Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Despite loss to Rams, 49ers’ DeForest Buckner, Pierre Garçon and Brian Hoyer earn PFF’s top game grades
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Four key members of the San Francisco 49ers' passing attack -- as well as defensive tackle DeForest Buckner -- earned the team's
top five grades from
Pro Football Focus after the Niners' shootout
41-39 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Although Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman earned
Pro Football Focus' game ball -- partially due to his interception and fumble recovery -- three 49ers ended the matchup with higher overall grades than
Pro Football Focus' highest rated player on the Rams.
Buckner led all players with
an 88.9 overall grade, after earning
a 92.2 overall grade in last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks. The
Pro Football Focus analysis team noted that Buckner has its second highest overall grade among interior defenders, and is the the only interior defender who currently ranks in the top five against both the pass and the run:
Buckner has been the unquestioned best defender on the 49ers through three games, positioning himself among elite company at his position. With a 90.4 overall grade on the season, the Oregon-product joins Ndamukong Suh (90.5) and J.J. Watt (90.2) as the only interior defenders with 90.0-plus grades this season.
Those who left wide receiver Pierre Garçon out of their fantasy football lineups due to his perceived difficult matchup against Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson were likely surprised by Garçon's dominance over the Rams' top corner. Garçon's seven catches for 142 yards -- 133 of which came against Johnson -- helped earn him
an 88.1 overall grade from
Pro Football Focus, and further trust from quarterback Brian Hoyer:
Hoyer -- thanks to help from Garçon -- earned
Pro Football Focus' third highest overall grade of the game, as he broke himself out of a two-game funk. Hoyer's 332 passing yards
doubled his season's output, and his two touchdown passes were his first of the year. The 49ers' signal caller also added a touchdown score on the ground, for a
Pro Football Focus overall grade of 87.7. Hoyer was accurate, but not only in the short game; Hoyer completed two passes over 50 yards, and was accurate on the majority of his intermediate passes as well:
Fellow integral members of the Niners' passing attack -- left tackle Joe Staley and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin -- rounded out
Pro Football Focus' top five 49ers of the game:
5 highest-graded 49ers vs. Rams
- DT DeForest Buckner - 88.9
- WR Pierre Garçon - 88.1
- QB Brian Hoyer - 87.7
- T Joe Staley - 85.5
- WR Marquise Goodwin - 80.6
- Chris Wilson
-
Written by:
You may have seen Chris Wilson's work on NFL game theory, statistical analysis, and film breakdowns at Minute Media, FanSided, Niner Noise, Insidethe49, LockedonSports, ClutchPoints, and others. Follow Chris on Twitter @cgawilson.
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
PFF's highest- and lowest-graded 49ers players vs. Rams, plus snap counts
The San Francisco 49ers improved their record to 2-0 after a 30-23 win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. Today, Pro Football Focus released its grades from the game. Which Niners played well, and who has more work to do?
Below are Pro Football Focus' five highest-graded 49ers players on offense against the Rams.
George Kittle, TE, 84.8, 55 snaps
Trent Williams, LT, 83.4, 57 snaps
Jauan Jennings, WR, 77.5, 27 snaps
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 72.3, 30 snaps
Deebo Samuel, WR, 71.7, 51 snaps
Below are the five highest-graded 49ers players on defense.
Nick Bosa, DE, 93.0, 63 snaps
Javon Kinlaw, DT, 83.8, 29 snaps
Fred Warner, LB, 74.7, 80 snaps
Tashaun Gipson
George Kittle: 49ers not overlooking Rams despite recent dominance
The San Francisco 49ers are looking to win their ninth consecutive regular-season contest against the Los Angeles Rams, a streak that dates back to the 2019 season. The Niners beat their NFC West rivals by a combined score of 55-23 in the two games last season.
That second contest was Christian McCaffrey's first start with the 49ers. The running back had himself a day, rushing for a touchdown, catching a touchdown, and even throwing a touchdown to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, showing his new teammates and The Faithful that he can do it
49ers practice and media schedule leading to Week 2 matchup vs. Rams
The San Francisco 49ers will hold three full practices this week as the team prepares for its Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, offensive line/run game coordinator Chris Foerster, and quarterback Brock Purdy are scheduled to speak with the media. The 49ers will make the press conferences available at 49ers.com, on the team's official mobile app, and YouTube page.
The schedule, which is subject to change, for the upcoming week is below. All times are
49ers vs. Rams: How to watch, stream, and listen to the Week 2 matchup
The San Francisco 49ers hit the road for the second consecutive week as they head to SoFi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Niners look to earn their first NFC West win of 2023 and their ninth straight regular-season win against the Rams.
Previous game
The 49ers are coming off a 30-7 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On offense, QB Brock Purdy registered a passer rating of 111.3 after completing 19 of his 29 passing attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns to WR Brandon Aiyuk, who tallied a career-high 129 receiving yards on the day. RB Christian McCaffrey led the ground attack by notching 152 rushing yards, including a 65-yard touchdown on 22 attempts.
Defensively, the Niners registered 5.0 sacks and two interceptions on the
