The 49ers’ grades in brutal Week 3 loss to the Rams originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

INGLEWOOD – That hurts.

And it should injured.

“I think we definitely have to feel the loss,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We can’t just go on and pretend everything’s OK.”

The previously winless Los Angeles Rams took advantage of all the 49ers’ mistakes and came back from behind to win 27-24 against their NFC West rivals at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

The 49ers squandered a lead of 14 points or more for the first time since the 2018 season.

And what may be even more painful is the way the 49ers messed it up.

The Rams had fewer stars than the teams the 49ers have played against in the past. Defensive lineman Aaron Donald retired in the offseason. And their two best receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, were out due to injuries.

The 49ers also had to compete without some of their top players. But the way the game unfolded, that is no excuse.

Here’s a look at the 49ers’ grades after their embarrassing loss to the Rams in Week 3:

Attack force

The 49ers showed a balanced offense with 34 running attempts and 31 dropbacks in the passing game.

Running back Jordan Mason rushed for 77 yards on 19 attempts, averaging 4.1 yards. Quarterback Brock Purdy rushed for the same average on 10 attempts, some quarterback sneaks and some scrambles.

Rookie Isaac Guerendo got his most playing time, gaining 19 yards on five attempts.

Overall, the running game’s performance was mediocre. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.

Grade: C+

Passing offense

This is a difficult area to grade because the good was really good and the bad was really bad.

Purdy completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. His passer rating was 137.1.

Jauan Jennings was outstanding. He was the best player on the field, catching 11 passes for 147 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

As for the bad…

Purdy was sacked just once, but it resulted in a fumble as Rams edge Byron Young got past right tackle Colton McKivitz. That play thwarted a potential scoring opportunity at the end of the first half but didn’t result in any points.

The worst moments in the passing game were the decisive drops by Brandon Aiyuk and Ronnie Bell.

The 49ers had a chance to win the game late in regulation, but Bell missed an easy interception opportunity, a play that might have put San Francisco in a position to score the win with a short field goal.

If the grade applied only to Purdy and Jennings, it would be an A+. If it applied only to Aiyuk and Bell, it would be a 6.

Grade: B-minus

Rushing defense

The 49ers generally did a good job defending Rams running back Kyren Williams, who gained 89 yards on 24 rushing attempts and averaged 3.7 yards.

But Williams scored two touchdowns on the ground, including the tying 4-yard run with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter.

Grade: C+

Pass defense

This unit was a big disappointment for the 49ers. The front four did not put enough pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The Rams were missing their best receivers in Nacua and Kupp, but Stafford still completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 221 yards and a touchdown without allowing a single interception.

Tutu Atwell had four catches for 93 yards and also received a 48-yard pass interference penalty against Isaac Yiadom.

Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell received a 25-yard penalty for pass interference, which helped the Rams get into position for the game-winning field goal.

Grade: F

Special teams

The 49ers’ special teams were a disaster for the second game in a row.

The 49ers allowed a first down in the second quarter when Ronnie Rivers took the direct snap and gained 7 yards on a fourth-and-6 play, which allowed the Rams to stay in the game.

Kicker Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt that could have clinched the win late in the fourth quarter, but then a mistake by the punt coverage team gave the Rams an opportunity to score the game-winning points.

Grade: F

Coaching

The 49ers should have been prepared for the fake punt in the second quarter, but it caught them by surprise – or at least it seemed that way.

Coach Kyle Shanahan, special teams coordinator Brian Schneider and defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen share some of the blame.

The 49ers should never have let the Rams stay. No way.

The 49ers made plenty of physical mistakes, but they also had at least as many mental issues that allowed the Rams to come back and win.

Even without Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, the 49ers are too talented to be beaten by this Rams team.

Grade: F

In total

It can’t get any worse.

There was never a moment in this game where it looked like the 49ers were in danger of losing the game, and that may have been what they thought.

When they had the opportunity to retreat, they retreated.

The 49ers didn’t make the same mistakes they did in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, but the games were similar enough to be a cause for concern.

This was also a well-deserved defeat, for which there were many people to blame.

Grade: F

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