -- another injury to monitor. It's not supposed to be serious, but we'll see. He seems fragile. Elijah Mitchell left the game with another MCL sprain that will keep him out a few weeks -- he definitely is fragile. He can't stay healthy for more than a few games at a time, which is why the 49ers should not have traded Jeff Wilson Jr. They could use him now. Fortunately for them, they have Jordan Mason, who finally got an opportunity to play, and sealed the victory with extremely powerful runs against loaded boxes.
WIDE RECEIVERS: C.
Deebo Samuel gained zero rushing yards on two carries and just 43 receiving yards on 7 targets -- he was awful. Plus he injured his quad, which is his third soft-tissue injury of the past few weeks. So his bad season continues. Brandon Aiyuk was solid with 65 yards on 8 targets. And the best wide receiver on the team was Jauan Jennings, who caught a tipped pass in the end zone for a touchdown. Jennings is the 49ers' secret weapon on offense. When they need a big first down, they go to him, which is ironic considering how much money and resources the 49ers have poured into other players on the offense.
TIGHT ENDS: F.
George Kittle had 26 receiving yards and a holding penalty that negated a long touchdown run by Elijah Mitchell. Brutal.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: F-MINUS.
They got manhandled by the Saints defensive line and gave up six quarterback hits. They're lucky Garoppolo suffered only a sore knee. He could have been injured more severely.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: A.
Nick Bosa sealed the victory with a sack on fourth and goal, but also extended the game with a roughing-the-passer penalty on fourth and 1 earlier in the fourth quarter. Can't make that mistake against playoff teams.
LINEBACKERS: A-PLUS.
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw combined to record 12 tackles, one quarterback hit, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery at the goal line. What an elite duo.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: A.
Talanoa Hufanga helped seal the victory by forcing a fumble at the goal line and preventing a touchdown, but also extended the game with a holding penalty on fourth and 1 earlier in the fourth quarter. Can't make that mistake against playoff teams.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A.
Mitch Wishnowsky pinned the Saints inside their 20-yard line twice, and Robbie Gould made both of his field goal attempts.
COACHES: B-MINUS.
DeMeco Ryans was outstanding once again. His defense hasn't given up a point in the past six quarters, and hasn't given up a point after halftime in the past four games. Remarkable. Today, the 49ers defense was at its best in the red zone, where it faced 14 official snaps and allowed just 13 net yards. Outstanding. Still, the Saints offense is terrible, and so far this season the 49ers have faced only one elite offense -- the Kansas City Chiefs. Next week, they'll face another elite offense -- the Miami Dolphins. That game should tell us just how good the 49ers defense really is. I'm guessing it's pretty good. The offense is another story. It's averaging just 18.4 points per game against non-division opponents, and 15.3 points per game if you take away the win over the Panthers. So it should come as no surprise that today the 49ers scored just 13 points. Seven came from a lucky pass that got tipped by the defense, and 3 came off a turnover. Which means the 49ers scored three points on their own. Pathetic. Ever since they traded for McCaffrey, they've been able to move the ball well, but they struggle once they get inside the 10-yard line. Kyle Shanahan keeps calling conservative passes that go to the flat and don't travel into the end zone. He needs to improve his red-zone offense before the playoffs start, and he needs his team to eliminate the mental mistakes they made today, because those mistakes would have sunk the 49ers against a better team. But kudos to the 49ers for finding a way to win ugly against a bad team on a short week.
