49ers: Boone back to his best

Much has been made about the recent slump that the San Francisco 49ers have experienced on offense, but one player who has been at his best in recent weeks is right guard Alex Boone, who is showing signs of a return to his 2012 form, when he was one of the best guards in football.

Boone held out for the entire of preseason, and then reported to the team just before the opening week of the season. He played four snaps as an extra lineman in Week 1 against Dallas before returning to the starting lineup in Week 2. He definitely had some rust to shake off, as he struggled to a -7.5 overall grade in his first four starts, allowing three sacks and 11 total QB pressures for a 94.3 Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE), 61st out of 74 guards through the first five weeks.

However Boone righted the ship after that, and has not allowed a sack since. In his last five games, he has a +10.2 overall grade, which is in the top five among all guards during that span; while giving up just two pressures (both hurries) earning him a +6.3 pass blocking grade, second-best in that stretch. Despite the poor start, Boone's PBE has improved to 97.0%, 24th out of 79 qualifying guards.