PFF grades and snap counts from the 49ers/Seahawks game: Grasu struggled

Sunday was rough from an injury and results standpoint for the San Francisco 49ers. Let’s see what PFF felt about the Niners’ performance against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Defense

68 total snaps

Let’s start with the defense. There were 68 total snaps, and only 16 players played. One of the biggest questions heading into Week 8 was the defensive line rotation. Arik Armstead played 53 snaps, Kerry Hyder played 51, and Javon Kinlaw played 47 snaps. Kinlaw playing 69% of the snaps seems like a lot, so you know how I feel about Armstead and Hyder being in the mid to high 70s.

There’s nobody else, though. D.J. Jones played well as he always does. He was on the field for 34 snaps. Kevin GIvens played 29, while Dion Jordan was at 25. Kentavius Street played 19 snaps, and newcomer Jordan Willis played in 16 snaps.

Top-five graded defenders

Jones 82.8

Willis 71.6

Jason Verrett 71.5

Givens 69.9

Hyder 68.1

I don’t know, friends. I’ll concede that there wasn’t really any defender that stood out but having four of the top five graded players be a defensive lineman when they combined for zero hits and one hustle sack doesn’t sit well with me. Jones continued to be a stout run defender. Willis and Givens were credited with a stop. Hyder was credited with three. After the first couple of drives, it appeared that the Seahawks won the line of scrimmage, not the 49ers front.

Verrett was credited with three stops, and besides a 15-yard reception allowed to DK Metcalf, Verrett allowed three receptions for 10 yards on three other targets.

Bottom-five graded defenders

Arik Armstead 55.9

Dion Jordan 51.7

Azeez Al-Shaair 50.0

K’Waun Williams 46.5

Emmanuel Moseley 31.2.

Armstead was credited for two “hurries,” but those do not move the needle, especially against a quarterback that’s the caliber of Russell Wilson. Jordan didn’t have any stats, while Al-Shaair had his usual blunder in coverage. I don’t recall what Williams did wrong He was credited for allowing one reception for seven yards on three targets and had two stops, including a sack.

Moseley found out up close how much of a monster Metcalf is. He was credited for giving up nine receptions on 12 targets for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Offense

Five-highest graded offensive players

Nick Mullens 81.2

Trent Williams 78.3

Kendrick Bourne 77.4

Brandon Aiyuk 77.4

Jerick McKinnon 67.3

Mullens production came in garbage time, but the thought that Seattle dialed their pressure back when he was in the game is a farce. Mullens went 12 for 15 against the blitz for 136 yards and a touchdown. Six of those completions went for first downs. Mullens did a nice job of finding the blitz and throwing where the defender was.

It’s been five games since Williams allowed a QB hit and four games since Williams allowed a half-sack. He’s such a good player, and you have to imagine an extension is coming sooner than later.

Bourne and Aiyuk were the only two offensive winners we had this morning. Both players had over 20 yards after the catch. Both players had at least four first downs, and Bourne held onto the ball after taking a big hit and made something happen after the catch. There wasn’t much to be happy about on Sunday, but these two were a bright spot.

McKinnon caught four passes for 40 yards a three of those went for first downs. He didn’t do much on the ground, but nobody did. McKinnon was credited for a missed tackle, though.

Five lowest-graded offensive players

George Kittle 60.8

Kyle Juszczyk 57.8

Daniel Brunskill 48.0

JaMycal Hasty 41.9

Hroniss Grasu 40.0

Kittle has a pas-blocking grade of 38.1, and that wasn’t even in the bottom three. Brunskill’s was 34.4, Hasty’s was 16.0, and Grasu’s was 13.1, which I didn’t even know was possible. When you have a defense that crowds the line of scrimmage the way that they do, it’s going to put pressure on your interior line and your backs to pick up the blitz. Grasu was credited with giving up a sack and a hit, as well as three other “hurries.” Brunskill and Kittle were only charged with one “hurry,” while Hasty wasn’t charged with any.

We saw the team struggle with Seattle’s blitzing. With the way, the 49ers have been hit with injuries, that aggressive approach isn’t going to change anytime soon.