Position-by-position grades from the 49ers crushing Super Bowl LVIII loss

[Over-rated Bosas]

The San Francisco 49ers fell short in Super Bowl LVIII, losing
25-22 in overtime to Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City. The 49ers
led 16-13 with less than two minutes left in regulation. Then
led 22-19 in overtime. The Niners defense was just one stop away
from the title. Instead, Mahomes further fueled GOAT
conversations as he raised the Lombardi Trophy once again.

Here are position-by-position grades for the game:

Quarterbacks: C+

Brock Purdy had a couple of throws that could have been picked
off, but one was because of a drop by Deebo Samuel and the other
would have been a fantastic play by Trent McDuffie. The fact is,
Purdy did a great job avoiding negative plays. He had no
turnovers and only took one sack despite a rough day from the
offensive line. With that said, it was also one of his least
efficient games of the season and lacked one of those signature
late-game dimes that seemed to clinch so many wins this season.
Chris Jones undeniably led Purdy to airmail some downfield
opportunities, but this was not akin to Super Bowl LV, when
Tampa Bay derailed Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense through
pressure. We’ve seen Purdy find a way to complete those throws
at other moments. Purdy had a solid, bordering on above-average
overall performance, but that was it.

Running backs: B+

Christian McCaffrey was once again the 49ers most dynamic
weapon, racking up 160 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. But
he also fumbled on the 49ers first possession inside Kansas
City’s 30. It cost San Francisco a field-goal attempt and
possibly even more points. Balancing out the positives and
negatives from McCaffrey’s day brings the unit’s grade to a B,
but Kyle Juszczyk’s impact as a blocked and on a pair of
receptions lifts it a bit higher.

Tight ends: C+

George Kittle hauled in a crucial fourth-down conversion late in
the fourth quarter that led to the 49ers final touchdown drive
of the game. However, the 49ers tight end was relegated by
injuries, playcalling, and Kansas City’s defense to primarily
impacting the game solely as a blocker the rest of the way. When
Kittle was briefly sidelined by injury, Brayden Willis was
called for a hold.

Wide receivers: B

Jauan Jennings may have had a strong case for Super Bowl MVP if
the 49ers had pulled out the victory. He completed a touchdown
pass to McCaffrey on a fun trick play in the first half and
caught Purdy’s only touchdown in the second. Brandon Aiyuk and
Deebo Samuel were both held in check by Kansas City’s top
corners. Airyuk led San Francisco’s wideouts with 49 receiving
yards on just three receptions (six targets). Samuel caught just
three of his 11 targets for 33 yards. Granted, Samuel could have
had some big plays downfield if Purdy had made more accurate
throws.

Offensive line: D

Perhaps it’s unfair to knock the unit so much for getting
dominated by Chris Jones who, after all, dominates most
opponents. But the 49ers offensive line allowed Jones to dictate
far too much of the game. McCaffrey racked up yards, but was
rarely able to get anything going on inside runs, an area Kansas
City had struggled in throughout the season. The 49ers offensive
line had too many mixups in pass coverage against Steve
Spagnuolo’s blitz-heavy approach. Even Trent Williams got called
for a couple of out of character penalties.

Defensive line: A-

The 49ers defensive line was finally living up to expectations
in the first half. Chase Young and Randy Gregory were wreaking
havoc opposite of Nick Bosa while Arik Armstead was a force on
the interior alongside Javon Hargrave and Javon Kinlaw. Yet, as
the game wore on, the line seemed to tire, allowing Mahomes to
get going and mount a comeback. The line generated three sacks,
five tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits over the
course of the contest, and played quite well, but the result
looks different if they had a stronger kick.

Linebackers: B+

Early in the game, Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner were playing out
of their minds. There may not be a linebacker in football who
seems to take over games as completely as Greenlaw when he is at
his best. Of course, Greenlaw was sidelined early, however, with
a heartbreaking Achilles injury and was out for most of the
game. Warner was able to keep Travis Kelce quiet for most of the
game, but got beat for a big play late in the fourth quarter.

Oren Burks and Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles were solid in place of
Greenlaw, but there is a difference between facing two dominant
linebackers and a duo with a clear weaker link. As 49ers fans
relive those designed runs for Mahomes, it’s hard not to think
about Greenlaw’s dynamic speed making a difference if he didn’t
bite on the fake.

Cornerbacks: B

The 49ers corners had the easiest task, and while they may not
have dominated, they made sure that Kansas City’s receivers did
not change any perceptions.

Safeties: B

The 49ers safeties had some big coverage lapses, but Ji’Ayir
Brown also made the defense’s best play of the game,
intercepting a Mahomes pass.

Special teams: D

It’s a shame that Mitch Wishnowsky and Chris Conley’s
exceptional special teams performances were overshadowed by a
fumbled punt return and Jake Moody’s missed extra point,
arguably the 49ers two most costly mistakes of the game. Moody
made all three of his field goals, including a pair from beyond
50 yards, but his low extra point and the punt that landed on
Darrel Luter Jr’s foot and could not be recovered by Ray-Ray
McCloud will haunt the Niners faithful for years.

https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/2/12/24070265/position-grades-
49ers-crushing-super-bowl-defeat-brock-purdy-christian-mccaffrey