49ers 2024 Midseason Awards

The first half of the 2024 NFL regular season has come to an end for the San Francisco 49ers.

They enter Bye Week with a 4-4 record midway through their season. While the 49ers enjoy their time off to rest and regroup, now is the perfect time to hand out midseason awards. 49ers on Sports Illustrated names the most valuable players offensively and defensively in midseason, surprises and disappointments.

José: It must be George Kittle. How could it be anyone other than him? He has been their most consistent and dominant player since Week 1. This season, Kittle has arguably performed better than ever. As usual, he blocks tremendously in the run game, but most importantly, he is phenomenal as a receiver. He has easily been the 49ers’ best receiver this year, especially in the red zone. Kittle has caught 12 of 13 passes there for 76 yards and six touchdowns, according to Next Gen Stats. Getting Kittle to play more in the second half of the season is one of the keys for the 49ers to score more and attack at a high level again.

Scholarship: Kittle is the right answer for all the reasons Jose mentioned, so I’ll give an honorable mention: Jordan Mason. The 49ers would have been in deep trouble for the first eight games of the season if he hadn’t stepped up. Heading into Week 1, the 49ers thought they would have Christian McCaffrey all season, but bilateral Achilles tendonitis has kept him off the field. Additionally, Elijah Mitchell is on Injured Reserve, and Isaac Guerendo isn’t quite ready to carry the full load in the running game. Through eight games, Mason is the NFL’s third-leading rusher, behind only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. Not bad.

José: What about the man who single-handedly kept the 49ers alive in Week 2 against the Vikings? I’m talking about none other than Fred Warner. He’s a monster this season. Like Kittle, Warner may be having his best season. It’s probably because he knows he has to, as he’s the only impactful linebacker the 49ers have. He has recorded four forced fumbles, three pass breakups and two interceptions. That was only played from one half of the season. These numbers will certainly increase in the second half. What’s even more impressive is that Pro Football Focus has rated Warner as the best coverage defender in the NFL. A linebacker isn’t supposed to be this elite when it comes to pass coverage. Warner remains a stunning player.

Scholarship: Once again, Jose is 100 percent right, so I’ll go with an honorable mention: Deommodore Lenoir. He has quietly become the best player in the 49ers secondary and one of the 10 best cornerbacks in the NFL. Through eight games, he has allowed a quarterback rating of just 63.3 when targeted. That’s because he is extremely confident and doesn’t back down from anyone. And on a team that is suffering mightily from the Super Bowl hangover, Lenoir is one of the few players to be locked down for the entire season. Nobody plays harder than him.

Jose: Brock Purdy has my vote. I never could have imagined that he would be a player who constantly throws it into the middle part of the pitch and beyond the sticks. But that’s exactly what he’s done this season, in addition to playing a lot with his legs. It’s been impressive to see him grow in these areas, which is likely because he doesn’t have Christian McCaffrey. Another aspect that is surprising to see about him is how much pressure he puts on himself. Purdy is usually mentally tough, but this year it seems like he’s in his head to some extent. As great as the plays he makes with his legs and deep throwing are, he spams it a little too much. He needs to find that balance and remember he has great teammates who can do the work for him on dumpoffs.

Scholarship: I’m going with Dominick Puni. He’s a third-round rookie who played every position except right guard in college, and now he’s one of the top right guards in the league. Go figure. Through eight games, Puni hasn’t given up a sack or even a quarterback hit. He’s been so good that suddenly Colton McKivitz is no longer fully in pass protection. Call that the Puni effect.

José: Rookie safety Malik Mustapha wins it for me. I didn’t think highly of him when the 49ers drafted him. He has tremendous hard aggression, like an old-school safety, which makes him perfect for playing close to the line of scrimmage. It seemed like he needed to develop better coverage skills. However, the 49ers primarily use him in coverage and he has done an excellent job there. The speed and range Mustapha has shown has been surprising. He has been targeted ten times, with just two catches allowed for 26 yards. Mustapha was one of the bright spots on the 49ers defense. As NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal once said, “I owe you an apology. I wasn’t familiar with your game.”

Scholarship: I have to go with third-year defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu. He was on the practice squad until September 28. Now he has 3 sacks and 9 hurries in just 96 pass rush snaps. And he can run from the edge or the interior. Which means he has become the 49ers’ second-best pass rusher behind Nick Bosa. And no one had heard of this guy until a few months ago. What a special story. He should start after the bye week.

José: Head coach Kyle Shahanan, please come down and accept this award. How on earth are the 49ers the fifth-worst touchdown-scoring offense in the red zone this year? Not having Christian McCaffrey is not a valid excuse at all. The 49ers still have more offensive firepower than more than half the league. He has all the ingredients for an excellent attack. Still, he struggles to keep them consistent. Some of the problems are also due to Purdy. But Shanahan needs to get him those easy throws again and open up the receivers. The 49ers did that in the second half against the Cowboys and sure enough, it worked. Shanahan can’t use McCaffrey as his “spinach” like he’s “Popeye” when he returns. If that’s the case, he’s an overrated coach. Figure it out coming out of the Bye and get the offense back to its elite form.

Scholarship: I can’t comment on Jose’s points about Shanahan. Still, I’d say Brandon Aiyuk was an even bigger disappointment before going down with a torn ACL and MCL. Aiyuk sat out the entire offseason because he wanted $30 million per season instead of $28 million per season. If he had accepted $28 million each, he could have gone to training camp and been ready for the season. But he held on for every penny he could, and then was extremely rusty through the first seven games of the season. Even more so, the time he dropped a pass when he was wide open. And he is still under contract for four seasons. Yes.

José: There were a lot of expectations surrounding Ji’Ayir Brown’s safety entering his second year. Last year he showed a lot of promise in the role of Talanoa Hufanga, so he was ready to take the next step. Well, that next step remains to be seen. Brown has been a fairly disappointing player this year. He has been targeted 24 times and made 14 catches for 236 yards. His allowed passer rating is an astounding 102.1. Brown is a liability in coverage. He is outplayed by a rookie. Luckily, he had a nice interception against the Cowboys. Hopefully that will give him a kickstart to go one step further in the second half of the season.

Scholarship: The 49ers pay Nick Bosa $34 million per season to dominate and close games, and right now he’s doing neither. He’s still under a lot of pressure, but he has just 4.5 sacks in eight games and he leads the 49ers in missed tackles with 10. Suddenly, he lacks the urgency and attention to detail that made him so great when he was younger. He chooses the weaker of the opponent’s two attacking tackles all game long, but still doesn’t have much of an impact. The 49ers need the old Bosa back.