The San Francisco 49ers improved their record to 12-4 after a 27-10 win against the Washington Commanders in Week 17. Today, Pro Football Focus released its grades from the game. Which Niners played well, and who has more work to do?
Below are Pro Football Focus' five highest-graded 49ers players on offense against the Commanders.
- Trent Williams, LT, 93.2, 65 snaps
- Brock Purdy, QB, 89.1, 65 snaps
- Jake Brendel, C, 87.7, 65 snaps
- Colton McKivitz, RT, 79.9, 70 snaps
- Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 79.4, 61 snaps
Below are the five highest-graded 49ers players on defense.
- Charvarius Ward, CB, 91.5, 42 snaps
- Dre Greenlaw, LB, 88.0, 42 snaps
- Deommodore Lenoir, CB, 81.9, 42 snaps
- Isaiah Oliver, SS, 80.0, 4 snaps
- Nick Bosa, DE, 74.5, 38 snaps
Below are the three lowest-graded 49ers players on offense.
- Ronnie Bell, WR, 42.6, 10 snaps
- Sam Darnold, QB, 43.0, 5 snaps
- Charlie Woerner, TE, 57.8, 17 snaps
Below are the three lowest-graded 49ers players on defense.
- Kevin Givens, DT, 28.6, 17 snaps
- Javon Kinlaw, DT, 42.7, 29 snaps
- Randy Gregory, ROLB, 53.0, 10 snaps
Quick Takeaways
In Week 17, Trent Williams emerged as the highest-graded offensive lineman and the game's overall top performer, securing his best overall grade (93.2) since Week 11 of the 2022 season (94.4). Notably, his 92.5 run-blocking grade marked a season high, and in 30 pass-blocking snaps, Williams allowed just one pressure.
Quarterback Brock Purdy continued his strong season, landing among the 49ers' top three highest-graded offensive players for the eighth time. He has earned a grade of 75.8 or higher in seven of his last eight games, bouncing back from his four-interception performance against the Baltimore Ravens with an 89.1 overall grade. Purdy finished the game completing 22 of his 28 pass attempts for 230 yards and two touchdowns, setting a new franchise record for passing yards in a single season at 4,280.
Center Jake Brendel had a standout game, earning his best overall grade (87.7) and run-blocking grade (86.2) of the season. This performance stands out in an otherwise unremarkable season by Pro Football Focus' standards.
Tackle Colton McKivitz has earned a grade of 79.7 or higher in three of the last four games, including Sunday's 79.9 overall grade against the Commanders. Like Williams, he allowed just one pressure in the game, a vast improvement compared to the nine pressures he allowed six days earlier against the Ravens.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk led the game with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. He has earned a grade of 75.2 or higher in six of his last seven games, increasing his career-high receiving-yard total to 1,317. Aiyuk is one touchdown away from matching his career-high of eight in a single season.
Filling in for Christian McCaffrey after the star running back sustained a calf injury, Elijah Mitchell rushed for a season-high 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. His 76.2 overall grade was his second-highest of the season (77.5 in Week 13). McCaffrey earned a 67.0 overall grade, and has reached that mark or higher in eight of the last nine games.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk recorded his highest grade of the season (74.3) but is on track for a career-low overall grade, currently at 56.6. Juszczyk's Pro Football Focus grades have steadily declined each season since 2019 (74.9).
Charvarius Ward achieved a career-high 91.5 overall grade, surpassing his previous best of 90.8 just over two weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals. The cornerback hauled in his fifth interception of the season, a career-high and team-leading total. Ward allowed just two catches for four yards, and Commanders quarterback Sam Howell owned a 30.6 passer rating while targeting him.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw earned an 88.0 overall grade, his highest since the Divisional Round of the playoffs during the 2019 season (91.2 vs. Vikings). His 90.1 coverage grade was the second-best of the game, with only Ward's 91.7 coverage grade surpassing it.
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir continued his strong performances, recording an overall grade of at least 81.9 in three of his last four games. His 86.5 coverage grade was his highest of the season.
Defensive end Nick Bosa earned the game's highest pass-rushing grade, a 72.7 mark. He was credited with a game-high six pressures. Bosa's season total of 94 pressures is second only to Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys (102).
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw recorded his third consecutive game with a grade of 49.2 or lower. His 39.8 run-defense grade against the Commanders is his second-lowest of the season.
Snap Counts
Offense
70 - Colton McKivitz (RT), Jon Feliciano (RG), Spencer Burford (RG)
65 - Brock Purdy (QB), Jake Brendel (C), Trent Williams (LT)
64 - George Kittle (TE)
61 - Brandon Aiyuk (WR)
59 - Deebo Samuel (WR)
39 - Kyle Juszczyk (FB)
38 - Christian McCaffrey (RB)
26 - Elijah Mitchell (RB)
22 - Chris Conley (WR)
17 - Charlie Woerner (TE)
10 - Ronnie Bell (WR)
6 - Brayden Willis (TE)
5 - Ben Bartch (LG), Jordan Mason (RB), Matt Pryor (RT), Sam Darnold (QB)
3 - Tay Martin (WR)
Defense
46 - Logan Ryan (FS)
42 - Charvarius Ward (CB), Deommodore Lenoir (CB), Dre Greenlaw (LB), Fred Warner (LB), Tashaun Gipson Sr. (SS)
38 - Nick Bosa (DE)
31 - Ambry Thomas (CB), Javon Hargrave (DT)
29 - Javon Kinlaw (DT)
26 - Chase Young (DE)
18 - Clelin Ferrell (DE)
17 - Kevin Givens (DT)
15 - Oren Burks (LB)
11 - Sebastian Joseph-Day (DT)
10 - Randy Gregory (ROLB)
4 - Darrell Luter Jr. (CB), Dee Winters (LB), Erik Harris (FS), Isaiah Oliver (SS), Robert Beal Jr. (DE), Samuel Womack III (CB)
Special Teams
19 - Brayden Willis
16 - Charlie Woerner, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
14 - Darrell Luter Jr., Dee Winters, Erik Harris, Jordan Mason
12 - Chris Conley
11 - Jake Moody (K), Robert Beal Jr.
9 - Isaiah Oliver
7 - Mitch Wishnowsky (P), Taybor Pepper (LS)
6 - Ronnie Bell
5 - Aaron Banks, Ben Bartch, Colton McKivitz, Jon Feliciano, Matt Pryor, Spencer Burford
4 - Samuel Womack III, Tay Martin
3 - Kyle Juszczyk
2 - Ambry Thomas, Clelin Ferrell, Deommodore Lenoir, Fred Warner, Javon Kinlaw, Kevin Givens, Logan Ryan, Oren Burks, Randy Gregory, Tashaun Gipson Sr.
