After overcoming a choppy first half, the San Francisco 49ers pulled off a 24-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. San Francisco's defense managed to shut down Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph and the Steelers offense. Meanwhile, Jimmy Garoppolo delivered some impressive throws, including a game winner to Dante Pettis. Here are the 49ers top performances in Week 3, courtesy of Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus.
1. Kyle Juszczyk - 91.8 overall grade
San Francisco's "offensive weapon" earned the highest grade of his career following Sunday's performance. Juszczyk caught all three of his targets for 51 yards, including two chunk plays for 20-plus yards.
2. K'Waun Williams - 91.6 overall grade
Williams recorded one of the best performances of his career, allowing just one catch for 6 yards on two targets against the Steelers - an NFL passer rating allowed of just 16.7. Williams also hauled in his second-career interception on a pass from Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster. His standout Week 3 outing earned him a spot on PFF's “Team of the Week.”
3. Richard Sherman - 84.3 overall grade
Richard Sherman posted his second 80-plus grade this season in Week 3. Sherman allowed just one catch on four targets for seven yards on Sunday.
4. DeForest Buckner - 83.6 overall grade
Buckner put together another strong outing against the Steelers, registering seven total tackles, four stops, one sack, a quarterback hit, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Buckner's fumble recovery led to the game-winning touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Pettis.
5. George Kittle - 83.5 overall grade
Kittle led all 49ers pass catchers in targets (8), receptions (6) and yards (57) in Sunday's win over the Steelers. Kittle has earned a 92.7 overall grade through three weeks, leading all NFL tight ends.
6. Dee Ford - 83.4 overall grade
Ford recorded his second sack of the season against Rudolph and also recorded two quarterback hurries in 14 pass rush snaps.
7. Jimmy Garoppolo - 79.0 overall grade
Garoppolo earned his best mark of the season following his 277-yard, one touchdown performance. The quarterback was 9-of-12 passing for 171 yards and one interception on throws of 10 or more yards downfield.
Honorable Mention – Nick Bosa
San Francisco's rookie defensive lineman led the 49ers with seven quarterback pressures (two hits, five hurries) in his 23 pass rush snaps. Bosa has tallied 17 quarterback pressures in three games, which ranked sixth among all edge defenders.
