San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Full Report Card Grades for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers came in with a chip on their shoulder. Unfortunately, they couldn't handle the mismatch that the Arizona Cardinals presented from a personnel standpoint.

Early drops and misfiring on intermediate routes is what ultimately cost the 49ers the game.

An uncharacteristic team took the field as the 49ers offensive line gave up a season-high seven sacks. That's not good enough, especially with a game-managing quarterback behind center.

Quarterback

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert proved once again that he's nothing more than a game-manager. 

It was the Cardinals who suffocated passing windows while forcing Gabbert into making mental mistakes, including a tipped-pass interception with 1:55 left in the first half.

However, the bad play didn't stop there as Gabbert misfired on a deep-corner route to wide open tight end Garrett Celek to displaying little downfield accuracy on a post route to WR Rod Streater. One word—awful. 

Gabbert would go on to finish with a horrible stat line: 18 of 30 for 162 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions; 10 carries for 70 yards and one touchdown.

Grade: D

Running Back

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Running back Carlos Hyde had nowhere to run; the A-, B- and C-gaps were all shut down on the daily.

It's hard to find running lanes when you have a quarterback who can't throw the deep ball in one-on-one coverage.

Hyde saw plenty of eight- and nine-men fronts which in turn led to a low output, despite a late third-quarter touchdown, finishing with 22 carries for 78 rushing yards (3.5 avg) and one touchdown.

Grade: C-

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The storyline at wide receiver continues to be the diminutive yet shifty Jeremy Kerley. 

The late addition to the team's 53-man roster continues to be Gabbert's security blanket.

From making touch catches on speed-outs to going across the middle, Kerley put together another 80-plus receiving night, hauling in eight catches for 102 receiving yards and one touchdown. 

There's not much else to report here as no other receiver made a significant impact. 

Grade: C

Offensive Line

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The 49ers offensive line allowed a season-high seven sacks. That's not going to cut it.

After playing clean games for the first four games, this one was by far their worst outing.

Grade: F

Defensive Line

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The 49ers defensive line provided little in the pass-rush department for the second week in a row, which in turn allowed Drew Stanton to throw two touchdowns to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. 

Adding insult to injury, the 49ers defensive line could not contain David Johnson as he racked up plenty of yards between the tackles, finishing up with 27 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Something I alluded to in my Week 5 preview on NinerFans.com, it doesn't matter who the opposing quarterback is behind center if you can't stop the run.

One week removed from allowing a whopping 6.05 yards per carry to Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, the 49ers defensive line struggled once again in Week 5, giving up 5.8 yards per carry to Johnson. 

Horrible.

Grade: F

Linebackers

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Inside linebacker Nick Bellore was the next man up in NaVorro Bowman's absence and pieced together a nice first career NFL start.

From chasing plays on backside containment to shooting the A-gaps, Bellore proved that instinctive football wins out when it comes to playing defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil's scheme. 

Bellore would finish the game with a team-high 10 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss. 

That's where the praise stops for me, as no other linebacker stood out. 

Grade: C

Secondary

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

For the second consecutive week, cornerback Tramaine Brock allowed two touchdowns in the game. 

This time it was Larry Fitzgerald who won his one-on-one battles while man-handling T-Brock on the outside.

From winning 50-50 balls to running crisp routes, it was a mismatch from the get-go, and T-Brock suffered as a result. 

While this is a team sport, the brunt of the blame falls on Brock's shoulders once again. 

Grade: F

Special Teams

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Cornerback Rashard Robinson made a rookie mistake when he was flagged for a "running-into-the-kicker" penalty, which resulted in a Larry Fitzgerald touchdown. 

Second-year punter Bradley Pinion kicked seven times for a 49.9 average, including one pinned inside the 20, but that's where the positive news stops. 

Grade: C

Coaching

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The 49ers simply don't have the horses on both sides of the ball to win.

At the end of the day, coaches coach and players play. The 49ers came in with a vanilla game plan, but it was one that would have been successful had it not been for the sloppy turnovers. 

In the end, this team is not geared for playing from behind and it showed. 

Grade: D