49ers vs. Broncos: Full Report Card Grades for San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers suffered one of their most humiliating defeats during the Jim Harbaugh era on Sunday.
San Francisco was routed by Peyton Manning and they Denver Broncos in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football. It took less than one half of the game for Manning to surpass the all-time passing touchdown record previously held by Brett Favre.
But at the end of the first half, the 49ers still had a decent chance to put themselves back into the game after trailing 21-10.
This did not happen.
Denver ran away with the game in the third quarter. Two Ronnie Hillman rushing touchdowns, along with another passing TD from Manning, put the game into the blowout category.
"Peyton Manning throws for 318 yds, 4 TDs as he sets the all-time NFL passing TD record and Denver beats SF 42-17 pic.twitter.com/OHgRmBLvE7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 20, 2014"
The 49ers could not get anything going against the Broncos' legitimate run defense. This hindered San Francisco's offense in a variety of ways. But a number of other miscues haunted the 49ers' offensive effort.
On defense, Manning and Co. made it look easy against an exposed San Francisco unit. Cornerback Tramaine Brock was repeatedly exposed in his first game back since Week 1.
There were plenty of other setbacks that prevented the 49ers from staying close.
Adding insult to injury, San Francisco continued to endure the injury bug. Cornerback Chris Cook came out of the game with a hamstring injury and center Daniel Kilgore was lost to what appears to be a serious leg injury. Kilgore's replacement, rookie Dillon Farrell, was also lost due to injury for a period of time.
Few things went right from the 49ers' vantage point.
These circumstances will obviously play a significant role in the final evaluation of San Francisco's Week 7 performance.
Let's try our best to get through it.
Quarterback
1 of 10
It's hard to back up the type of performance Colin Kaepernick had in Week 6 against the St. Louis Rams, especially when matched up against a Denver defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL in fewest yards allowed coming into the game.
Kaepernick finished the night with 24 completions on 39 attempts—totaling 263 yards—and one touchdown.
The touchdown pass to wide receiver Stevie Johnson at the end of the second quarter added to Kaepernick's consecutive games with a passing touchdown streak. He now has 14 in a row, per 49ers.com:
"Colin @Kaepernick7 now has a TD pass in 14 consecutive games. #SFvsDEN
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 20, 2014"
But Kaepernick's night was far from perfect.
He tossed a costly interception that was picked off by Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib on San Francisco's opening drive in the second half.
The interception shifted any and all momentum in favor of Denver. The Broncos never looked back.
Kaepernick finished the game with a 79.3 passer rating.
Additionally, Kaepernick was sacked six times for 53 yards. This is largely due to the lack of protection from his offensive line—we'll get to that in a bit—but it parallels the overall lack of execution from San Francisco's offense.
On top of that, Kaepernick had a few passes fall incomplete due to some hard hands from his receiving targets. Tight end Vernon Davis and wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin all had critical drops.
If there is a positive outside of his consecutive games with a passing touchdown streak, it is the fact that Kaepernick did make a number of good plays to a variety of his receiving targets. Three of San Francisco's receivers notched four receptions or more.
There was also a good showing of Kaepernick's ability to read through his progressions.
But all this was far from enough.
No. 2 quarterback Blaine Gabbert entered the game late in the fourth quarter. Gabbert was able to connect with rookie Bruce Ellington for a 20-yard touchdown reception. With the game long out of reach, the play means very little. But it's nice to see some production out of San Francisco's backup.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Frank Gore has now suffered from two back-to-back games in which defenses have limited his abilities to impact the 49ers offense.
Gore netted just 20 rushing yards on nine attempts—an average of 2.2 yards per carry.
This was to be expected considering the Broncos ranked No. 2 in the NFL in fewest yards allowed on the ground.
Like Colin Kaepernick's sack totals, the fault does not lay entirely with Gore's abilities. The offensive line has to bear a solid portion of the blame.
Again, we'll get to that in a bit, but it's safe to say the lack of production on the ground greatly hindered the 49ers' ability to set up play action on offense.
Gore also had some up-and-down moments in pass protection.
