Offense

Niners win! Niners win! Well, my Faithful friends, after nine long weeks of loss after loss, the San Francisco 49ers went head and beat the New York Giants to improve to 1-9. That sounds a heck of a lot better than 0-10, doesn’t it? Yes, it does.

The 49ers bye week has finally arrived, which means it’s report card time. You might think that this is an easy one. Everything would be an F, but no. In a rebuild, there’s nuance, so let’s take a look.

Today, we will look at the 49ers’ offense. This side of the ball has seen a lot of ups and downs and changes this season.

Offensive line

The 49ers offensive line has, at times, been just that. Offensive. In the five games he’s played in, quarterback C.J. Beathard has been sacked 16 times and hit like a 100. Brian Hoyer didn’t fare much better. With Joe Staley back this past week, Beathard was only hit twice and not sacked at all. This extra credit helped the line improve to a D+.

Run game

The San Francisco running game has actually been decent, especially considering the offensive line issues I just talked about. Carlos Hyde currently has 592 yards rushing on 141 carries and four touchdowns. On top of that, he has 274 yards receiving. He is clearly a huge and integral part of this offense. Matt Breida has 219 yards on 52 carries and scored his first TD the other day. Kyle Juszczyk has proven to be a good blocker, but has trouble holding onto the football. So, this group gets a B-.

Receivers

This is a tough one to grade due to various injuries and a tough start to the season at quarterback. Holding onto the ball needs the most improvement so I’m giving them a C.

Quarterbacks

Last, but certainly not least, let’s look at QB. Brian Hoyer was pretty much a disaster so I’m grading the post Hoyer era. C.J. Beathard has been very up and down, mainly down, but he proved on Sunday that given some protection, he can perform (even if it was against the Giants). Beathard has also proven that he is tough as nails and mature beyond his year. Kyle Shanahan says C.J. has really and truly tuned out the noise, and you can see it. C.J., I’m giving you a C+.

That being said, Beathard is probably not the answer for franchise QB, so the 49ers went and got themselves someone who is in Jimmy Garoppolo. We’ve yet to see him play in a 49ers’ uniform and it may be a beat before we do, but there’s no denying the potential is there. Now there’s a QB depth. What?? I’m giving them a J here, for Jimmy!

Coaching

Shanahan is playing double duty as offensive coordinator and head coach, and that’s not easy. Last week, we saw a glimpse of what this offense could be and will be with a couple additions on the line, and a couple upgrades at wide receiver. He may be 1-9, but Shanahan has had to deal with a new roster, young, developing talent, and a lot of injuries. He gets a B. What can I say? I like Kyle and I see his vision.

Join me tomorrow for Defense and Special Teams!

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Photo Credits:

• 49ers on Wikimedia Commons by Sports Logos.Net
• C.J. Beathard photographed by Tracy Sandler
• Brian Hoyer on Wikimedia Commons by Erik Daniel Drost
• Joe Staley photographed by Tracy Sandler
• Carlos Hyde on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
• Kyle Juszczyk photographed by Tracy Sandler
• Kyle Shanahan on Wikipedia by Thomson200
• Jimmy Garoppolo holding jersey photographed by Chris Biderman