San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle earned the team's top overall grade (93.1) from Pro Football Focus during Sunday's 31-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kittle's grade from the analytics site was also the game's highest. Nose tackle Vita Vea earned the Buccaneers' top grade (81.8).
Kittle finished the game with eight receptions for 54 yards and nearly had a couple of scores, if not for some nullifying penalties.
On the 49ers defense, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and rookie defensive end Nick Bosa earned top grades. Witherspoon hauled in one of two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The other came from fellow cornerback Richard Sherman.
CB @ahkello gets the #49ers' third INT of the game and probably the win. pic.twitter.com/rdLttZD0Dj
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) September 8, 2019
"He's going to be a great player in this league for a long time," Sherman said of Witherspoon after the game, "and I'm just so proud of him today and the way he battled, and the way he showed up."
Ahkello Witherspoon earned the #49ers highest grade in coverage this weekend with an 81.7 grade. His passer rating when targeted was a whopping 4.9! pic.twitter.com/4bCjgpcKEO
— PFF SF 49ers (@PFF_49ers) September 9, 2019
Bosa, playing in his first NFL game, recorded his first sack as a pro.
#49ers DE Nick Bosa's (@nbsmallerbear) first NFL sack! pic.twitter.com/ouxuRRiq25
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) September 8, 2019
"It felt great," Bosa said of getting to an NFL quarterback for the first time. "It was kind of a moment where we had to focus up, so I was like, 'Okay, no celebration. Let's just go.' It was second down (after the sack), so we had another big play right after. It was kind of anticlimactic, but it was still nice to get."
Below are the five 49ers players on offense who earned PFF's top grades against the Buccaneers.
- TE George Kittle (93.1)
- G Mike Person (83.6)
- RB Tevin Coleman (77.2)
- T Joe Staley (69.5)
- RB Raheem Mostert (66.9)
Below are the five 49ers players on defense with PFF's top grades in the same game.
- CB Ahkello Witherspoon (80.8)
- DE Nick Bosa (80.5)
- LB Dre Greenlaw (75.7)
- LB Mark Nzeocha (73.5)
- DE Dee Ford (70.8)