49ers 23, Chiefs 44: Grades

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just lost 44-23 at home to the Kansas City Chiefs. Here are the 49ers' grades for their putrid performance.

GAROPPOLO: F

He threw for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns and his passer rating was 99.3, but he committed three turnovers. First, he threw a bone-headed interception near the goal line that took at least three points off the board for the 49ers. He was getting hit and going down, but he threw the ball up for grabs anyway because he makes rookie decisions weekly and never throws the ball away. Then he got sacked in the end zone for a safety -- at least he didn't run out of the back of the end zone like he did in Denver. And then later he fumbled and the Chiefs recovered. Garoppolo has an elite run game and elite receivers, and he still struggles, because he's not good. His career record with the 49ers when he throws more than the offense runs is now 9-15, which means he's a passenger in the offense, not a driver. And when he has to take the wheel, he crashes. Too bad the 49ers used Trey Lance like a fullback and he broke his ankle, because they need him now.

RUNNING BACKS: A

Jeff Wilson Jr. started and averaged 7.7 yards per carry on eight rushes -- he was outstanding. He sent a message to the team that he's the best running back on the roster and not someone who should be benched. Christian McCaffrey also played well -- 4.8 yards per carry on 7 carries, plus 24 receiving yards. Kyle Juszczyk also gained 34 receiving yards. The running backs were terrific, and yet the offense still stunk. Too bad the 49ers have spent a year's worth of draft picks on running backs during the past 18 months. They have much bigger needs.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A-MINUS

Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Ray-Ray McCloud all played well, although Samuel dropped his eighth pass of the season. They weren't the reason the 49ers lost.

TIGHT ENDS: A

George Kittle had six catches for 98 yards and one touchdown. He wasn't the reason the 49ers lost.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F

They gave up five sacks and a safety. Mike McGlinchey gave up two sacks and committed two holding penalties -- he's horrendous. The 49ers need to bench him. And Trent Williams didn't play much better -- he gave up the safety. He also committed an illegal formation penalty because he lined up a yard behind the line of scrimmage on a pass play. It's so easy to tell when the 49ers are passing, because he lines up much deeper before the play than when the 49ers are running. Williams is tipping plays.

DEFENSIVE LINE: F

They gave up 5.3 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns -- and most of the big gains came outside the tackles. Every time the Chiefs needed a big play on the ground, they ran at Nick Bosa, who seemed surprised every time the Chiefs ran the ball. Kansas City turned him into a one-dimensional liability against the rush.

LINEBACKERS: F

Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw combined to record just nine tackles. The Chiefs completely neutralized both of them.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: F.

They intercepted Patrick Mahomes, but also gave up 423 passing yards, three touchdown catches and a passer rating of 132.4. Hard to play much worse. The 49ers thought they had the best defense in the NFL, but it turns out they don't. It merely looked dominant the first six weeks of the season because the 49ers hadn't faced a good offense yet.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F.

They recovered a muffed punt, but they also gave up long kickoff returns and committed penalties that backed up the offense and led to a safety.

COACHES: F

DeMeco Ryans' stock crashed. His game plan was terrible, and his adjustments were even worse. Nothing he did worked. It's just one game, but it's hard to see another team hiring Ryans as a head coach any time soon. He still has lots to prove. But Ryans and his defense were facing the No. 1 offense in the NFL. Kyle Shanahan and his offense were facing a terrible defense, and still scored just 10 points after halftime. Once Shanahan got through his scripted plays, his offense fell apart, as usual. And even though his offense got inside the Chiefs 35-yard line five times in the first half, the 49ers came away with just one touchdown in those opportunities. It's clear that the 49ers' issues are too big for McCaffrey to fix on his own. Their issues are their head coach, their quarterback, their offensive line and their entire defense. Unless McCaffrey can call plays, throw passes, block and play defense, the 49ers are in trouble.