49ers report card: Defense ensures Niners pass their first test amid sloppy play elsewhere

SEATTLE Here is how the ers graded in Sunday s - season-opening win over the host Seattle Seahawks PASS OFFENSE B Brock Purdy threw touchdown passes on both their first and last possessions Do those cancel out his two second-half interceptions No but he s paid million per year to deliver wins and he came through in the clutch completing all six of his passes for yards on the game-winning drive that culminated in a -yard prayer to Jake Tonges Purdy s protection wasn t great but he got sacked just once when a blitzing safety slipped past Christian McCaffrey It was no surprise Purdy capped a -play -yard opening drive with a -yard scoring strike to Kittle But once Kittle left with a hamstring the ers needed others to step up and seven others indeed made catches each seemingly vital in this comeback but in particular McCaffrey nine catches yards and Ricky Pearsall who had a -yard gem on the winning drive to highlight his four-catch -yard day Kudos also to Tonges Kyle Juszczyk Luke Farrell Brian Robinson and Jauan Jennings who had a signature third-and-Jauan conversion but also now has a shoulder injury RUN OFFENSE B Any -carry -yard compilation deserves praise This one came after days of concern over McCaffrey s calf The longest runs by McCaffrey yards and new backup Brian Robinson Jr yards came on the ers game-tying drive to open the fourth quarter McCaffrey s predictably heavy workload included carries yards while Robinson spelled him for nine carries yards McCaffrey converted on their first four short-yardage plays but he got stuffed on his final three and Robinson lost a yard on his second-and- try Purdy s mobility resulted in five carries yards Trent Williams and Dominick Puni played through injuries PASS DEFENSE A- Renardo Green may have allowed a -yard last-minute catch that put the ers win in jeopardy but Nick Bosa bailed him and the entire defense out with a strip-sack fumble recovery with seconds remaining If this wasn t the best play of Bosa s accomplished career it was the preponderance timely as he powered right tackle Abraham Lucas into Darnold forcing the fumble that Bosa recovered It was the ers lone sack on Darnold -of- yards Another takeaway came when Sam Okuayinonu forced Jaxon Smith-Njigba to fumble in ers territory with Marques Sigle recovering to open the fourth quarter and spark a rally Not so great penalties on Deommodore Lenoir unnecessary roughness unsportsmanlike conduct Upton Stout pass interference in the end zone setting up the Seahawks only touchdown and Green holding on third down RUN DEFENSE A The Seahawks may be trying to mirror a run-oriented Shanahan-esque scheme but they didn t get positive results against a ers group that had major problems stopping the run last season Seattle averaged just yards per carry Zach Charbonnet carries yards -yard touchdown and Kenneth Walker III carries yards were ineffective although Charbonnet s incidental kick into Fred Warner s face literally sparked a bloody fury team-high eight tackles The ers totaled seven tackles for loss three from Bosa two from Dee Winters and one each by Warner and Kalia Davis SPECIAL TEAMS D- Related Articles ers third-stringer Los Gatos native an unlikely hero in win over Seahawks A dream come true Kurtenbach The ers season-opening win was all kinds of messy Get used to it What the ers are saying after winning season opener against Seahawks Studs and Duds ers stars come up clutch in come-from-behind win over rival Seahawks ers Seahawks Late heroics produce chaotic season-opening win Jake Moody and the field-goal unit flunked their first-half performance with Moody shanking a -yard try off the left upright before a protection gaffe got his next attempt blocked from yards Ah but Moody made a game-tying -yard field goal in the fourth quarter Skyy Moore muffed one punt but he returned the Seahawks final kickoff yards so the ers winning drive could start at the Isaac Guerendo in his only touch of the day muffed the second-half kickoff and returned it only to the -yard line COACHING B Wins won t be easy this season and this Week escape exemplified that Shanahan drew praise from Purdy and Pearsall for dialing up the -yard connection that sparked the winning drive Robert Saleh started his second act as defensive coordinator with widespread praise too