The San Francisco 49ers will look to bounce back after a narrow loss to the Denver Broncos on "Sunday Night Football." Defense was the team's calling card in Week 3, with DeMeco Ryans' defensive unit allowing just nine points to Denver's Russell Wilson-led offense. The 49ers defense produced four sacks, two forced fumbles, limited the Broncos rushing attack to 101 yards and kept Wilson from throwing a single touchdown pass. As a result of their tremendous defensive showing, PFF ranked San Francisco's defensive unit No. 1 in the league. According to NFL.com stats, the 49ers defense is No. 1 in fewest passing yards allowed through these first three weeks of the regular season.
In the team's Week 3 contest, the 49ers also had some impressive individual performances as outlined by the Pro Football Focus staff:
Top Offensive Performer: LT Trent Williams
"Left tackle Trent Williams, perenially the top player at the position…The veteran gave up no pressures on his 19 pass-blocking snaps before coming out of the game."
Williams received an 80.6 grade for his performance against the Broncos, the highest among all 49ers offensive players in Week 3. The All-Pro left tackle played a total of 38 snaps before exiting the game with a high ankle sprain. In addition to earning the highest-overall grade on offense, he was also San Francisco's top pass- and run-blocker, earning 88.4 and 74.6 grades, respectively. Following No. 71 on the list of top offensive performers was fellow offensive lineman Aaron Banks. The second-year guard was in the top spot in last week's game report.
Losing arguably the best left tackle in the league is no small thing to overcome for any team, and the impact that a player like Williams can have on offense is evident in this week's PFF grades. He is expected to miss four to six weeks due to his ankle injury.
Top Defensive Performers: CB Samuel Womack III and LB Dre Greenlaw
Technically speaking, Samuel Womack III came in at No. 1 this week on the defensive unit but only totaled two snaps in coverage. That performance earned him a 97.8 overall grade—however, it was his punt return play against the Broncos that that stood out on "Sunday Night Football." The rookie was able to tap one of Denver's second half punts back into the field of play to set the Broncos up on the one yard line for their ensuing drive.
Based on a larger snap count, Dre Greenlaw takes the top spot on defense in Week 3. The linebacker earned a 84.4 overall grade in his 42 snaps against the Broncos. He registered 10 total tackles (five solo) in Sunday night's contest.
