The San Francisco 49ers fell 27-23 in the final minutes of Monday night's contest against the New York Giants. Despite outplaying New York in terms of first downs (24-17), total yards (374-277), yards per play (5.5-5.0) and time of possession (34:14-25:46), the 49ers couldn't hang on to secure the primetime victory against Eli Manning and Co.
Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus provided grades for members for the San Francisco 49ers who stood out on Monday night. Here's six of San Francisco's top performers from Week 10.
1. Matt Breida
Breida earned the 49ers top grade on offense at 79.1 on Monday night. The 49ers running back registered a career high 17 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Of his 101 rushing yards, 65 came after contact. He also added three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown through the air. Breida's primetime performance marked his second career 100-yard game (Week 2 vs. Detroit Lions - 138 yards).
"He's worked on it a lot. Breida's worked on everything," Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday. "In terms of taking it to a whole 'nother level, Breida and (George) Kittle showed that the first day of OTAs. They were just pretty obsessive in everything they were doing. Every little detail of their game, and it's improved in a lot of areas. And Breida in the pass game, he wasn't our number one target last year. We used Carlos (Hyde) a lot out of the backfield. He got most of those reps. And with (RB Jerick McKinnon) Jet going down this year, it's given Breida more opportunities. He worked a lot in this offseason so he could be ready for those opportunities."
2. Joe Staley
Staley was instrumental in Breida's rushing efforts. San Francisco's 12-year veteran tackle earned the 49ers second highest grade on offense (77.1) in part to his stout run blocking. Staley earned a 76.8 run block grade on Monday night, the best along San Francisco's offensive line.
3 & 4. Laken Tomlinson and Mike Person
Both Tomlinson and Person earned pass blocking grades of 87.8. Tomlinson did not allow a single quarterback pressure. Person allowed just one hurry in his 43 pass blocking snaps. For the second straight week, the 49ers offensive line did not allow a single sack in 61 combined passing attempts between the two games.
Armstead earned the 49ers top grade on defense at 85.8. The former first-round pick logged two quarterback pressures and two run stops in his 31 snaps against the Giants.
6. Fred Warner
Warner had a solid showing against the Giants on Monday night, earning him an overall grade of 75.1. The rookie linebacker defended two passes against Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and recorded three run stops, including an emphatic stop in the red zone on third down against Saquon Barkley.
"From what I saw, I thought he played well," Shanahan said post-game. "When I was looking up I saw him make some plays. He's done a helluva a job leading our defense all year as a rookie, just making the calls and being out there every single week too. We've been real happy with Fred this year. From what I saw, it looked like he did some good things in the game."
