49ers Grades For Gritty Prime-time Win Against Panthers As Brock Purdy Struggles

49ers grades for gritty prime-time win against Panthers as Brock Purdy struggles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It was not exactly a complete team victory for the 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”

Quarterback Brock Purdy struggled, so the defense had to pick up the slack in the 49ers’ 20-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers won consecutive games for the first time since Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season, as they improved to 8-4 and hold onto the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoff picture.

Here is the report card from the 49ers’ Week 12 game against the Panthers:

Rushing offense

The 49ers were able to control the clock and establish some long drives on the power of their running game.

Christian McCaffrey was fed the ball from the outset, and Brian Robinson Jr. provided a different look. McCaffrey had 89 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while Robinson added 40 yards on seven attempts.

Purdy got into the act a little, as he picked up two fourth-down conversions with quarterback sneaks.

Grade: B

Passing offense

It was a rough outing for Purdy, who was intercepted three times in the first half. He was late on his throws and left the ball hanging in the air too long. The Panthers made him pay.

Jaycee Horn had two interceptions and Mike Jackson added a pick of his own.

Purdy capped the team’s opening drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings, who bounced off three Panthers defenders to get into the end zone. Then, he turned it over three times.

Purdy took care of the football in the second half. He finished the game, completing 23 of 32 passes for 193 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The 49ers converted seven of 13 third-down chances.

George Kittle led the 49ers with six catches for 78 yards. McCaffrey added seven receptions for 53 yards.

Grade: D

Rushing defense

The 49ers gave up only three first downs rushing to the Panthers. Running back Rico Dowdle, who came into the game as hot as anyone in the NFL, was held to just 38 yards on six carries.

The 49ers’ defense made the Panthers one-dimensional on offense. Carolina ended up averaging 5.3 yards per carry, but they had only 13 rushing attempts in the game.

Grade: B

Passing defense

Ji’Ayir Brown came through with the best game of his three-year NFL career.

Brown picked off Panthers quarterback Bryce Young in the end zone in the first half. He stopped any real chance of a Panthers comeback with his second interception at the 26-yard line midway through the fourth quarter.

The 49ers had Young’s number, as the Panthers converted just one of their seven third-down attempts.

Defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell had his second sack since signing with the team as a free agent.

Grade: A

Special teams

Kicker Matt Gay picked up where Eddy Piñeiro left off, as he converted both of his field-goal attempts. Gay connected from 47 and 29 yards.

Skyy Moore had a 43-yard kickoff return, as he averaged 26.7 yards on three kickoff returns.

The 49ers’ coverage units had a strong game, as Nick Martin came up with two special-teams tackles and forced a fumble.

Thomas Morstead was called on to punt only one time.

Grade: A-minus

Coaching

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was fired up, and had his guys flying around. He made all the right calls to create issues for the Panthers’ offense.

The 49ers’ offense had its chance to put up a lot more points but Purdy was late with a couple of his throws and it ended in interceptions.

The 49ers made a point to get the run game going, and the 49ers generally were able to do what they wanted.

Grade: B

Overall

It was far from an all-around performance for the 49ers, but that’s OK. They needed the win, and they got the win.

The 49ers’ defense stepped up in a big way. Brown came through in crucial moments. He kept the Panthers out of the end zone with an interception in the first half, and he closed it out with an interception in the fourth quarter.

Grade: B-minus

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