49ers 27, Commanders 10: Grades

What a season for Brock Purdy.

The 49ers just beat the Washington Commanders 27-10 and have clinched the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Here are the 49ers' grades for this performance.

QUARTERBACK: A

He was coming off the worst start of his career, so he started off modestly, mostly handing off and checking down. But once he settled down and got into the flow of the game, he started throwing downfield, scrambling and making big-time confident plays on his own. And he finished the day as the 49ers' single-season leader in passing yards, surpassing Jeff Garcia. Purdy may not be the MVP of the NFL, but he's the best quarterback the 49ers have had since Garcia.

RUNNING BACKS: A

Last week when the 49ers lost to the Ravens, Christian McCaffrey was an afterthought -- he carried the ball just 14 times. So this week, the 49ers gave McCaffrey 11 touches in the first quarter alone -- they wanted to feature him the way they should have featured him against the Ravens. Problem is McCaffrey injured his right calf after his 14th carry today and missed the rest of the game. The 49ers say his injury is a strain and it's not too serious. Elijah Mitchell replaced him and gained 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The 49ers will be extremely tough to beat if both Mitchell and McCaffrey are healthy.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A

Brandon Aiyuk had his seventh 100-yard game of the season plus a touchdown -- he's clearly a top-five wide receiver in the NFL. Deebo Samuel had 72 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown as well. They're both No. 1 wide receivers.

TIGHT ENDS: C-PLUS

George Kittle had some nice blocks, but only 29 receiving yards, plus he left the game for one play after getting hit hard in the knee.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: A

Aaron Banks suited up but didn't play because he has turf toe, and yet the 49ers still gave up only one sack and rushed for 184 yards. Jon Feliciano started at left guard and played quite well. He has been one of the 49ers' best offseason additions.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: C-PLUS

They pressured Sam Howell into making some terrible throws, but sacked him just once and gave up 4.8 yards per carry to the Commanders running backs. The 49ers defensive linemen seemed tired.

LINEBACKERS: B-MINUS

Dre Greenlaw had 10 tackles and flew around the field, but Fred Warner had just six tackles and a couple whiffs. He has seemed tired the past few weeks. Fortunately for the 49ers, he'll have a couple weeks to rest and prepare for the playoffs.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A

Ambry Thomas gave up a touchdown catch, but both Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir intercepted Howell.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Jake Moody made two field goals and Mitch Wishnowsky pinned the Commanders inside their 20-yard line twice.

COACHES: B

Kyle Shanahan grounded the offense and re-established its run-first identity, which is a big reason the 49ers committed no turnovers in this game. Expect Shanahan to call playoff games the way he called this one, not because he lost confidence in Brock Purdy, but because Purdy performs his best when the running game is dominant. On defense, the 49ers made a bad quarterback look bad, which isn't a big accomplishment, plus they continued to struggle against runs and screens. Steve Wilks will have to clean up those issues between now and the playoffs. Fortunately for him, he'll have plenty of time.