49ers 21, Seahawks 13: Grades

The 49ers have won seven games in a row and are NFC West champions.

SEATTLE -- The 49ers just won the NFC West with a 21-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Here are the 49ers' grades for this performance.

BROCK PURDY: B

He's the most mature and poised rookie quarterback I've ever seen. He plays like a 30-year-old veteran, meaning he's calm and mostly takes what the defense gives him. But tonight, he also threw a beautiful 54-yard touchdown pass to his fourth-read on the play, plus he scrambled for a first down while extending the ball past the chains and sliding in bounds to keep the clock running near the end of regulation, and he did all of this in Seattle with an injured rib that prevented him from practicing and throwing with zip. His story is flat-out incredible. Still, he's limited physically, which is why he still hasn't proven he's a franchise quarterback yet. He lacks the velocity to drive intermediate passes into tight windows, which is why he nearly threw a pick six tonight forcing a pass over the middle on 3rd and 11. The defender just dropped it. Had he caught it and returned it for a touchdown, the Seahawks would have taken the lead, and they're terrible. So Purdy still has much to prove before he takes Trey Lance's job for good. I expect those two to compete for the starting job this offseason, and I expect them to bring out the best in each other.

RUNNING BACKS: C-PLUS

Christian McCaffrey rushed for 108 yards and one touchdown, but he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry, which is below the league average of 4.5. The Seahawks' terrible run defense was surprisingly effective at setting the edges and forcing McCaffrey to run between the tackles, where he's less effective. Still, the 49ers gave him 26 carries, which was reckless and unnecessary. They're lucky he didn't get injured. His backup, Jordan Mason, iced the game with a 55-yard run. He's good, and yet the 49ers gave him just four carries. That needs to change in the future.

WIDE RECEIVERS: C

Jauan Jennings led all 49ers wide receivers with 31 receiving yards. With the exception of a few plays, they struggled against the Seahawks cornerbacks.

TIGHT ENDS: A

George Kittle had four catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns -- he always seems to raise his game during primetime. In addition, his backup, Tyler Kroft, had a 28-yard catch.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: C-MINUS

The right side is no good, which is why almost all of the 49ers' long runs go to their left. Mike McGlinchey committed a holding penalty when he literally tackled a pass rusher. That's against the rules.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: A-PLUS

They hit Geno Smith eight times and sacked him three times. Kerry Hyder, a defensive end, started at defensive tackle and the 49ers still shut down the Seahawks run game. Remarkable.

LINEBACKERS: A-PLUS

Dre Greenlaw essentially won the game by forcing a fumble at the end of the first half. That forced fumble gave the 49ers the ball at the Seahawks 6-yard line and led to a touchdown which gave the 49ers a two-score lead. Greenlaw is the second-best player on the 49ers defense behind Nick Bosa.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: B

Charvarius Ward did a great job shutting down D.K. Metcalf and is making the case that he's an All Pro cornerback. But Talanoa Hufanga, who almost intercepted a pass, also gave up a touchdown catch in the red zone because he blew his coverage assignment. He's a high-risk, high-reward player.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-MINUS

Ray Ray McCloud and Mitch Wishnowsky continue to have terrific seasons, but Robbie Gould missed a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have essentially ended the game.

COACHES: B

DeMeco Ryans was great as usual -- he should win the Coordinator of the Year Award. His defense is the best unit in football. Kyle Shanahan did certain things well, too. He called a conservative, safety-first game because his quarterback was injured and couldn't make all the throws -- that was smart. Shanahan also was directly responsible for both touchdown throws. In each case, he drew up a play that created a wide-open receiver. But when he didn't call one of his special plays, the offense looked flat and lacked rhythm. The run game mostly struggled against one of the worst run defenses in the league. It's possible the injuries to Deebo Samuel and Brock Purdy plus the short week made the offense look worse than it really is. It's also possible that the more Purdy plays, the better teams will defend him. We'll find out soon enough.