Report card: 49ers defense halts Adrian Peterson ... again

How the 49ers graded out in Monday night’s victory over the Minnesota Vikings:

Offense: It seemed scattershot at times. And it blew its early momentum. And there were an awful lot of penalties. But the unit regained its bearings when it simplified things and gave the ball to Carlos Hyde, who leads the league in rushing after Week 1. The 49ers controlled the ball for more than 33 minutes and gained 395 yards. Grade: B+

Defense: Which team has Adrian Peterson struggled the most against? He’ll be the first to say it’s the 49ers. That trend continued, as the Vikings running back finished with a 3.1-yard average and the San Francisco defense kept Minnesota out of the end zone. Grade A.

Special teams: A promising opening drive was torpedoed by a blocked field goal, and preseason sensation Jarryd Hayne muffed his first punt-return attempt. One more note: Bruce Ellington had an 85-yard return touchdown nullified by an illegal-block penalty. Grade: D

Overall: The more things change, the more they stay the same. The 49ers combined excellent defense with solid running to eventually overpower their opponent. That’s what they did early in the Jim Harbaugh era, signaling that perhaps the team’s strengths did not exit along with its familiar faces. Grade: B

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 11:16 PM.