MINNEAPOLIS – Here is how the 49ers (1-1) graded in losing Sunday’s road opener 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings (2-0):
PASS OFFENSE: D+
Things are “not yet” there, Brandon Aiyuk confirmed about this unit’s rhythm. Brock Purdy converted only 2-of-10 third-down opportunities (both to Kittle) but wasn’t as dreadful as that may seem. He passed for 319 yards (28-of-36), but he had a pass intercepted and another one that went down as a lost fumble. He delivered a fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but also got sacked six times. Purdy spread the ball around, but no completion went longer than 28 yards. Aiyuk is not yet producing like a $30 million-a-year receiver (four catches, 43 yards), so the 49ers are trying to maximize Deebo Samuel (eight catches, 110 yards) and George Kittle (seven catches, 76 yards, touchdown) to cover for Christian McCaffrey’s absence.
RUN OFFENSE: B+
Kudos to Jordan Mason for his second 100-yard outing in as many starts. He averaged 5 yards per carry and again showed some great vision for rushing lanes. But Mason lacks the versatility that McCaffrey brings and defenses don’t have to worry about him as a receiver. Nor did the Vikings have to fret over other rushers. Purdy had 12 yards on two scrambles, Samuel lost 10 yards on two carries, and Isaac Guerendo was stopped for no gain on his first and only NFL carry to this point.
PASS DEFENSE: D+
What a crushing blow it was to yield a 97-yard touchdown from San Darnold to Justin Jefferson and dig a 10-0 hole, right after Purdy failed to convert a fourth-and-goal throw from the 2. Darnold also seized on communication issues in the secondary for a third-quarter touchdown pass. Then came a seven-minute drive that chewed up nearly seven precious fourth-quarter minutes and a trio of third-down completions from Darnold did in the 49ers’ comeback hopes. Nick Bosa may have had two sacks and Yetur Gross-Matos one, but the defensive star in pass coverage was Fred Warner, with a first-half interception and third-quarter play in which he forced a fumble near the 49ers’ goal line. Warner deserves an A++, yet this report card is a unit-by-unit flogging.
RUN DEFENSE: C
Aaron Jones didn’t hurt the 49ers (nine carries, 32 yards) but instead the big hits came from Darnold’s scrambles (five for 32 yards) and Ty Chandler’s relief work(10 carries, 82 yards). Warner’s monster outing included nine tackles, a fumble-forcing sack out of bounds, an interception at the 10-yard line, a fumble-forcing stop near the goal line, a tackle for loss, and two passes defensed, one of which came on third down. Bosa had two tackles for loss while De’Vondre Campbell and Kevin Givens each had one.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
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Disaster struck on the 49ers’ second series when C.J. Ham raced past Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and took an unobstructed path to block a punt by Mitch Wishnowsky, who appeared too startled to try pouncing on the loose ball. Another gaffe came when rookie punt returner Jacob Cowing botched a fair-catch attempt, though he was bailed out once Isaac Yiadom pounced on the loose ball. Even Jake Moody’s lone field goal, a 31-yarder, seemed like a consolation prize with 1:12 left because the 49ers had just failed to convert on a third-and-1 pass from the 4 (while ignoring 100-yard rusher in Mason).
COACHING: D
Coach Kyle Shanahan was darn right about this being a sloppy loss. Far too many mistakes. Afterward, several 49ers players gave credit to Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores for schemes that flummoxed the 49ers in one of the NFL’s most hostile environments, in a city where the 49ers have lost their past eight visits since a 1992 win.
