Kurtenbach: 49ers Stock Report — who’s up, who’s down after embarrassing loss to Denver

There’s not much love to be divvied out in Santa Clara following the 49ers’ embarrassing 11-10 loss to the Denver Broncos, but stock must be taken following the game, and contrary to popular belief, the Niners did do some things well.

So let’s go over the good, a whole lot of bad, and what it all means moving forward following the Niners falling to 1-2:

Stock Up

 SS. Talanoa Hufanga 

» Find yourself someone who loves you the way defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans loves Hufanga.

The do-it-all strong safety was marvelous again on Sunday, dominating near the line of scrimmage and holding his own in coverage. If he can maintain that formula, he will be a Pro Bowl-caliber player for this defense. It’s a tall ask, but Hufanga is the kind of player who sees the game in slow motion — I wouldn’t put it past him.

 RB. Jeff Wilson Jr.

» Wilson made plays when no one else on the Niners’ offense seemed capable of doing much right on Sunday. Yes, he fumbled to lose the game, but let’s be honest, he was doing everyone a favor by bringing that contest to an end early. What a thoughtful guy.

Wilson could stand to improve in the pass game, but he is the unquestioned No. 1 back for the 49ers. That means you don’t have to worry about that position for a while.

 NB. Deommodore Lenoir

» The second-year player out of Oregon finally took at nickelback this week after strong showings in practice and more than a year of the 49ers’ keeping the spot warm for him. He was solid in coverage and tenacious in the run game. This is his spot until Samuel Womack (who was wonderful on special teams) can catch up to NFL speed in the slot. The Niners might have a controversy brewing here. The good kind.

 P. Mitch Wishnowsky (and the 49ers’ special teams unit)

» I was skeptical of the 49ers extending Wishnowsky this month — he’s been fine but unspectacular during his tenure as the 49ers’ punter — but Sunday’s performance in the altitude showed his full skillset. It wasn’t just the distance — it was the accuracy. His punt that landed a nanometer in front of the goal line was simply perfect.

Better than that was the execution of the punt team to down that ball. The aforementioned Womack made the play of his career keeping that ball in the field of play, but just as impressive was the entire punt coverage unit knowing how to play such a ball.

The Niners might not always execute on special teams, but the unit is evidently well-coached. That’s the last thing you could say about it last season.

 WLB. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

» With Azeez Al-Shaair out and the Niners keen to play plenty of base defense this season, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans turned to DFF to fill in at weak-side linebacker Sunday.

This flew under the radar in the game — let’s be honest, you were probably asleep — but he looked really good in relief. All the Niners do is produce great linebackers, and while DFF is a drop-off from Al-Shaair, he looks more than capable of filling in for weeks to come.

Stock Down

 QB. Jimmy Garoppolo

» I don’t need to explain how Garoppolo was bad on Sunday. You watched the game.

Yes, one-read Jimmy was in full effect. So much for quarterbacking this offense being “like riding a bike.” Garoppolo must need training wheels.

It’s understandable why the speed of the game would shock Jimmy. He’s only started 45 games for the 49ers. He only played three quarters last week.

The good news is that things will improve in the weeks to come. They can’t get any worse than an inadvertent safety being a better option than the pick-six on the same play.

 HC. Kyle Shanahan

» The Deebo Samuel-as-a-running-back play still works, but there is no longer an element of surprise to it. You could say the same for the entire 49ers’ offense.

Given how bland the Niners’ offense was with Trey Lance in the first five quarters of the season and Sunday’s performance against the Broncos, it’s fair to wonder if Shanahan has lost his magic touch.

This is a head coach and quarterback league. Success is tied to those two roles. Right now, both are lacking for the 49ers.

And I won’t give him quarter on the playbook needing to change from Lance to Garoppolo. He shut that down when I asked him about it last week. Apparently, it’s all the same plays, but from different formations.

Might be time for some new plays.

 OT. Jaylon Moore

» It was a bit of a shock that the Niners went with Moore at left tackle after Trent Williams sprained his ankle. It wasn’t a shock when seven plays later, they pulled Moore for Colton McKivitz.

Moore was on the field for four pass-blocking downs. He allowed two pressures and a sack. Pro Football Focus gave him a pass-blocking grade of zero for the game.

With Dan Brunskill likely back in the fold this week, Sunday might be the last we see of Moore in a 49ers uniform.

 OT. Mike McGlinchey

» The Niners’ right tackle wasn’t much better. On his 33 snaps, he allowed three pressures and picked up a penalty, per PFF. That grading seems generous.

McGlinchey was partly responsible for Garoppolo’s Niners-blunder-of-the-century, having missed his block. He was routinely lifted out of his position by Broncos defenders, and save for a few nice plays on the Niners’ touchdown drive, and he wasn’t making up for his pass-blocking deficiencies in the run game.

The Niners have a real problem at tackle. Just what you want when you have a non-running quarterback who is good for a handful of illogical throws per game.

 DT. Javon Kinlaw

» The Broncos offense wasn’t any good on Sunday, but they did find some success by running directly at Javon Kinlaw. The Rams, who love to run inside zone, will try the same on Monday. Might we see more Kevin Givens moving forward?