San Francisco 49ers 17, Seattle Seahawks 20: Grades

Is this the end of the Shanahan Era?

Nov 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan watches the action against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just lost 20-17 to the Seattle Seahawks. Now the 49ers are 5-5 and in last place in the NFC West. Here are their grades for this performance.

QUARTERBACK: C-MINUS

Brock Purdy ran the ball extremely well but he didn't pass well. As a runner, he averaged a whopping 8 yards per carry and scored a diving touchdown in the red zone. As a passer, he averaged just 5.7 yards per throw and his passer rating was a pedestrian 85.3. He threw a three-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Jauan Jennings. He also threw an interception because forced a pass to Christian McCaffrey who wasn't open. And with the game on the line, Purdy wasn't clutch. On the 49ers' final drive of the game, with a chance to close out the victory, Purdy had Samuel running open across the middle and sailed the pass five feet over his head. It was a Jimmy Garoppolo miss. Then Geno Smith led the game-winning drive that Purdy couldn't put together. Purdy is now on pace to throw 22 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions this season. Those are Jimmy G numbers. Purdy is a better runner and a harder worker than Garoppolo ever was, but not a better passer than him. They're both mediocre at throwing the ball. The 49ers won't even let Purdy attempt a Hail Mary because his arm isn't strong enough. In no world is he worth more than $40 million per season. The 49ers should not extend his contract this offseason. They should make Purdy play out his contract and then decide what to do with him after next season. This season isn't going well for him.

RUNNING BACKS: D

Christian McCaffrey rushed 19 times for 72 yards -- 4.2 per carry. The league average is 4.5 yards per carry. Which means he was below average as a runner. Meanwhile, Jordan Mason rushed twice for 13 yards -- 6.5 yards per carry. The 49ers did the Seahawks a favor by using McCaffrey so much and burying Mason.

FULLBACK: D-MINUS

Gained 12 yards from scrimmage. Made no tangible impact on the game in any way.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B-MINUS

Jauan Jennings was brilliant -- he had 10 catches on 11 targets for 91 yards and 1 touchdown. He is by far the 49ers' best wide receiver. Their most expensive wide receiver, Deebo Samuel, had 22 receiving yards on 7 targets, or roughly 3 yards per target. Terrible. He also rushed once and lost a yard. He's rapidly declining.

TIGHT ENDS: F

George Kittle didn't play and the 49ers offense fell apart. That's because he's their best run blocker plus he has to be covered by a safety, not a linebacker. Eric Saubert can be covered by a nose tackle if necessary. He's slow.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: C-MINUS

They committed two false starts, two holding penalties and gave up two sacks.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: B

Leonard Floyd played well -- he had 1.5 sacks. Nick Bosa also played well before leaving the game with another oblique injury -- both of his obliques currently are injured. Seriously. But after Bosa left the game, the 49ers defense fell apart. He's that important.

LINEBACKERS: C

Fred Warner had just three tackles. He made no impact on the game.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: C

The 49ers really missed Charvarius Ward. The Seahawks took turns picking on Renardo Green and Isaac Yiadom. To Yiadom's credit, he intercepted Geno Smith once. But collectively, the 49ers gave up 17 catches for 180 yards combined to D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Not good.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Jake Moody didn't miss any kicks, but backup punter Pat O'Donnell punted the ball into the end zone before the Seahawks' game-winning touchdown drive. He should have landed that ball between the 10 and the 15.

COACHES: F

Like clockwork, the 49ers threw their defensive coordinator under the bus for this loss. After the game, Fred Warner said Smith's final touchdown run occurred because the 49ers were in man-to-man coverage and essentially couldn't account for Smith as a runner. That's code for, "blame Nick Sorensen." But Sorensen wasn't the reason the 49ers lost this game -- Kyle Shanahan was the reason. He got outcoached. His offense averaged a putrid 4.9 yards per play. His team committed 9 penalties. And he blew his third fourth-quarter lead to a division opponent this season. He coaches one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and it is decidedly worse than the sum of its parts. That's his fault. He is by far the most overrated head coach in the NFL. And if the 49ers miss the playoffs, which seems likely at this point, they need to fire him and hire Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as his replacement. Enough is enough.