On one hand, Kaepernick should thank Gore for saving his backside against a blitzing Bradley Roby in the third quarter—a play described further by Andrew Pentis of 49ers.com.
"Frank Gore should get a medal for that blitz pickup.
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) October 20, 2014"
But Gore also had some bad moments, one of which resulted in a Von Miller sack. According to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee, this was one of Gore's worst performances in what is typically one of the veteran's many strengths:
"Frank Gore having the worst pass-protection game of his career.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) October 20, 2014"
Rookie Carlos Hyde fared a little better in overall averages—5.0 yards per carry on three carries. He also had a nice 10-yard rush toward the end of the game. But this carry happened late in the game during "garbage time."
San Francisco will look to freshen up its running back corps after its Week 8 bye. Second-year pro Marcus Lattimore will also hopefully reinforce this unit.
Grade: F
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Stevie Johnson continues to show why he has been a favorite for Colin Kaepernick in the red zone.
Johnson hauled in a four-yard touchdown reception with just 11 seconds remaining in the first half—a score that closed the 49ers' deficit to 21-10.
"On Monday, Brandon Lloyd had TD before halftime and #49ers trailed 14-10. Tonight, Stevie Johnson has the score and 49ers trail 21-10.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) October 20, 2014"
The drive was set up by a 37-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd, as described further by Andrew Pentis of 49ers.com.
San Francisco's receiving game amounted to 301 total yards through the air, 263 of which came from Kaepernick.
But the biggest problem within the receivering corps was a bad tendency of dropping passes. Anquan Boldin dropped a pass that would have resulted in an easy touchdown on a critical 3rd-and-goal play in the first half.
Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis also dropped would-be receptions at key moments.
"At least three drops now for the Niners -- none bigger than that sure TD by Anquan Boldin.
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) October 20, 2014"
At least this unit finished on a positive note when backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert hooked up with rookie wideout Bruce Ellington on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It was the rookie's first touchdown reception of his career.
While San Francisco's receivers were able to make some big plays, the dropped passes cost the 49ers to a great degree. This hurt not only the score, but the overall momentum of the game.
The 49ers could not find out a way to recapture it.
Grade: D
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
We've hinted that San Francisco's offensive line was a primary issue in the 49ers' 42-17 loss to Denver.
Let's get into the ugly details.
Anthony Davis returned to the lineup after having missed the majority of the season with an ankle injury. But Davis struggled over the course of the game against the Broncos' vaunted pass rush.
"Love me some Anthony Davis, but he's struggling tonight.
— Golden Gate Sports (@goldenbaysports) October 20, 2014"
But Joe Staley's struggles on the left side of the line were even worse. Staley looked lost against Broncos pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware on numerous occasions, the worst of which is presented here, via The Score:
"VIDEO: DeMarcus Ware has some sweet moves. He absolutely loses Joe Staley with a fake spin. http://t.co/U4SQnqAp2a https://t.co/C7UHIfWaJ5
— theScore (@theScore) October 20, 2014"
San Francisco's O-line struggled in pass protection. This unit allowed a total of six sacks and nine tackles for a loss.
On top of that, the O-line did not help out much in the ground game. As stated previously, the 49ers rushers had a tough time exploiting any holes in Denver's front seven. This could have been expected given that the Broncos came into the matchup having allowed the second-fewest yards on the ground, but it's a fair assessment that the 49ers O-line was completely overworked at all points of attack.
But the worst news came when San Francisco lost center Daniel Kilgore to a leg injury in the third quarter.
Kilgore's leg is fractured, according to Jim Harbaugh, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, which could easily be a season-ending injury.
"#49ers C Daniel Kilgore indeed appears to have fractured lower leg, Harbaugh says
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) October 20, 2014"
The long-term implications are yet to be seen. Rookies Dillon Farrell and Marcus Martin will likely complete for the starting spot. Farrell came into the game in Kilgore's stead, and Martin is due back soon after suffering a preseason knee injury.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
San Francisco's defensive line was going to have a big assignment in Week 7—to create enough pressure to offset the passing prowess of Peyton Manning.
