The San Francisco 49ers are moving on to the NFC title game following their 27-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. San Francisco dominated Kirk Cousins and Minnesota's offense, allowing just two first downs on their first nine possessions, tied for the second-fewest by a team in NFL playoff history, and sacking the quarterback six times on the day. Meanwhile on offense, San Francisco rushed for 186 yards, their fourth-highest output of the year.
Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus provided grades for San Francisco's top performers in the Divisional Round matchup. Here's a look at who stood out on Saturday:
1. Nick Bosa - 91.6 overall grade
San Francisco's rookie was dominant in his postseason debut, earning the 49ers highest overall grade of the day. Bosa registered two sacks against Cousins to go along with five quarterback pressures (one hit, four hurries) for an 89.7 pass rush grade. Bosa led the team with six solo tackles and had three run stops on just seven snaps against the run. He also was credited with a pass breakup when he dropped into coverage.
"I knew getting Dee (Ford) back and getting Kwon (Alexander), (Jaquiski) Tartt, just having them on the field, it's a completely different energy," Bosa said after the win. "It's the energy we had early in the year. It's really fun playing on a really good team, just knowing that every person around you is going to do their job really well. Makes it a lot easier for me."
2. Dre Greenlaw - 91.4 overall grade
The 49ers second-highest graded player on the day was another rookie. Greenlaw earned a 90.9 coverage grade against the Vikings. The rookie forced a fumble against running back Dalvin Cook and allowed just 26 receiving yards in coverage on his six targets.
3. DeForest Buckner - 88.8 overall grade
San Francisco's fourth-year defensive lineman also made his postseason debut against the Vikings. Buckner totaled five quarterback pressures, including his first playoff sack. Buckner and the 49ers defense pressured Cousins on 17 of his 35 dropbacks on Saturday (48.6 percent).
4. Kendrick Bourne - 84.2 overall grade
Bourne earned the 49ers highest grade on offense in Saturday's Divisional Round matchup. The third-year wideout hauled in three catches for 40 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown on the 49ers opening drive of the game. All three of his catches resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. On the year, 26 of his 33 catches (78.8 percent) have resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.
5. Ben Garland - 82.8 overall grade
There's been little to no drop off since Garland stepped in for Weston Richburg in Week 14 as the 49ers starting center. Garland did not allow a single quarterback pressure against the Vikings on Saturday. He was also key in the 49ers running game that put up 186 yards on the ground, earning a 80.7 run blocking grade.
6. Fred Warner - 79.5 overall grade,
Warner earned an 83.7 grade in coverage, allowing just seven receiving yards on his three targets. He also led the team with seven total tackles against the Vikings.
7. K'Waun Williams - 79.3 overall grade
Williams continues to be San Francisco's underrated standout on defense. The nickel corner allowed just one catch on two targets for seven yards against Minnesota.
"I think K'Waun can match up with anyone in this league," Shanahan said on Monday. "I think he's done a great job all year. I thought last week, I thought he took his game to another level. I thought he had a great game on Saturday and I expect him to do the same this week."
8. George Kittle - 78.5 overall grade
Where Kittle excelled on Saturday might not show up on the stat sheet (three catches; 16 yards). Instead, the tight end excelled as a run blocker. The tight end earned a 77.1 run blocking grade in the 49ers largest rushing total since Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
"Kittle, everyone knows what he's done in the pass game," Shanahan said. "But he has never once in three years came up to me during a game and said 'Hey I need this route or hey we've got to do this.' He's never once came up to me about a pass play, but he comes up to me about every seven plays about what type of run play we need to do, who we need to allow him to hit, things like that. It makes it very fun to call plays for him."
9. Mike McGlinchey - 78.1 overall grade
The former first-round pick also deserves praise for his part in the 49ers ground success. McGlinchey earned a career-high 89.6 run blocking grade against Minnesota's 13th-ranked rushing defense.
10. Richard Sherman - 77.8 overall grade
Sherman is validating his claim as one of the best corners in the game following Saturday's win. The corner allowed just one catch on three targets for nine yards to go along with an interception, his fourth of the season. In his last 13 games, Sherman in coverage has allowed just 17 catches on 34 targets for 130 yards, two interceptions and a passer rating allowed of 35.2 - that's an average of just 10 receiving yards allowed per game.
"We have one of the best defenses in football," Sherman said on Saturday. "I think our pass defense is the best since 2009 or something. The lowest number, you know what I mean? People just keep disrespecting us. That's what our D-line and our secondary and our linebackers were able to do. Our offense did a great job of scoring points, taking advantage of the opportunities."
Honorable Mention: Tevin Coleman - 75.6 overall grade
Coleman tied for his second highest output of the season with 105 yards on a season-high 22 carries and two touchdowns against the Vikings. Of his 105 rushing yards, 61 came after contact, also a season high. Coleman forced four missed tackles, tying another season high for him. Eight of his 22 carries resulted in either a first down or touchdown, the most of any 49ers running back this season.
"He looked good out there," Shanahan said after Saturday's game. "Tevin, I know his numbers haven't been as great. Raheem has had some real good runs. I think Tevin has had some unfortunate looks, just the luck of the draw a little bit. I think he got some better looks (on Saturday), took advantage of them. When you do that, I think it got him in a little bit of momentum. He was able to stay out there a little bit longer. I think he got some extra carries at the end, didn't have to split them as much with Raheem cramping and stuff. That's why we haven't changed much. We've been excited about Tevin all year. Glad he got his opportunities. He came through big for us."
Coleman became the first 49ers running back with two or more rushing touchdowns in a postseason game since Frank Gore had two rushing touchdowns at Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Conference game in 2013.
