With all the injuries, the San Francisco 49ers ran their record to 5-2 on the season and tied with the Los Angeles Rams, barring the result of Seattle vs Houston, atop the NFC West. You have to hand it to these 49ers; the effort is evident, the team is all the way bought in, and they will not go down without a fight. Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh put on a show on national TV, and the team responded with a gut-check victory on SNF without their emotional and defensive leader, Fred Warner. Something about this game resembled the attitude of previous 49ers teams. Running the football was back, and so was the edge.
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades from Sunday night, according to Pro Football Focus.
Offense
Quarterback
Mac Jones 66 (75.9)
The 49ers have four wins with Mac Jones under center. Sunday’s plan was to get the running game back on track, and the 49ers did, leaving Jones to drop back only 28 times against Atlanta. With a modest 152-yard passing day, Jones was in command, and his only real blemishes on the day were a drop from Jauan Jennings, which resulted in an interception, and a drop from Demarcus Robinson on a 50-yard throw downfield. Signing Jones this offseason looks to be the shrewdest move from the front office, as the former Patriots quarterback has steadied the ship and put himself firmly in the starting quarterback conversation moving forward.
Jones was given three drops from his receivers by PFF, but the big number is the zero TWP%. Protect the football, and be steady—another great performance from Jones.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 49 (81.4)
Kyle Juszczyk 39 (69.8)
Brian Robinson 17 (54.6)
The 49ers’ running attack returned in a big way. Christian McCaffrey looked like his 2023 version with 5.4 yards per carry and racked up over 200 scrimmage yards. Shanahan and the 49ers moved to more gap runs instead of outside zone against the Falcons, and it led to the first big rushing game of the season. With 68 yards coming after contact, McCaffrey forced three missed tackles, as did Brian Robinson. Speaking of Robinson, the former Washington running back added 36 yards on nine carries. Sixteen of the 36 designed runs were gap scheme runs.
Wide Receiver
Jauan Jennings 56 (54.7)
Kendrick Bourne 51 (65.8)
Demarcus Robinson 22 (42.1)
Malik Turner 10 (57.2)
Skyy Moore 3 (91.4)
The 49ers’ game plan revolved around getting the running game going. Six catches went to the 49ers’ receivers combined. Kendrick Bourne finished with a team-high 88.8 run blocking grade on 28 run blocking snaps. The 49ers receivers knew this was going to be a game where they needed to block more than catch passes, and the team bought in.
Offensive Line
Dominick Puni 66 (63.0)
Colton McKivitz 66 (81.6)
Trent Williams 66 (81.3)
Connor Colby 62 (49.6)
Matt Hennessey 46 (66.6)
Jake Brendel 20 (83.2)
Nick Zakelj 4 (46.8)
On 28 dropbacks, Jones was pressured six times, hurried three times, hit twice, and the line allowed one sack on Sunday night. Facing a defense known for its blitzes and pressure rates, the 49ers’ line did well. Jake Brendel left the game with a hamstring injury, and Shanahan believes it will cost him multiple weeks. The former Atlanta Falcon Matt Hennessey stepped in and played well. Hennessey finished with a 74.4 pass blocking grade, which was second to Trent Williams’ 80.1 grade.
Colton McKivitz led the way with a team-high 87.1 run blocking grade and an overall grade of 81.6. Overall, the line looked its best in 2025 on Sunday. Connor Colby caught a pass, but I’m not sure that was in the game plan.
Tight End
George Kittle 54 (56.7)
Luke Farrell 22 (90.8)
Jake Tonges 7 (48.3)
While George Kittle was shut out from the box score, his presence was felt on Sunday night. Kittle returned with a 70.1 run blocking grade and did the dirty work for the 49ers offense to help spring his running backs. The return of Kittle put Jake Tonges on the back burner as the run-heavy game plan was designed for Kittle and Luke Farrell. Farrell finished with a team-high 90.8 offensive grade and an 83.5 run blocking grade.
Defense
Defensive Line
Bryce Huff 45 (81.9)
Sam Okuayinonu 44 (79.9)
Mykel Williams 42 (53.4)
Alfred Collins 39 (54.6)
Kalia Davis 23 (54.2)
Jordan Elliott 21 (59.5)
Kevin Givens 20 (52.9)
Trevis Gipson 17 (56.6)
CJ West 9 (45.1)
Bryce Huff and Sammy O combined for ten total pressures, three sacks, two QB hits, and five hurries against Atlanta. Alfred Collins, Jordan Elliott, and Kevin Givens had two pressures apiece, and the 49ers defense combined for 22 pressures, three sacks, four QB hits, and 15 hurries. Huff led the team with an 84.3 pass-rushing grade and a 90.5 true pass set rushing grade.
Mykel Williams led the defensive line with a 70.9 run defense grade on nine run defense snaps. Huff and Sam O each had two tackles in run defense. Huge day for the 49ers’ defensive line, which was searching for a pass-rushing spark.
Linebackers
Dee Winters 65 (58.4)
Tatum Bethune 56 (79.3)
Curtis Robinson 7 (33.2)
Luke Gifford 7 (52.1)
Tatum Bethune led the 49ers with six tackles and posted a 79.3 defensive grade, 76.0 run defense grade, 73.5 pass rushing grade, and a 67.2 coverage grade. The one blip on Bethune’s day was his tackling grade of 33.7. Three missed tackles, and a 25% missed tackle rate has to improve. Bethune also led the team with four defensive stops.
Overall, the loss of Warner, which is a huge blow, has been mitigated in two weeks with the play of Bethune and Winters. Developing linebackers is the 49ers’ strong suit, and it looks to continue.
Secondary
Ji’Ayir Brown 65 (47.5)
Deommodore Lenoir 65 (57.6)
Darrell Luter Jr 47 (58.5)
Malik Mustapha 45 (67.8)
Chase Lucas 35 (81.0)
Jason Pinnock 23 (46.7)
Marques Sigle 20 (53.0)
Renardo Green 18 (28.2)
Upton Stout was inactive, and Renardo Green left the game with an injury, but Chase Lucas and Darrell Luter Jr stepped up in a big way. Lucas led the team with a 77.9 coverage grade and didn’t allow a catch while making a very important play on Drake London, which goes down as a PBU. Shanahan updated Green’s injury as a turf toe injury, so Luter Jr will have to step up in the meantime.
The safety position continues to see a rotation, aside from Ji’Ayir Brown, who played every snap. Robert Saleh said the job next to Mustapha is up for grabs, but it seems like Brown and Mustapha will be the starters when Malik is full go. If the 49ers can pass rush as they did on Sunday, the secondary stands to benefit the most.
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