The 49ers put together an inconsistent game in their 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, and their Pro Football Focus grades provide some insight into where things went wrong.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy had one of the worst games of his young NFL career, and not much went right for an offense that produced just 15 first downs on its own and four from penalties.
The 49ers' signal-caller, without three of his top targets for most of the game, completed only 17 of his 31 pass attempts for 212 yards and three interceptions with a 36.7 passer rating.
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San Francisco knew it would be without Jauan Jennings due to a hip injury, but Deebo Samuel, who was dealing with an illness only was on the field for four snaps before sitting out the remainder of the game. Then, the team lost Brandon Aiyuk to a season-ending knee injury before halftime.
Rookies Ricky Pearsall, who was making his NFL debut, and Jacob Cowing stepped in to help as much as they could, but the challenge of the Chiefs' defense proved too much for the offense to overcome.
Here are the 49ers' Week 7 PFF grades:
Offense
San Francisco 49ers
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QB Brock Purdy - 54.6
Purdy received a passing grade of 48.0 and a rushing grade of 74.3, combining for a 54.6 overall grade, his lowest since Week 6 of the 2023 season (44.1).
The Chiefs' defense shut down Purdy in intermediate throws from 10-to-19 yards downfield, which usually is his sweet spot. The third-year quarterback completed only three of his 10 attempts for 52 yards, two interceptions and a 9.2 passer rating in that 10-to-19-yard range.
Purdy, who usually is calm under pressure, struggled on Sunday, completing only two of his eight attempts for two yards and two interceptions when pressured.
Offensive line
LT Trent Williams - 55.4 overall grade, 75.4 pass-blocking grade - no pressures
LG Aaron Banks - 79.9 overall grade, 74.0 pass-blocking grade - one hurry
C Jake Brendel - 59.3 overall grade, 70.7 pass-blocking grade - one hit
RG Dominic Puni - 61.0 overall grade, 71.8 pass-blocking grade - two hurries
RT Colton McKivitz - 72.5 overall grade, 70.3 pass-blocking grade - one hit, one hurry
WR Brandon Aiyuk - 52.9
Aiyuk was on the field for 25 snaps before suffering a season-ending knee injury, catching two of his six targets for 23 yards. The second-team All-Pro caught 25 of his 45 targets on the season, giving him a 55.6 percent catch rate, which is the lowest of his career.
Aiyuk's catch rate per season:
2023: 70.0 percent
2022: 69.4 percent
2021: 67.0 percent
2020: 64.5 percent
Purdy's passer rating when targeting Aiyuk:
2024: 64.5
2023: 124.0
2022: 117.2
2021: 116.0
2020: 89.4
TE George Kittle - 86.3
The All-Pro tight end was the top target on the offense, catching six of his seven targets of 92 yards. Kittle also was effective in run blocking, with a 75.4 run-blocking grade and 74.2 pass-blocking grade.
WR Ricky Pearsall - 58.0
The rookie’s debut was as expected for any player’s first NFL game. Pearsall caught three of his five targets for 21 yards and received average grades for his pas blocking (66.2) and a less-than-spectacular run blocking grade of 53.3. The first-round pick’s grades only will improve with time.
Wide receiver snap count vs. Chiefs:
Ricky Pearsall - 48
Chris Conley - 44
Brandon Aiyuk - 25
Ronnie Bell - 24
Jacob Cowing - 12
Deebo Samuel- 4
Defense
The defensive line was able to pressure Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on 13 plays:
Nick Bosa - one sack, two hits, two hurries
Maliek Collins - one sack, one hit, one hurry
Leonard Floyd - two sacks
Sam Okuayinonu - one hurry
Fred Warner - one hurry
Kevin Givens - one hit
S Malik Mustapha - 53.6
Mustapha was on the field for 69 plays, allowing no catches on two targets. The rookie safety led the team in tackles with 11, but missed three. Mustapha also received a 73.9 run-defense grade, which was the best on the team.
The defense improved from their double-digit missed tackles last Week, but just barely, with nine for the day. Mustapha was the only repeat offender with three missed tackles while the following players missed one each:
Sam Okuayinonu
Dee Winters
Jordan Elliott
Deommodore Lenoir
Fred Warner
Leonard Floyd
CB Charvarius Ward - 69.7
Ward received a 77.2 coverage grade, allowing only two catches on five targets for 14 yards with one pass breakup.
CB Renardo Green - 62.6
Green was on the field for 44 plays, 22 of which were run plays. The rookie allowed one catch on two targets for 26 yards, but did not miss any tackles.
Special teams
On special teams, the 49ers have missed 14 tackles through seven weeks and four in Sunday’s loss. Of the 14 total missed tackles, not one player has missed more than one. In the loss to the Chiefs, Ronnie Bell, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Patrick Taylor and Mitch Wishnowsky each were responsible for one missed tackle.
Odds and ends:
Patrick Mahomes completed only two of his seven attempts for 46 yards on passes 10 yards or more downfield
59 of Kareem Hunt's 78 rushing yards, or over 75 percent, came after contact.
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