49ers report card: ‘We’re finally playing team football’
SANTA CLARA – Here is how the 49ers (6-7) graded in Sunday’s 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears (4-9):
PASS OFFENSE: A
Brock Purdy started his 325-yard renaissance by accounting for all 70 yards and going 4-for-4 on the opening touchdown drive. With 258 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 24-0 halftime lead, he found a rhythm that has been missing all season, and he looked far removed from last Sunday’s 94-yard effort in the Buffalo snow. George Kittle’s 151 yards (six catches, six targets) matched the fourth-highest total of his career. Jauan Jennings, acknowledging postgame he has been battling off-field issues this season, caught both of Purdy’s touchdown passes and finished with a team-high seven receptions for 90 yards. Isaac Guerendo’s grabs of 23 and 27 yards were key to touchdown drives. Deebo Samuel had just 22 yards on two catches, and he was even less productive as a rusher (13 yards, five carries). Jaylon Moore’s filled in remarkably well at left tackle in Trent Williams’ three-game absence.
RUN OFFENSE: A-
In Guerendo’s starting debut, he got stopped for no gain on his first carry, then churned out 78 yards (15 carries) and two touchdowns before leaving in the fourth quarter with a foot sprain. That prompted the 49ers to summon their fifth-string running back in camp, Patrick Taylor Jr., and he delivered a 3-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring. Not to be overlooked was the Purdy Plunge that paid off with a pair of conversions, including fourth-and-1 from the Bears 23. The 49ers totaled 131 yards, three touchdowns and 34 carries. Their 3.9-yard average was their third-smallest this season.
PASS DEFENSE: A
Seven sacks of rookie Caleb Williams were two shy of what the Patriots did to the No. 1 pick earlier this season, so it shouldn’t be too stunning nor too amazing. But it absolutely was a needed boost with Nick Bosa out a third straight game. Leonard Floyd’s two sacks raised his season total to a team-high 8 ½ (Bosa has seven). Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Maliek Collins came through with third-down sacks before halftime, then Gross-Matos notched back-to-back sacks in the fourth quarter. In coverage, the 49ers yielded 134 yards and two touchdowns, both to Rome Odunze. Safety Talanoa Hufanga’s return (for only his third game this season) made a positive impact, as did cornerback Deommodore Lenoir’s from a one-game hiatus. Sam Okuayinonu, Dee Winters and Renardo Green had pass breakups.
RUN DEFENSE: A
The 49ers yielded just 43 yards on 15 carries before Williams broke loose for 9- and 10-yard scrambles in the fourth quarter. Charvarius Ward’s tackle for no gain on the Bears’ second snap helped set the tone. Fred Warner had only three tackles, after totaling just 13 over the previous three games. De’Vondre Campbell had a team-high seven while Ward, Hufanga and Malik Mustapha each had five. Evan Anderson was credited for a fumble recovery of a ball that slipped from Williams’ grasp.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Jake Moody made his only field-goal attempt (23 yards) and all five point-after kicks, but he strangely had two kickoffs fall short of the landing zone (20-yard line). Dee Winters made a solid tackle on the 49ers’ initial kickoff coverage. Jacob Cowing cleanly fielded five punts, and his longest return went for 8 yards.
COACHING: A-
Kyle Shanahan wisely exploited holes in the Bears’ zone defense to help Purdy and the offense race to a 24-0 halftime lead. Nick Sorensen’s defense also came to life after soul-sucking losses the past three games. In the process, they beat a team that’s lost seven straight and their first under an interim coach. Now comes the heavy lifting of a short week to prepare for an almighty showdown Thursday at home against the Rams.
“Coach Shanahan called a hell of a game but we also executed on offense,” Kittle said. “And when our defense gets six sacks, that’s awesome. We’re finally playing team football, and that’s the Niner football we want to put on tape. The guys really responded well.”