San Francisco 49ers 24, Los Angeles Rams 27: Grades

Pathetic.

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on as players warm up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

INGLEWOOD -- The 49ers just lost 27-24 to the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the 49ers' grades for this pathetic performance.

BROCK PURDY: A.

He proved that he doesn't need Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey to be effective. He doesn't even need Brandon Aiyuk to be at his peak. All he needs is Jauan Jennings. Granted, Purdy faced arguably the worst defense in the NFL. Still, Purdy threw for 292 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 41 yards. To be fair, he fumbled once, but overall he was excellent. And he didn't have a dominant running game to lean on. He carried the offense.

RUNNING BACKS: B.

The Rams put eight defenders in the box most of the game which is why Jordan Mason averaged just 4.1 yards per carry. He still ran hard -- he just didn't have much running room.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B-PLUS

Jauan Jennings had the game of his life. He caught 11 passes for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns. Truthfully, they should have thrown to him more. He was by far their best weapon. And he clearly is the best wide receiver on the team. Better than Brandon Aiyuk, who had 5 catches on 10 targets for 43 yards. Better than Deebo Samuel who's always injured. The 49ers offense is so better when they don't have to force the ball to those two overpaid wide receivers. Jennings should be their go-to guy for years to come. And Ronnie Bell never should play again. He dropped a deep pass that would have set up the game-winning field goal. Jacob Cowing should have been on the field instead of him.

TIGHT ENDS: C-MINUS.

George Kittle missed the game with a calf strain and Eric Saubert had 41 receiving yards in his place. But the 49ers really struggled to run the ball without Kittle's elite blocking.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: C-PLUS.

They gave up only one sack, but that's because Brock Purdy scrambled away from pressure. They did not block well in the run game against a terrible run defense. Colton McKivitz gave up a sack/fumble. And Jake Brendel was just plain awful as usual..

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: C.

They sacked Matthew Stafford three times but also gave up three walk-in touchdowns to Rams running back Kyren Williams even though they stacked the box all game. The 49ers defense is soft.

LINEBACKERS: D.

Fred Warner recorded just four tackles and De'Vondre Campbell committed a pass interference penalty with the game on the line.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: F.

Charvarius Ward gave up a 50-yard catch to Tutu Atwell in the fourth quarter. Collectively, this group gave up a passer rating of 105.6 to a team missing both of its starting wide receivers. Pitiful.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F-MINUS.

First, they allowed a fake punt to pick up a first down. Next, Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal. Finally, the coverage unit gave up a 37-yard punt return that gave the Rams the ball at midfield on the final series. Special teams lost the game for the 49ers.

COACHES: F.

Nick Sorensen couldn't figure out how to stop Kyren Williams and Tutu Atwell -- a couple mediocrities. Through three games, Sorensen appears to be a downgrade from Steve Wilks. On offense, Kyle Shanahan did a good job working around the absences of McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle. But Shanahan's refusal to play rookies unless he absolutely has to hurt him again today. He stubbornly played cornerback Isaac Yiadom and wide receiver Ronnie Bell instead of rookies Renardo Green and Jacob Cowing, and those decisions ruined the 49ers' chances. Shanahan is terrible at game management. Now his high-priced veteran team seems decidedly mediocre. Last week's loss to the Vikings wasn't a fluke. The Vikings are better than the 49ers. So are a lot of teams.