49ers 15, Chiefs 13: Grades

My grades for the 49ers’ 15-13 preseason victory over the Chiefs:

QUARTERBACKS: D. Colin Kaepernick completed one of two passes for negative three yards. He overthrew the one pass he attempted downfield.

Colt McCoy and Scott Tolzien were horrible. McCoy threw an interception and Tolzien averaged just 3.8 yards per pass attempt. If those two keep playing like that, the 49ers won’t be able to trade either one for a draft pick.

B.J. Daniels played well in the fourth quarter. He led a 90-yard touchdown in which he completed six-of-six passes. He has to be the second-most talented quarterback on the roster, and he probably is the 49ers’ long-term backup for Kaepernick, but McCoy may win the competition to be the No.2 this season because he has more NFL experience. Still, Daniels should earn a spot on the 53-man roster this season.

OFFENSIVE LINE: C. The starting offensive line created very little running room, and Mike Iupati gave up a sack. Joe Looney played particularly poorly on the second unit. There’s a chance undrafted Santa Rosa native Al Netter could make the team over Looney as the eighth offensive linemen.

RUNNING BACKS: C. Frank Gore had one brilliant run, cutting back to the left in the backfield and breaking through the line for a 52-yard gain. But the 49ers’ running game didn’t do anything the rest of the game. LaMichael James gained just 17 yards on 5 carries. Jewel Hampton had a couple good runs in the second half on read option plays, but he had way too many negative carries and gained just 33 yards on 19 carries. He probably will not make the team.

WIDE RECEIVERS: C. Chad Hall, Chuck Jacobs and Lavelle Hawkins all played pretty well. They fought for passes and converted third downs. Jacobs scored the first touchdown of the preseason for the 49ers.

Kassim Osgood dropped his only target. A.J. Jenkins got dominated by the Chiefs’ starting right cornerback, Sean Smith. In the second half, Jenkins beat an undrafted cornerback on the Chiefs for a 21-yard gain, but Adam Snyder committed a holding penalty and the catch didn’t count.

TIGHT ENDS: C. Vernon Davis played about four plays. Garrett Celek played most of the first-half snaps at tight end and he struggled blocking. He caught two passes for just nine yards. MarQueis Gray made a 13-yard catch on a second-and-eight, and he tucked his head and ran through a defender at the end of the play.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+. Both Justin Smith and Ray McDonald got into the Chiefs’ backfield in the first quarter. Ian Williams and DeMarcus Dobbs each made a tackle. Glenn Dorsey did not. He was a non-factor.

LINEBACKERS: A-. The starting linebackers hardly played, but the backups played very well. Nick Moody played especially well. He had 10 tackles. Nate Stupar had nine, including a sack. Wilhoite had three tackles and a pass breakup in the first half. The outside linebackers also played well. Parys Haralson, Corey Lemonier and Cam Johnson all had a sack.

CORNERBACKS: B+. The starters, Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown, didn’t play much and weren’t tested. Tramaine Brock got beaten on a post route, but the receiver dropped the ball. Other than that play, Brock played well. Nnamdi Asomugha also played well. He didn’t give up any passes. Perrish Cox played extremely well. He had two sacks on corner blitzes and he broke up a pass on third-and-four.

SAFETIES: A. The Chiefs were hardly tested them in coverage and they gave up no big plays. C.J. Spillman had good coverage on a deep pass in the first quarter.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D. They gave up a 104-yard kick return to Quinton Demps and a 52-yard punt return to Devon Wylie, but I give this group a D instead of an F because Haralson blocked a punt and Phil Dawson made two 55-yard field goals.

Comments are closed.