The San Francisco 49ers handed the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams their third-straight loss of the season following the 20-7 win in Week 6. San Francisco's defense continues to dominate as the 49ers had Jared Goff under pressure on 13 of his 28 dropbacks (46.4 percent). When under pressure, Goff was 2-of-9, for 17 yards and four sacks. Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus provided grades for the 49ers top performers on Sunday. Here's how they fared:
1. Dee Ford - 94.9 overall grade
San Francisco's pass rusher earned the highest grade of the day in Sunday's win over the Rams. Ford registered 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble, his second of the season, in 19 pass rush snaps. He earned a 93.2 pass rush grade in Week 6. Ford has the second-highest pass rush productivity rating of all NFL edge defenders, behind fellow 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa.
PFF PASS RUSH PRODUCTIVITY RATING
*Edge defenders with 70 or more pass rushes this season
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Bosa - SF | 14.3 |
| 2 | Dee Ford - SF | 11.8 |
| 3t | Clay Matthews - LAR | 11.5 |
| 3t | Marcus Davenport - NO | 11.5 |
2. Arik Armstead - 90.3 overall grade
Armstead is coming off of back-to-back standout performances. San Francisco's defensive lineman split a sack with Ford and registered three hurries in 20 pass rushes. He also registered two run stops against a Rams offense that was held to under 100 yards on the day. According to PFF, three of his five solo tackles on Sunday resulted in a defensive stop, taking his PFF overall grade to 89.5 so far this season. Armstead's Week 6 performance earned him a spot on PFF's "Team of the Week."
3. Jimmie Ward - 89.8 overall grade
Kyle Shanahan was very complimentary of Ward following the divisional win over the Rams. Ward did not allow a single catch on three targets on Sunday. He also had two big pass breakups in back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter to help seal San Francisco's victory.
"Jimmie's a dog out there," Shanahan said. "We love Jimmie. I would wear his jersey on the sideline if I could. I love his mentality. I love watching him play. He's had some unfortunate things with just not being able to stay healthy. When he is healthy, he's one of the better players. You guys see what he does. He plays extremely physical out there. He's not scared of anything. He's not scared to fail. He challenges guys in coverage. It's been fun having him out there these two weeks."
4. George Kittle - 85.4 overall grade
Kittle caught eight of his nine targets against the Rams for 103 yards, a season high. Of his 103 receiving yards, 67 came after the catch. His most impressive reception came on a 45-yard catch and run to move the 49ers to the Rams 6-yard line. Ahead of the Week 6 Monday night matchup, Kittle still owns the highest overall grade in the NFL at 92.7.
5. Solomon Thomas - 77.8 overall grade
Thomas brought down Goff for an 8-yard loss on Sunday. He also registered a quarterback hurry in his 14 pass rushes. He now has 2.0 sacks on the season and 6.0 on his career.
6. Daniel Brunskill - 75.2 overall grade
Brunskill made his first start as a member of the 49ers in place of Mike McGlinchey who is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury. The tackle earned an impressive 82.3 pass blocking grade and allowed just one quarterback hurry in 36 pass blocking snaps.
