Snap counts by position: The 49ers missed their playmakers on offense

The 49ers are undefeated no more. The first loss of the 2023 campaign came from the Cleveland Browns. Not much went right for the 49ers, but the team wasn’t sharp and out of sorts for most of the contest. Almost any and everything that could have gone wrong on Sunday did.

Let’s take a look at the snap counts for Sunday’s game:

Quarterbacks - Brock Purdy 62

Sunday was easily Purdy’s worst performance as the starting QB for the 49ers. Games like this happen to every single quarterback who has ever played. Purdy finished 12/27, 125 yards, a passing touchdown, and his first interception of the season. The offense was out of sync all game, from alignments to execution. It was just one of those days.

Running backs - Christian McCaffrey 36, Kyle Juszczyk 34, Jordan Mason 15, Elijah Mitchell 7

McCaffrey scored for the 15th consecutive game on the game’s opening drive, but the running game was bottled up by the Browns. Mason pitched in with 27 yards and a touchdown. The concern now turns to the severity of McCaffrey’s injury.

Wide Receivers - Brandon Aiyuk 61, Ray-Ray McCloud III 44, Jauan Jennings 33, Deebo Samuel 9, Ronnie Bell 1

Samuel’s injury knocked him out of the game early on. Aiyuk had a tough time holding on to the ball but made a huge play on the final drive to help set up the game-winning field goal attempt. Jennings brought in a huge catch on the final drive as well. Again, the attention turns to Samuel’s injury and how much time he may miss.

Offensive Line - Spencer Burford 62, Aaron Banks 62, Colton McKivitz 62, Jake Brendel 62, Trent Williams 60, Jaylon Moore 2

Williams left the game for two snaps after injuring his ankle. Clearly, Williams wasn’t himself and struggled to contain Myles Garrett and the Browns’ stout defensive line. While finishing the game can be viewed as a good sign, there is still a good chance Williams will miss time. Williams allowed four pressures, three hurries, and a QB hit.

McKivitz was the highest-graded pass blocker at 69.2. In true pass sets, Brendel finished with the lowest grade of 36.2.

Tight Ends - George Kittle 61, Charlie Woerner 5, Ross Dwelley 4

Kittle was non-existent in the passing offense but finished with an 80.9 run-blocking grade. The offense just wasn’t crisp on Sunday.

Defense

Defensive Line - Nick Bosa 68, Arik Armstead 54, Javon Hargrave 49, Clelin Ferrell 36, Javon Kinlaw 29, Randy Gregory 26, Drake Jackson 22, Kevin Givens 20

Ferrell and Gregory led the defensive line with three pressures. Gregory will surely see an increase in snaps. Gregory and Bosa both registered sacks. Kinlaw was the highest-graded pass rusher at 75.0 and was instrumental in Deommodore Lenoir’s interception as he caused the hurried throw. Gregory, Ferrell, and Bosa were credited with three defensive stops as well.

Linebackers - Fred Warner 76, Oren Burks 76, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles 19

Warner added to his DPOY resume with an interception of PJ Walker. Burks led the team in pressures with four while adding four hurries, five tackles, and three defensive stops. Warner was the highest-graded defender at 81.1 and the highest-graded coverage defender at 89.0.

Secondary - Charvarius Ward 76, Talanoa Hufanga 76, Tashaun Gipson Sr. 76, Deommodore Lenoir 72, Isaiah Oliver 57, Ambry Thomas 4

Lenoir snagged a crucial interception in the fourth quarter that turned into a Jordan Mason touchdown and finished with an 81.9 coverage grade. The game will be remembered for two questionable flags on Cleveland’s final drive. Gipson was flagged on third down for an unnecessary roughness call, and Ward was flagged for holding to keep the drive alive for the Browns.