Dominant linemen anchored a crucial win, paving the way for offense despite quarterback struggles. Puni, McKivitz, and Williams led the trenches with elite PFF grades.
A day after the San Francisco 49ers’ 20–9 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football, Pro Football Focus released its offensive grades. While the 49ers’ offensive line delivered one of its strongest collective performances of the season, the skill-position players and quarterback Brock Purdy had an uneven night.
Elite Trench Play Leads the Way
The highest-graded players on offense were overwhelmingly linemen, underscoring just how central the group was to stabilizing the offense during a turnover-heavy first half.
Dominick Puni — 88.1 (RG, 70 snaps) Puni led all offensive players with an 88.1 grade, offering consistently clean pockets and stout run support. His poised, technically sound performance was critical in keeping the offense afloat during early miscues.
Colton McKivitz — 86.4 (RT, 70 snaps) McKivitz produced his best outing of the year with an 86.4 grade. He was sharp in both phases, especially on Christian McCaffrey’s nine-touch opening drive. He also had a fumble recovery that ensured the Panthers did not have a short field opportunity for another drive last night.
Trent Williams — 82.7 (LT, 70 snaps) The veteran left tackle remained as dominant as ever. Williams’ 82.7 grade marks yet another top-tier performance in what has truly been an All-Pro-caliber season.
Spencer Burford — 81.0 (LG, 35 snaps) Burford split reps at left guard but was extremely efficient. His 81.0 grade highlighted strong leverage work and clean footwork in passing sets.
Luke Farrell — 74.8 (TE, 19 snaps) Farrell was a quiet but meaningful contributor. His 74.8 grade reflected strong blocking in heavy formations and key support on stretch runs.
Purdy Struggles Through His Worst Game of the Season
While the offensive line excelled, quarterback Brock Purdy delivered the roughest outing of his 2025 season.
Purdy finished 23-of-32 for 193 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, all of them coming in the first half. His 58.5 passer rating and 60.9 offensive PFF grade were both season lows, emphasizing how much the 49ers relied on their run game and defensive stops to regain control.
Carolina defenders Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson capitalized on miscues, repeatedly shrinking the field and forcing the 49ers’ defense into high-pressure situations. Despite the struggles, Purdy avoided further turnovers in the second half, where San Francisco shifted to a more conservative, line driven approach.
Skill Players Ranked Among the Lowest
The bottom group of offensive PFF grades was dominated by wide receivers and backs.
Demarcus Robinson — 51.7 (WR, 38 snaps) Little separation and limited involvement led to one of the lower grades of the night. Overall 51.7 is not that low, this was a good outing all around for the offense outside of Purdy.
Ricky Pearsall — 52.5 (WR, 53 snaps) Heavy usage didn’t translate into efficiency in a game where passing rhythm never truly developed, he was also the target in question on two of the three interceptions that Purdy threw.
Christian McCaffrey — 54.5 (RB, 58 snaps) Despite the strong opening drive and a second-half touchdown, McCaffrey earned his lowest grade of the season, not too surprising considering the defensive line he was up against knows him well.
What the Grades Reveal
The offensive line was the backbone, producing its most cohesive performances of the season. Purdy and the receiving corps struggled, with turnovers and limited downfield execution. Even with the passing game out of sync, San Francisco’s dominance up front, combined with the defense’s resilience, proved enough to secure the win in primetime.