49ers Defensive PFF Grades: Divisional Round Loss to Seahawks

The San Francisco 49ers’ season-ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round was shaped in part by uneven defensive play. A closer look at the Pro Football Focus grades highlights both the individual standouts and the performances that struggled to meet postseason standards.

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was the 49ers’ most reliable defender on the field. He finished with a team-high 78.4 defensive grade across 53 snaps and led the unit in multiple categories. Lenoir earned the top coverage grade (76.2), allowing just one reception for four yards on two targets, and also posted the highest run-defense grade on the team at 75.6. His three run stops underscored his physicality on the perimeter and his importance to San Francisco’s defensive structure.

Upton Stout was another positive in limited action. Playing just 18 snaps, the rookie corner earned a 64.0 defensive grade and chipped in a pressure. Jason Pinnock technically graded well at 60.7, but he played only a single snap.

At the other end of the spectrum, Darrell Luter Jr. struggled in brief action. He earned the lowest overall defensive grade of the game at 25.8 and the lowest coverage grade (27.5), allowing two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown on two targets. Though his snap count was limited to four, the mistakes were costly.

San Francisco’s pass rush was inconsistent throughout the night. Safety Malik Mustapha led the team with a 77.3 pass-rush grade, recording one pressure and a sack. Linebacker Dee Winters followed closely with a 72.0 grade, continuing to show promise as a versatile second-level defender.

Among the defensive line, production was uneven. Keion White earned a 61.7 defensive grade across 25 snaps, though his 52.5 pass-rush grade matched his season low. Bryce Huff also posted a 52.5 pass-rush grade, marking his second-lowest performance of the year.

Sam Okuayinonu and Dee Winters led the team with two pressures each, while Kalia Davis, Jordan Elliott, Malik Mustapha, Upton Stout, and CJ West each contributed one pressure. Despite the volume of contributors, the unit struggled to generate sustained pressure, allowing Seattle’s offense to remain comfortable in key passing situations.

Run defense proved to be one of the most glaring issues. While Lenoir and Winters performed well, the interior defensive line struggled significantly. Rookie defensive tackles Alfred Collins and CJ West finished as the lowest-graded run defenders in the game, earning grades of 26.8 and 29.5, respectively.

San Francisco had six defenders graded lower in run defense than Seattle’s lowest-graded run defender, a stark indicator of how often the Seahawks won at the point of attack. Marques Sigle (35.8), Renardo Green (37.4), Garret Wallow (38.9), and Okuayinonu (45.4) also struggled to consistently fit gaps or finish plays.

Linebacker Dee Winters was once again a bright spot, earning the second-highest tackling grade of the game at 81.1, just behind Seahawks safety Coby Bryant. Veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks also graded well, posting an 80.2 tackling grade.

However, missed tackles plagued the unit. Yetur Gross-Matos earned the lowest tackling grade of the game at 25.9, while CJ West followed closely at 26.7. Missed tackles by Renardo Green, Gross-Matos, Malik Mustapha, Marques Sigle, and West extended drives and contributed to Seattle’s offensive success.

The defensive PFF grades reflect a unit that showed effort and flashes of quality play but lacked consistency across all three levels. While Deommodore Lenoir and Dee Winters delivered strong performances, breakdowns in run defense, coverage depth, and tackling ultimately proved too costly. Against a division rival that capitalized on those weaknesses, the 49ers’ defensive margin for error disappeared when it mattered most.