It was a complete team win in the Week 8 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Despite injuries, the San Francisco 49ers pulled off a dominant 51-13 victory, snapping Kyle Allen and the Panthers four-game win streak. Here are eight top performers from Sunday's matchup according to Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus.
1. George Kittle – 92.7 overall grade
In honor of "National Tight End Day," Kittle led all 49ers pass catchers with six receptions for 86 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers. Five of his six receptions resulted in a first down. His 92.7 overall grade was the best of any NFL tight end in Week 8 ahead of "Monday Night Football." Kittle's 93.1 overall grade for the season still remains the highest mark of any player in the NFL. San Francisco's tight end was also named to PFF's "Team of the Week."
2. Laken Tomlinson – 90.4 overall grade
Tomlinson earned his highest mark of any game through his five-year NFL career against Carolina's highly-touted defense. San Francisco's guard allowed just one quarterback hurry in 29 pass blocking snaps and excelled in the run game earning a noteworthy 86.0 run blocking grade.
3. Richard Sherman – 90.0 overall grade
Vintage Richard Sherman is back. San Francisco's veteran corner allowed just two catches on four targets for nine yards. Sherman also came up with his third interception as a member of the 49ers and the 35th of his career. He also had three stops in the passing game, earning a 90.9 coverage grade, the highest of any cornerback in Week 8 ahead of "MNF." Sherman earned his first apperance of the season on PFF's "Team of the Week."
4. Nick Bosa – 84.3 overall grade
If anyone doubted Bosa heading into 2019, Week 8 surely grabbed their attention. The rookie edge rusher registered three sacks, one quarterback hurry, four tackles and an interception returned for an impressive 46 yards. Bosa's pass rush productivity rating of 13.2 for the season is the highest in the NFL among edge defenders. Teammates and pundits alike are beginning to put the rookie in serious conversations midway through the season.
"He's everything you can ask for," Sherman said of his teammate. "He's probably one of the best picks in 10 years with just how he's played. He's played like this since day one. ... He deserves 'Player of the Week', or 'Rookie of the Week', 'Rookie of the Year', or anything. If he just kept the stat line as it is right now, he could win 'Rookie of the Year.' Right now, he should be in line for defensive MVP."
5. Solomon Thomas – 81.4 overall grade
Thomas put together an impressive outing in his 32 defensive snaps. The former first-round pick registered a quarterback hit and was a solid piece against former Stanford teammate Christian McCaffrey and Carolina's run game.
6. Emmanuel Moseley – 80.7 overall grade
Moseley stepped in for Ahkello Witherspoon (foot) in Week 3 and hasn't allowed any drop off in place of the starting corner. Moseley allowed just one catch on five targets for 10 yards against the Panthers and recorded his first-career interception. Moseley allowed a passer rating of 0.0 on the day against Carolina and a 28.5 on the season. Sherman has allowed a passer rating of just 37.9. Among cornerbacks who have played 100-plus coverage snaps this season, Moseley and Sherman's figures rank second and third respectively in NFL.
7. DeForest Buckner – 79.9 overall grade
Bosa gave credit to the d-line for his three-sack performance on Sunday, saying two of them could have easily belonged to Buckner. The fourth-year defensive lineman recorded a quarterback hit and three hurries on the day.
"We've kind of gone back and forth giving each other sacks this year, so I'm lucky to have two interior guys who close the pocket so well," Bosa said.
8. Tevin Coleman – 79.0 overall grade
Coleman rushed for 105 yards and a career-high tying three touchdowns on 11 carries (9.5 average) and added two receptions for 13 yards and a receiving touchdown. He became the first player in franchise history to register three rushing touchdowns and a receiving score in the same game. San Francisco's offensive line is credited in Coleman's running lanes where 84 of his 105 rushing yards came before contact.
"Tevin is very similar to how he was when I was in Atlanta," Kyle Shanahan said postgame. "Just his skillset and everything doesn't change. I had him his first two years and I think he is more of a veteran now. He's been through a lot more. I think everyone matures in this league. Tevin was great right away, but I think he knows what he wants. He knows how to play in the offense. Tevin can play in any offense, so that doesn't matter. But, he had some good looks today and when Tevin has a good look he can usually get it across the endzone. That's what he got."
Honorable Mentions - Daniel Brunskill and Mike Person
Brunskill stepped in for Mike McGlinchey (knee) in Week 5 and has been dependable filling in for the right tackle. He is arguably coming off of his best performance of his young career on Sunday. Brunskill earned a 79.7 overall grade, 78.4 pass-blocking grade and 73.4 run-blocking grade against Carolina and joined Kittle and Sherman on PFF's Team of the Week. Both Brunskill and Person (73.7 overall grade) did not allow a single quarterback pressure on the day.
