San Francisco 49ers

49ers vs. Chargers: Preseason Week 4 Grades and Analysis for San Francisco

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The San Francisco 49ers pulled out a comeback 31-21 win in the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers thanks to the efforts of Christian Ponder and Marcus Rush, among others. Colin Kaepernick played decently against backups, but was definitely not superb.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Christian Ponder (5) throws a pass during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Week four of the NFL preseason is tough. Really, really tough. The only thing on the line are the final roster spots from players you will likely not hear from for most of the season. Play is incredibly sloppy as each player is playing almost more for his own career than for the team. Very little exciting happens.

This describes most of the 2016 edition of the annual preseason finale between the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers. Despite Christian Ponder‘s late-game heroics, if I am allowed to call them that during the preseason, the simple fact that this was the final preseason game dilutes much of the intrigue.

That won’t stop us from grading the 49ers, however. With 11 days remaining until the team’s season-opener, performances in a game that is, on the surface, meaningless could go a long way.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Christian Ponder (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Grades

Quarterback: C-

Blaine Gabbert sat out the 49ers preseason finale like a starting QB, despite the fact that Chip Kelly has yet to announce much of anything regarding his quarterback situation. Colin Kaepernick played decently enough, but against backups as he went 11 of 18 for 103 yards, leading the 49ers to a touchdown on their first possession.

In doing so, however, he threw a dangerous pass to Dres Anderson that not only should have been intercepted, but also placed Anderson in an incredibly vulnerable position that could have easily caused him to sustain a significant injury. The 49ers are lucky they did not lose another receiver on that play.

Jeff Driskel struggled at quarterback in the third quarter, throwing two ill-advised passes that resulted in interceptions. Driskel only completed one of his four passes to the correct team for a total of three yards.

Christian Ponder had a good evening, however, making the quarterback dilemma even more interesting. Ponder threw for 101 yards on 8/14 passing while running for two touchdowns in the 4th quarter to lead the 49ers to a comeback win. Ponder made a claim for a roster spot with his play Thursday night, but his final status will depend on the 49ers’ decision regarding Kaepernick (i.e. trade, release, keep) and whether or not the 49ers prefer Ponder’s experience or Driskel’s youth.
Running Back: B

With Carlos Hyde out Thursday night following his concussion last Friday against the Packers — and backup Shaun Draughn out as well for precautionary purposes — the 49ers resorted to depth backs and players who will not be on the roster in a week.

Hence, I will raise the grade to a “B” as the performances were coming from reserve backs. Kelvin Taylor had a solid day with 56 yards on 9 carries (6.2 yards per rush) and a touchdown. Mike Davis got in on the action garnering 37 yards on 5 carries (7.4 yards per rush) and DeJuan Harris recorded 28 yards on 9 carries (3.1 yards per rush).

Taylor and Davis each had their own good runs of the night, but against primarily reserve defenses. Whoever the 49ers keep could see action, as Carlos Hyde has a habit of getting injured.

Wide Receiver: B-

Dres Anderson made a monster catch near the goal line on an ill-advised throw by Colin Kaepernick on the team’s first possession. The ball probably should have been picked and Anderson was in prime position to get laid out by a defender, but he stayed focused and somehow managed to get a handle of the ball. Very impressive catch.

Aaron Burbidge also played well Thursday night, gaining 29 yards on three receptions. Newcomer Jeremy Kerley saw action and caught two passes for 18 yards. Given the limited receivers, I’ll give the unit a B-.

Tight End: D+

Je’Ron Hamm, who is a long-shot to make the roster, led the 49ers in receiving against the Chargers with four receptions for 65 yards. Bruce Miller and Blake Bell also made a small mark on the stat sheet. Bell’s would have been larger had a touchdown reception not been called back due to offensive pass interference (on Bell).

True, Vance McDonald and Garrett Celek did not play, but overall this was a pretty poor performance.

Offensive Line: C+

The Chargers only recorded one sack against the 49ers, which is potentially a sign of improvement. Driskel often seemed under pressure and hurried, though this was due in part to his own challenges as he is still learning to adjust to the NFL. A “C+” seems fair with the decent running holes on the night.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Kellen Clemens (10) gestures before the snap during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Grades

Defensive Line: D

The 49ers struggled a lot on defense Thursday. Hole after hole appeared to open for Chargers running backs to plow through. Granted, Week 4 of the preseason is a backup week, but this was still not a good performance.

Linebacker: B

Marcus Rush may have just earned himself a starting spot — he definitely improved the unit grade here. Rush had two sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble on the night — a stat line worthy of a roster spot if I’ve ever seen one. Corey Lemonier may have lost his spot on the roster to Rush, a second-year player out of Michigan State who has had an excellent preseason.

Outside of Rush, nothing too special happened for the 49ers linebacking corps. Rush was really good though.

Defensive Back: C+

Rookie Rashard Robinson grabbed a nice interception late in the game. Otherwise, the secondary was pretty mediocre, so far as can be figured out in a preseason finale. A “C+” will suffice.

Special Teams & Coaching Grades

Oct 11, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (9) kicks the ball prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Special Teams: D

The 49ers did not impress on kick or punt returns — losing Bruce Ellington for the season could really hurt the team here. Phil Dawson also had one of his rare missed field goals Thursday. The game was sloppy, very sloppy, and special teams was no different.

Newcomer Jeremy Kerley returned one kickoff for 20 yards and DeAndrew White had a six yard punt return.

Coaching: B

After injuries to what seems to be most of the receiving corps, I appreciated Chip Kelly and company’s decision to keep most of the critical players out Thursday night. The last thing the 49ers can afford right now is another bad injury to a critical player.

The real grades will come in the next week or so, however, with roster cuts and, finally, the regular season.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly speaks to reporters following the game against the San Diego Chargers during the second half of the game at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Cumulative 49ers Grade for Preseason Week 4: C-

Yes, the San Francisco 49ers won their preseason finale. Other than the last few minutes, however, the game was a sloppy affair that was, at many points in time, difficult to watch.

Colin Kaepernick may have played well enough to earn a roster spot, but with everything else going on with the former superstar QB, the 49ers may look for reasons to move on.

The 49ers may have won the game according to the scoreboard, but there is a lot that Kelly’s team needs to improve on — and quickly.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.