The San Francisco 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-10 at home on Sunday Night Football, improving to 5-2 on the season and 4-1 with backup quarterback Mac Jones at the helm.
It was expected to be a tough game for the 49ers, as the Falcons had just beaten the Buffalo Bills 24-14 and seemed to be on a roll on both sides of the ball. They entered the game as the No. 1 pass defense in the league, a top-15 run defense, and with stars Bijan Robinson and Drake London healthy on offense.
Nonetheless, the 49ers made timely plays, while finally getting things going on the ground, as they pulled off their first multiple-score victory of the season. They now remain in sole possession of the NFC West at 5-2, holding the tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, and are expected to have Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall back next week.
Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers 20-10 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
George Kittle’s return
The 49ers welcomed back their tight end to the fold after Kittle had missed five games with a hamstring injury after going down in the first quarter of Week 1.
Kittle had played just one drive this season, catching four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. So, it would’ve made sense if the 49ers looked to feed him early to get him in a rhythm.
Well, Kittle ended with zero catches on two targets. So, why did he make such a difference for the 49ers? The run game.
San Francisco has been severely lacking quality blocking from its tight ends without Kittle, as backup Jake Tonges just isn’t as good with the responsibilities. We even saw this early in the game as a missed Tonges block led to a busted Christian McCaffrey run.
But, with Kittle in the mix, the 49ers run game flourished for really the first time all season. McCaffrey finished the game with 129 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and looking the best he’s looked all year.
Our Kyle Posey tweeted how the 49ers had 1.4 yards BEFORE contact per run with Kittle on the field on Sunday, while totaling 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Without Kittle? They had just 12 yards on six carries, while averaging -2.1 yards before contact per run.
Kittle’s blocking and presence makes such a difference in the run game, and the 49ers saw it on Sunday. Now, just wait for the wide receiver room to be healthy and things will really take off.
Defense makes timely plays
The 49ers defense has been hammered with injuries, and the loss of Fred Warner seemed like it could be the biggest one yet.
For weeks, they’d struggled to maintain a consistent pass rush, which wasn’t a good sign heading into the Atlanta game, as the Falcons had done a great job at minimizing sacks on Michael Penix all year long.
Additionally, they’d seen some issues in the secondary at safety with coverage busts, while changing up the looks at nickel.
Well, without Warner on Sunday, the defense gave up some plays at times, mainly in the screen game, where they missed one too many tackles. But, somehow, someway, they always found a way to make timely plays.
On the first drive, Marques Sigle closed out quickly enough on a Bijan Robinson out route to push him out of bounds one yard short of a first down. Punt.
On Atlanta’s 19-play drive, the 49ers somehow needed a stop. On 3rd & 4, Robert Saleh looked like he was sending pressure, but rushed four and Sam Okuayinonu got home on a stunt to sack Michael Penix and force a field goal.
On the next Falcons third down, Saleh again showed a similar look, this time sending the house. The Falcons were confused, and a blitzer went through untouched to force an errant throw, leading to a punt near midfield.
Near the end of the first half, Atlanta got to their 46-yard line with 1:32 remaining down 7-3. Well, then came another timely play, as Bryce Huff showed off his elite speed and bend, getting past the right tackle for a big sack and forced fumble. That led to a 49ers field goal to get the halftime score at 10-3.
If you think that was all, think again.
Atlanta once again seemed to threaten driving down the field with 38 seconds left in the half. They had a 19 and 38-yard pass, and suddenly were at the 49ers 22-yard line with 17 seconds left and no timeouts. And then came the next big play.
Needing a stop, the 49ers rushed four and Huff seemed to stunt around the defensive tackles (on his own, rather than by design?), and found a hole to rush the passer, pressuring Penix. The quarterback wanted to throw the ball away, but was in the pocket and was called for intentional grounding, forcing a 10-second runoff and ending the half.
In the fourth quarter, with the 49ers up 13-10 with under nine minutes in the game, the Falcons had a crucial 4th & 1 at the 49ers 35-yard line. Well, on a quick out-route, it seemed like Penix was going to find Drake London. But, Chase Lucas had a hell of a break and nearly intercepted the ball. London still could’ve caught the ball, but it was slightly altered and the 49ers got a stop.
They went on to score a touchdown to get a two-score lead, and their defense got another turnover on downs to win the game.
There were so many clutch plays by San Francisco’s defense that made a big difference in this one.
Swarming to the ball
As I mentioned above, the 49ers did struggle with missed tackles in this one, especially with running back Bijan Robinson.
But, you had to be impressed with their energy and effort, as the team consistently swarmed to the ball, specifically in the run game.
Robinson had one of his worst rushing games of the season, going for just 40 yards on 2.3 yards per carry, with his longest rush being eight yards. Linebackers flowed well, as one player got to be disruptive, leading the rest of the pack to finish the play.
Tatum Bethune especially impressed me, leading the way with 10 tackles for the 49ers. He was all around the field, triggering quickly and getting to the line of scrimmage to close off plays in the run game. He didn’t seem to miss many opportunities and definitely looked the part in Fred Warner’s shoes.
This was a defensive masterclass, as the 49ers got a huge win to give them more of a cushion for the playoffs and in the NFC West.
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