Sunday's shootout against the New Orleans Saints went down to the wire as San Francisco pulled off its 11th victory of the season, this time, in a game dominated by the 49ers offense. The 49ers and Saints exchanged scores until the final seconds of the game that ultimately culminated in a Robbie Gould walk-off field goal.
Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus highlighted Sunday's top performers from the 48-46 victory in New Orleans. Here's who impressed in the Week 14 win:
1. Emmanuel Sanders - 84.0 overall grade
Sanders earned the 49ers top grade of the day hauling seven catches on nine targets for 157 yards and a touchdown. His 157 yards was the most in a game for Sanders since 2016 when he put up 162 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16. Sanders also registered his second-career pass, a 35-yard touchdown to Raheem Mostert. Sanders' 82.5 overall grade on the year (49ers and Denver Broncos combined) currently ranks 10th among wide receivers. San Francisco's wideout also has 58 receptions this season with just one drop (28 receptions, one drop with 49ers).
2. George Kittle - 83.6 overall grade
Kittle was the highlight of Sunday's match, in particular his 39-yard reception on 4th-and-2 in the final minute of the game. San Francisco's tight end caught 6-of-8 targets for 67 yards and one touchdown. Of his 67 yards, a whopping 66 came after the catch. Kittle also earned an 82.8 run blocking grade, which was the highest of any tight end in Week 14. Through 14 weeks, Kittle still leads the NFL with a 93.8 overall grade.
3. Nick Bosa - 83.6 overall grade
While the 49ers defense failed to get to Drew Brees in Week 14, San Francisco's rookie edge rusher managed to register two quarterback hits and two quarterback hurries in Sunday's win. Bosa also registered a pass breakup in coverage against the Saints.
4. Matt Breida - 81.9 overall grade
San Francisco's running back totaled 54 yards on the ground on six carries from his 12 snaps on Sunday. Breida averaged nine yards per play against the Saints. He currently ranks second in the NFL in breakaway percentage at 44.3 percent, which is the percentage of yards that come on runs of 15 or more yards. According to PFF, the 49ers lead the NFL with 35 rushes of 15-plus yards.
5. Jimmy Garoppolo - 81.6 overall grade.
San Francisco's quarterback carried the load against the Saints, completing 26-of-35 throws for 349 yards and four touchdowns to one interception for a 131.7 passer rating. His four touchdown throws tied a career high (Week 9 at Arizona; Week 11 vs. Arizona). Week 14 also marked Garoppolo's third 300-yard game this season and fifth in his career. Garoppolo was 8-of-9 for 183 yards and three touchdowns on throws of 10-plus yards downfield for a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He also completed 10-of-13 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 157.9 when using play action.
Honorable Mentions
Richard Sherman
Sherman allowed four catches on five targets for just 33 yards against the Saints including one pass breakup for a 76.2 overall grade.
Sheldon Day
Day earned a 74.8 overall grade on 14 snaps in New Orleans. He also recorded a quarterback hurry.
D.J. Jones
The third-year defensive lineman garnered a 74.5 overall grade against the Saints and recorded two run stops in addition to his forced fumble on New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara, the first forced fumble of his career.
Armstead registered four quarterback hurries and two run stops for a 73.4 overall grade.
