49ers 17, Vikings 22: Grades

Welcome back to Earth, Brock Purdy.

The 49ers just lost to the Minnesota Vikings 22-17. Here are the 49ers' grades for their second surprising loss in a row.

BROCK PURDY: D

He played well until the final two drives of the game, when he had two chances to lead the 49ers to a go-ahead touchdown while trailing by five points. Both times, he threw picks to the same safety -- Cam Bynum. In the crisis moment, Purdy could have been the hero. Instead, he became Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy has crashed down to Earth. Two weeks ago, people were comparing him to Joe Montana. Now, he has played two bad games in a row and he just got outplayed by Kirk Cousins. And he wasn't facing an elite defense. He was facing a mediocre defense. And sure, he was missing Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams. But he still had Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings -- that's a good group. And yet, Purdy still played poorly, and has now thrown three interceptions in the past two games. He's not playing like a quarterback who will lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl.

RUNNING BACKS: B-MINUS

Christian McCaffrey played through a slightly torn oblique, fumbled in the red zone and averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. But he had very few holes, and he still scored two touchdowns. This game would have been ugly without him.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B-MINUS

Deebo Samuel didn't play, Brandon Aiyuk had 57 receiving yards and Jauan Jennings had 54, but neither one took over the game the way Samuel has in the past.

TIGHT ENDS: A

George Kittle had a team-high 78 receiving yards. He always plays well on national television.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: F

Trent Williams didn't play, and the 49ers couldn't run the ball without him. Their longest run of the game was a 17-yard scramble by Purdy. And in the pass game, Colton McKivitz gave up a sack.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: F

They sacked Kirk Cousins zero times. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead all were ghosts. And they each make big big bucks. Tonight, they made Kirk Cousins look like prime Peyton Manning.

LINEBACKERS: B-MINUS

Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw combined to record 23 tackles and helped limit the Vikings to just 3.5 yards per carry. Greenlaw also gave up a touchdown catch to Jordan Addison.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: D

Charvarius Ward intercepted Kirk Cousins in the first quarter, but then dropped a pick that turned into a 60-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Plus he committed two penalties. These guys gave up 378 yards through the air. They were bystanders.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Jake Moody missed a 40-yard field goal early and put his job with the 49ers on life support. But in the second half, he drilled a 55-yard field goal and saved his position. Good for the rookie.

COACHES: D

Kyle Shanahan wasn't awful even though his offense scored only 17 points. His players committed three turnovers and his rookie kicker missed a short field goal. But for the second week in a row, his team was sloppy and unprepared and lost to an inferior team. And the defense was absolutely horrendous. It gave up 452 yards. It allowed the Vikings to convert on 8 of 13 third downs. And the Vikings best player, wide receiver Justin Jefferson, didn't even play. Steve Wilks was completely lost all game. He couldn't figure out how to generate pressure or get off the field. With 16 seconds left in the first half, he called a blitz on third and 6 that didn't create pressure and resulted in a 60-yard touchdown catch before halftime. Wilks should have just called a soft zone coverage and forced a check down. Wilks seems like a liability. He might not be a Super Bowl caliber coordinator.