There was plenty to take away from the 49ers Week 5 matchup against the undefeated Cardinals, including San Francisco defense's ability to hold Arizona's top-ranked offense to season-low numbers, and offensively, No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance's progression in his first full start at quarterback.
Overall, the divisional contest gave fans plenty to take away from the outing and what areas the 49ers can improve on heading into their Week 6 Bye.
Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus highlighted several 49ers of note coming off Sunday's loss. Here are a few top performers from Week 5, including a look at Lance's first start:
OFFENSE
Trent Williams – 77.1 overall grade
Williams earned the 49ers best grade on offense coming off of Sunday's loss, including an 86.9 run blocking grade. Williams, in part, helped Lance and the 49ers ground game amass 152 net rushing yards on the day, their largest output so far this season. Through five games, Williams still leads all NFL offensive linemen with an overall grade of 93.4 on the season.
Laken Tomlinson – 72.8 overall grade
Williams' linemate was just as stout in the passing game. Tomlinson earned an 88.2 pass blocking grade against Arizona's 11th-ranked passing defense and did not allow a single quarterback pressure on the day.
Trey Lance – 66.3 overall grade
Highlighting Lance's outing, the rookie posted 192 yards and an interception on 15-of-29 completions in his first NFL start. He also added 89 yards on the ground. Lance earned PFF's second-highest grade among first round quarterbacks in their first starts, trailing New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones.
2021 First Round Quarterbacks – PFF Grade of First Start:
| Player | Team | First Start Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Jones | New England Patriots | 78.3 |
| Trey Lance | San Francisco 49ers | 66.3 |
| Zach Wilson | New York Jets | 63.2 |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | 57.5 |
| Justin Fields | Chicago Bears | 46.8 |
DEFENSE
Arik Armstead – 89.2 overall grade
Armstead continues to string together noteworthy outings in Year 7. The defensive lineman notched two quarterback pressures and drew a holding call that led to an Arizona punt.
Nick Bosa – 86.1 overall grade
The 49ers edge rusher notched four total quarterback pressures on Sunday, including his fifth sack of the season and first against Kyler Murray. Bosa is tied for fifth in the NFL with five sacks through five games and is now more than halfway to besting his 2019 sack total (9).
Dontae Johnson – 83.8 overall grade
Johnson saw snaps at nickel corner with K'Waun Williams out with a calf injury. The veteran corner was responsible for the 49ers lone takeaway of the game, a forced fumble which Johnson also recovered. Johnson's fumble recovery was the 49ers first takeaway since Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.
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Of note, San Francisco's defense held Murray to his second-lowest rushing total of his career (1 yard). Murray had averaged 67 yards rushing in his previous four starts against the 49ers. San Francisco also limited Arizona to their lowest offensive output (304 net yards) and Murray's lowest passing yards (239 yards) so far this season.
