49ers First Half Grades: Offense

Quarterback: B-

The 49ers experienced an unfortunate quarterback change in Week 2 as starter Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury, leaving backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to serve as San Francisco’s signal-caller for the remainder of the 2022 NFL season.

With Lance, the 49ers saw some inconsistencies, as the passing game struggled in Week 1, albeit under poor weather conditions in a sluggish fest at Solider Field.

But, in Week 2, Lance’s presence facilitated a strong rushing attack, as the 49ers earned 108 yards on 12 carries while the second-year quarterback was playing.

After coming in as the starter, Garoppolo arguably had his worst performance as a 49er in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, repeatedly failing to capitalize on opportunities and being the primary reason why San Francisco lost in disappointing fashion.

However, Garoppolo has since bounced back, slowly improving each week, and is currently facilitating a fairly efficient offense while limiting turnovers.

While Garoppolo hasn’t been asked to do much, he has delivered at times when his number is called, giving him a B+ grade.

Running Backs: C+

The running game has had two different storylines this season.

With Trey Lance under the helm, the running game flourished, averaging over 5.8 yards per carry, but that efficiency deteriorated with the injuries to him and Elijah Mitchell, giving San Francisco a one-dimensional rushing attack with Jeff Wilson Jr. as the lead back.

Overall, while Wilson’s numbers as a running back looked good, the 49ers were one of the least efficient rushing attacks in 2022 in terms of EPA/play and DVOA, which resulted in a stalling offense that failed to produce between Weeks 3-6 for the most part.

But, the emergence of Christian McCaffrey, who had a major impact in Week 8 against the Rams, boosts the rushing grade to slightly above average.

This grade should continue to increase in the second half of the 2022 season.

Wide Receivers: B-

Brandon Aiyuk has officially broken out for the 49ers, as he’s their leading receiver through eight games, catching 38 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns thus far.

Aiyuk has been an underrated piece for the 49ers thus far and arguably deserves to be their offensive MVP for the first half, as the third-year receiver has been the team’s best route-runner, while displaying good hands.

Deebo Samuel’s impact has been mitigated without the threat of his ability on the ground game, as he’s second on the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

Samuel has displayed similar issues with catching the football, averaging nearly a drop per game with a 13% drop rate, which has been an issue throughout his career.

Additionally, slot receiver Jauan Jennings has displayed an abysmal 19% drop rate in the first half, which has decreased the team’s confidence in him apart from third-down situations, although his blocking has been up to par in comparison to previous seasons.

Wideout Ray-Ray McCloud has carved a role as San Francisco’s No. 4 receiver, but has missed on several big plays this year, while displaying inconsistent route-running on deeper routes.

However, the significant impact of Aiyuk thus far brings this group from an average grade to a B- in the first half.

Tight Ends: C+

George Kittle currently stands as the 49ers’ third-leading receiver with 319 yards on the season, despite missing two games, as well as two touchdown catches on the season.

Kittle’s impact as a blocker has continued this season, and sometimes to an even greater extent, as he’s shown the capability both in the running game and as a pass-blocker.

After a slow start to the year, Kittle has found a level of consistency in the passing game, while maintaining his impact as a blocker as San Francisco’s lead player at the position.

Charlie Woerner has disappointed as the backup tight end this season, dropping both of his targets thus far on what would’ve been big play opportunities. While he’s maintained his abilities as a blocker, Woerner hasn’t taken the next step as a receiver in 2022.

Ross Dwelley, on the other hand, has made the most of his opportunities, catching three passes for 105 yards and a touchdown without having a drop.

In the second half, expect Dwelley to earn more playing time in passing situations.

Offensive Line: B+

As surprising as it may sound, the offensive line has arguably been the best position group for the 49ers thus far.

Aaron Banks has emerged as a premier talent at left guard, showcasing why the 49ers didn’t re-sign Laken Tomlinson in the offseason, as he’s taken the next step as a run-blocker, while remaining as a strong pass-protector.

While the offensive line has made mistakes at inopportune times, they’ve been fairly consistent and certainly have exceeded the expectations of most this season.

Coming into the year, the biggest question regarding this unit was cohesion. In that aspect, the 49ers’ offensive line has fared well, even with the recent rotation of Daniel Brunskill and Spencer Burford at right guard, which has led to good play from the quarterback as the season has progressed.

The main issue thus far has been penalties with the offensive line. Those will need to improve if the 49ers are to capitalize on offensive opportunities in the second half and improve their average scoring offensive numbers.