Justin Smith, Ray McDonald and Ian Williams would have to work against a Broncos O-line that had given up just six sacks prior to the contest.
The 49ers wound up getting to Manning twice during the game for a total of 14 yards lost. The D-line provided much of this pressure.
This unit also continued the streak of not allowing a 100-plus yard rusher, which currently sits at six games after allowing the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarco Murry to rush for 118 yards in Week 1.
But the positives largely end there.
In spite of not allowing Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman to rush for over 100 yards, he still averaged 5.3 yards per carry on the ground. Backup Juwan Thompson also averaged 5.0 yards per carry.
Denver simply did not need to run the ball as much, especially with Manning chasing the touchdown record.
The D-line did an adequate job, but an adequate job rarely works against a quarterback who is more than capable of delivering the ball quickly—and accuratelyout of the pocket.
We can't exactly place any blame on the D-line for San Francisco's Week 7 loss, but we hoped that this unit would have impacted the game to a greater extent.
Grade: C-
Linebacker
6 of 10
It's hard to fathom a 49ers linebacker corps that would be without Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith.
Such was the case in Week 7.
This depleted unit also suffered from some up-and-down moments throughout the game. With Willis recovering from a toe injury, rookie linebacker Chris Borland got his first NFL start alongside Michael Wilhoite—who started as San Francisco's defensive signal-caller.
Borland recorded a sack in his first game as a starter—getting to Peyton Manning when Denver's signal-caller was tripped up by left guard Orlando Franklin.
"Chris Borland with the sack, and he’ll never get an easier one in his NFL career.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) October 20, 2014"
Here is what Taylor Price of 49ers.com had to say about Borland's efforts:
"Borland handled himself well for the most part. He tackled [Ronnie] Hillman on Denver’s first offensive snap. He also showed great pursuit in running down a short bubble-screen pass to Hillman in the red zone on Denver’s opening scoring drive. The rookie third-round draft pick later nearly forced a Julius Thomas fumble before sacking Manning.
"
Fellow rookie Aaron Lynch tabbed his first sack of the season as well, although his was due to pure effort and not by way of Manning being tripped.
Lynch is seeing more of the field after taking over for Corey Lemonier in pass-rushing duties earlier this season.
"Aaron Lynch ended up playing 44 of 60 snaps. That's 73%, which is a 10% increase from his previous high last week.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 20, 2014"
But there were clear times when Manning and Co. exposed the rookie tandem in the third quarter. Much of this should be expected, but it did not help with the overall course of the game.
Even though San Francisco got a nice performance out of Borland, the team clearly missed Willis in Week 7.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Cornerback Tramaine Brock will forever be enshrined for being on the wrong side of Peyton Manning's record-setting touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.
In fact, Brock was regularly picked on by Manning and the Broncos' aerial attack. This approach made sense given that Brock had not played since a toe injury sidelined him in Week 1.
Manning exposed the rust.
But Brock was not the only one to get victimized in the 49ers secondary.
Rookie cornerback Dontae Johnson gave up Denver's first touchdown pass in the first quarter. Yet the nature of the play suggests that it wasn't exactly on his shoulders. Here is what Taylor Price of 49ers.com said about it:
"Johnson, the team’s fourth-round draft pick, was beat for Denver’s first touchdown. However, it wasn’t exactly his fault. Manning completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders who ran a crossing route. Johnson was in a trail position, but he had his legs taken out by umpire Mark Pellis in the end zone.
"
The pick play drew further ire from former 49ers great Dwight Clark:
"Referees screw up once again.A full time ref would know not to get in the way of a defender like they just did to @3Johnson6 #49ers #SNF
— Dwight Clark (@DwightC87) October 20, 2014"
Either way, Manning made a mockery of San Francisco's secondary. It had no answer for him, nor could it contain Thomas, who finished the game with 171 receiving yards.
The secondary suffered another blow when it lost cornerback Chris Cook to a hamstring injury late in the game.
San Francisco's defensive backfield had to be at its best in this prime-time matchup.
