49ers 32, New York Jets 19: Grades

Big day for Brock Purdy and Jordan Mason.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) greets San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) after a game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

SANTA CLARA -- Here are the 49ers' grades for their 32-19 win over the New York Jets.

BROCK PURDY: B-PLUS

He played his first career game without Christian McCaffrey and was solid. Spread the ball around to lots of different receivers. Avoided pressure. Made good decisions with the exception of one pass he forced into double coverage late in the game. Also threw a perfect pass to Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone which Aiyuk simply dropped, so Purdy's numbers should have been better. He's a very good quarterback who's beginning to prove that he's not a mere product of his All Pro teammates.

RUNNING BACKS: A-PLUS

Christian McCaffrey sat out with a sore Achilles, which means Jordan Mason started his first career game and carried the 49ers to victory. Rushed 28 times for 147 yards and 1 touchdown. The 49ers wouldn't have won this game without him. He adds a degree of power and violence to the 49ers running game that the 49ers haven't had since Frank Gore was in his prime. If the 49ers had used Mason more the past two seasons, they might not have worn down McCaffrey. At least Mason is fresh. In addition, fullback Kyle Juszczyk had 40 receiving yards tonight. Which means the 49ers didn't miss a beat without McCaffrey.

WIDE RECEIVERS: C-PLUS

Deebo Samuel was overused. He had 8 carries for just 23 yards and a touchdown, and the touchdown came on a jet sweep. His runs when he lined up in the backfield were ineffective. He's not a running back. As a receiver, he caught 5 passes on 9 targets for 54 yards, which means he was OK. Nothing special. But certainly better than Brandon Aiyuk, who was extremely rusty after sitting out the whole offseason. He caught just 2 passes on 5 targets for 28 yards. Is that was $30 million per season gets you these days? He needs to play better. Samuel does, too. Because the 49ers' best wide receiver since the playoffs has been Jauan Jennings. Tonight, he led all 49ers with 64 receiving yards and he caught all five of his targets.

TIGHT ENDS: B-PLUS

George Kittle had 4 catches for 40 yards, and both he and Eric Saubert blocked exceptionally well in the run game. Finally, the 49ers have a quality backup tight end.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: C.

Colton McKivitz gave up a quarterback hit and committed two penalties -- he's by far the worst starting offensive tackle in the NFL, and he's paid like it. In addition, Jake Brendel got thrown on his back at least once. The rest of this line was solid, particularly rookie right guard Dominick Puni. Trent Williams left the game briefly to get an I.V. because he's not yet in peak physical shape but he returned to the game.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: B.

They did an excellent job shutting down Jets running back Breece Hall, which is impressive considering run defense was an issue last season. But the pass rush did not produce. Leonard Floyd had one sack and Nick Bosa had two quarterback hits. Eventually, the 49ers will need their pass rush to show up and do something.

LINEBACKERS: B.

They did an excellent job without Dre Greenlaw. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles even intercepted a pass that was tipped by Deommodore Lenoir. Those two linebackers played well. De'Vondre Campbell did not play particularly well -- he seemed slower than the other two.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A.

Deommodore Lenoir tipped a pass that got intercepted and Charvarius Ward nearly picked off another pass. Those two remain an elite cornerback duo. Isaac Yiadom also had a couple nice plays, and Ji'Ayir Brown and George Odum both were fantastic in run support.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A.

Jake Moody made all six of his kicks. He's automatic when there's no pressure.

COACHES: B-PLUS.

Nick Sorensen immediately fixed a run defense that was mediocre at best last season. Give him credit for a good performance in his first game as a defensive coordinator. He made quality adjustments and the players seemed to play hard for him. Kyle Shanahan also did a good job working around the absence of Christian McCaffrey and the rust of Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams. To be fair, Shanahan called way too many plays for Samuel considering how well Mason, Jennings, Kittle and Juszczyk were playing. At times, Shanahan seems borderline obsessed with Samuel even though other players are just as good or better than him. Still, Shanahan found a way to win by 13 points. If his team stays healthy, it should make another deep playoff run this season.