The San Francisco 49ers are 2-0 to start the year after a gritty 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on the road. The entirety of the first half was a back and forth between the two teams, however, coming out of halftime, San Francisco was able to gain momentum thanks to a string of defensive plays in the third quarter. A third down stop by cornerback Isaiah Oliver to force the Rams first punt of the game followed by an interception by Oliver and a third down sack by All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner sparked the team's second half defensive rally.
Offensively, running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. led the charge. The do-it-all running back racked up 116 yards on 20 carries while Samuel added six catches for 63 yards and five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The unit also had contributions from wideout Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle on critical catches to keep their offensive series alive.
The highest graded players from Sunday's game were Kittle and defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Javon Kinlaw, who all recorded top marks in Pro Football Focus' weekly grades.
Here's the breakdown on the top performers from Week 2:
Top Offensive Performer: TE George Kittle
The People's Tight End set career milestones on Sunday on his way to an offensive unit-leading 84.8 overall mark in the Pro Football Focus grades for Week 2. Kittle had three catches for 30 yards and became the fastest player in franchise history to 400 career receptions (84 games). He unseated Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who accomplished the feat in 85 games. The veteran tight end's strongest performance came in his run blocking snaps, earning him an 86.0 grade in that category.
Top Defensive Performers: DL Nick Bosa and DL Javon Kinlaw
The 49ers defensive line didn't rack up the sacks in Week 2, but they certainly put the pressure on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on Sunday afternoon. Bosa (93.0 overall grade) and Kinlaw (83.8 overall grade) emerged as the top performers from the 49ers defensive unit. Together these two amassed nine total pressures, and Bosa had three quarterback hits.
