There was a potential disaster brewing for the 49ers when they rolled out Jaylon Moore to start at left tackle in place of the injured Trent Williams on Monday night in Minnesota. Not only did Moore avoid disaster in his fourth-career start at left tackle, he was perhaps San Francisco’s best offensive lineman.
Moore received a strong 73.1 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus and allowed only one pressure and one hurry in 33 pass blocking snaps against a Vikings defense that blitzed on 21 of quarterback Brock Purdy’s 33 dropbacks.
The 49ers didn’t run behind Moore much, but running back Christian McCaffrey carried twice to his side for six yards and one touchdown.
Even during the game it was evident that Moore wasn’t a problem on the 49ers’ offensive line. His performance makes it worth wondering if he’s one of San Francisco’s five best offensive linemen, especially since right tackle Colton McKivitz allowed a team-high six pressures, five hurries and one sack while also struggling as a run blocker.
It’s unclear what Williams’ timeline for a return is. He injured his ankle in Week 6 and was ruled out for Monday night’s game. If he’s able to come back in Week 8 it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the 49ers try fitting Moore into their offensive line given how well he acquitted himself Monday night.