It was anything but the sort.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
The oft-used Phil Dawson finished Sunday's contest having made one of two attempts.
Dawson missed his first attempt—a 51-yard try that sailed wide left in spite of having the distance.
"If Phil Dawson is missing 50+ yard field goals, it probably won't be a good night... #49ers #Broncos
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) October 20, 2014"
Dawson would eventually tack on a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter, but San Francisco needed touchdowns and not field goals at that point in the game.
Punter Andy Lee had a busy day but was solid in his efforts. He averaged 54.4 yards on five punts, which helped offset Denver's return game. The Broncos attempted to return only three punts, averaging just 7.3 yards in the process.
Special teams would have been a brighter spot for the 49ers had it not been for the Dawson miss. Unlike the 49ers' division rivals, St. Louis and Seattle, special teams did not play a significant role in deciding the outcome.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
While much of the blame can be placed on the failure of San Francisco's players to execute at the level they needed to in order to stage an upset, perhaps the primary failures reside in the lack of coaching preparation for this highlighted matchup.
One could easily point out that this is due to the 49ers' short week, having played on Monday Night Football the week prior. Taking to the road against a divisional opponent in Week 6 before having to face the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field is no easy task, even for the best of teams.
The 49ers are still among the NFL's best.
But head coach Jim Harbaugh did not have his players looking that way in Week 7.
On offense, San Francisco could not dial up anything to get its running game going against a loaded defensive front. The Broncos recognized early that the 49ers would attempt to establish the running game. San Francisco could not figure out how to get this done.
"Greg Roman and Colin Kaepernick need to figure out how to beat the loaded box.. That and blitz pick up is killing us..
— 49ers Hub (@49ersHub) October 20, 2014"
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could not answer back with much against the Broncos offense. In reality, Peyton Manning can be viewed as Denver's primary offensive coordinator. If this is the case, Manning got the clear edge over Fangio and any of the adjustments he tried to make.
Fangio was dealing with a short hand considering the injuries, but there were too few times where San Francisco's defense could slow the 38-year-old down.
To put things simply, Jim Harbaugh did not prepare his 49ers adequately enough to legitimately compete with Denver.
Yes, the 49ers were coming off a short week. Yes, they were playing on the road and at altitude. Yes, Denver has emerged as a top-three team. Yes, San Francisco is hurting with injuries.
But those factors do not add up to the blowout witnessed in Week 7.
"VIDEO: #49ers' Jim Harbaugh: 'Broncos were good, better in every phase' http://t.co/XAJOHsruNg #49ersTalk #NFL pic.twitter.com/3GbvgDOpzp
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) October 20, 2014"
On a positive note, San Francisco will be able to recover and prepare for its next contest—a home matchup against the St. Louis Rams in Week 9 which follows the upcoming bye week.
The coaching staff will have plenty of negatives upon which to evaluate. Hopefully they can turn most of them into positives.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
QB: C
RB: F
WR/TE: D
OL: F
DL: C-
LB: C
Secondary: F
Special Teams: C
Coaching: F
Cumulative Grade: F+
Is F-plus even a grade? It feels applicable.
San Francisco put forth a failing effort, plus some positives in a couple of different areas.
Denver controlled this game from the get-go, and the 49ers were never truly able to bounce back. It's hard to find any silver linings in this tough, embarrassing loss.
The injuries just add salt to those wounds.
But in the greater picture, the 49ers can take solace in the fact that they are entering their bye week. The added week off will provide tremendous value for recovering and injured personnel. Plus, San Francisco will be getting some valued reinforcements back.
On the horizon are the returns of Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith. All three are desperately needed.
Furthermore, we may also see rookies like Marcus Martin make his professional debut after missing the first half of the season with a knee injury. Second-year pros Tank Carradine and Marcus Lattimore may also find themselves becoming factors if and when that happens.
It's an ugly loss. There isn't any way to get around that.
But San Francisco is in good shape moving forward in spite of the humbling experience. That is all we need to focus on from this point onward.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers' news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.
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