The San Francisco 49ers crushed the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 35-13 Sunday, very much as expected, but there were multiple key performances that helped seal the outcome – and say perhaps even more about the team’s readiness to keep rolling.
Offense: A
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Quarterback Brock Purdy had an almost perfect game, shredding the foe he broke through against four years ago. Purdy had just two incompletions among 22 passes, threw for two TDs, ran for another score and a team-best 30 yards, and suffered just two hits but no sacks while getting tons of time from his line. Tight end George Kittle had a statement game in his recovery from last January’s torn Achilles, scoring a TD, netting 80 yards on four catches, and most of all looking like a force of fun on the field again. Less happily, Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black combined for just 48 yards on 17 carries, but with Black nursing an injury and the game out of reach early in the second half, the Niners could afford to rotate in Jordan James and enjoy the win.
Defense: B
Giving up a long, late meaningless 77-yard touchdown pass to get the Dolphins into double digits on their last possession wasn’t a great note to finish on, but Raheem Morris’ defense delivered four sacks (including rookie Romello Height’s first) and five tackles for a loss against Miami. And while the Dolphins aren’t good, both of Miami’s second-quarter field goals came after the 49ers’ defense stymied them in the red zone, which was when the outcome was far from certain; better to bend than break. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown led the way with 13 total tackles, while Dre Greenlaw netted five solo tackles, matching his single-season high with the Broncos last year.
Special teams: B
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Whatever was ailing kicker Eddy Piñeiro over the past week wasn’t a factor, as he nailed all five extra points, while punter Corliss Waitman buried the Dolphins inside the 20 on both of his kicks. The Dolphins netted an average of 25 yards on their kickoff returns, which might sound like something, but it’s around last season’s average across the NFL. A competent day in the office, which fans and the 49ers will take after the heartache before special teams coordinator Brant Boyer was brought in last season.
Coaching: A
The biggest question coming in might have been whether the 49ers would be playing through any hangover effect from going to Australia for their season opener, but Kyle Shanahan didn’t seem to ask too much of any one player on offense, while Morris’ defense didn’t give up much until the Dolphins’ late-game score. On both sides of the ball, there was a healthy spread of playing time distribution, though the ultimate impact of in-game injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans and Demarcus Robinson sustain the concern about their receiving depth.
Overall: A-
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As Ann Killion noted with her grade, the only real ding here is the caliber of the opponent. The 49ers didn’t get as much time off as they would have liked after their big Down Under adventure, but beating a beatable opponent was the job at hand, and that was handily accomplished while putting Melbourne another week further into the Niners’ collective rearview mirror. If they come out of the week with a win and no major injuries, they can look ahead to the Cardinals with a measure of comfort.
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This article originally published at 49ers game grades: A Purdy good day on offense helps put Dolphins away.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
