ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons scored 23 consecutive points, then held off San Francisco’s late rally to hand the 49ers their first loss of the season 29-20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
Michael Penix completed 73.5 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions or sacks as the Falcons turned a 14-3 deficit into a 26-14 lead. The 49ers cut the lead to 6 with 5:05 to play and got the ball back with a chance to take the lead, but Kendal Daniels intercepted Brock Purdy to snuff out the rally.
The 49ers fell to 6-1, leaving the Minnesota Vikings (6-0 after beating the Indianapolis Colts) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-0 ahead of Sunday night’s game in Seattle) as the NFL’s only unbeaten teams. The Falcons improved to 3-4, a half-game back of the Carolina Panthers (3-3) for the NFC South lead.
Christian McCaffrey had 69 total yards and a touchdown on the 49ers’ opening drive but missed most of the rest of the first half with a thigh injury. He returned in the second half and finished with 100 total yards.
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How the Falcons mitigated pressure for Penix
After watching its quarterback struggle mightily against pressure the previous two weeks, Atlanta decided Sunday to get the ball out of his hands before the 49ers and their defensive coordinator (and former Falcons head coach), Raheem Morris, could pressure him.
Penix finished the game with a career-low 1.7 air yards per attempt, according to TruMedia. For context, he averaged 10.2 air yards per attempt last week against Chicago. As a result, Penix also had a career-low 8.5 yards per completion. The payoff was that the Falcons kept their still-young quarterback out of harm’s way and kept time of possession nearly even throughout the game. — Josh Kendall, Falcons senior writer
Were injuries too much for 49ers’ offense to overcome?
The 49ers entered the game without Mike Evans and four other top wide receivers, then lost another high-level pass catcher, McCaffrey, for a chunk of the game with a thigh injury.
McCaffrey played 16 snaps at receiver against the Washington Commanders last week and had three catches Sunday before leaving late in the first quarter. He made two more catches for 11 yards after re-entering after halftime but was obviously hindered by the injury.
Backups Kaelon Black and Jordan James filled in during McCaffrey’s second-quarter absence, with both fumbling on back-to-back plays. James would have lost his if tight end Luke Farrell had not wrestled the ball from a Falcons defender. Black did lose his.
No receivers caught passes in the first half, although Jordan Watkins came on strong in the second half with three catches for 56 yards. He would have had a 23-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, but after a long replay review, he was ruled to have lost control upon hitting the ground out of bounds.
Christian Kirk, activated from injured reserve Saturday, was targeted once — on a third-quarter scramble that led to a sideline interception for safety Jesse Bates III. Brandin Cooks was targeted twice without a reception. He also committed a false start penalty one play before Purdy’s late-game interception. — Matt Barrows, 49ers senior writer
Penalties doomed 49ers’ defense
For the second straight week, the 49ers had a barrage of defensive penalties. Though they may have been over-aggressive in Week 6 against the Commanders late in the contest, Sunday’s miscues came from a tired and unsharp squad.
The Falcons, for example, scored early in the fourth quarter following a drive that was aided by two penalties against cornerback Jack Jones and another by defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. Thompson was so late running onto the field that he was 5 yards behind the offensive formation when the ball was snapped.
Jones played because nickel cornerback Upton Stout missed the bulk of the contest with a shoulder injury. That sent Deommodore Lenoir inside on nickel downs while Jones played outside. Later in the game, the team sent rookie Ephesians Prysock to play outside cornerback instead of Jones.
The 49ers also gave up 3 points at the end of the first half when the Falcons, trying to induce an encroachment penalty on fourth down, got just that from defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. — Barrows
The 49ers struggled with injuries Sunday, including Christian McCaffrey missing part of the game with a thigh injury. (Brett Davis / Imagn Images)
A hiccup for the 49ers, or a sign of concern moving forward?
The 49ers were marching to a 7-0 record and their bye week, up 14-3, but the fumbles and penalties seemed to give the Falcons life. That’s life in the NFL, and after the loss, San Francisco’s sitting at 6-1 and still in great shape atop the NFC West.
Missing your top five receivers is a big deal when one of them is Evans. And on top of that, you can’t lose McCaffrey for almost half a game with a thigh injury.
But knowing Evans, he will plan to return from his Achilles injury, and even if he does not, Demarcus Robinson is expected back. And maybe pass rusher Nick Bosa, too. The 49ers’ pass rush took a bye a week early in Atlanta.
Stout should also return, as the 49ers expect a trickle of healthy players to be back for the season’s second half.
The Niners host the Las Vegas Raiders before a tough three-game stretch: at Dallas, against the Minnesota Vikings’ defense in Mexico City and then a home game against the Seattle Seahawks. — Vic Tafur, 49ers senior writer
Why Falcons believe their win over 49ers was ‘an identity game’
Josh Kendall
Where the Falcons stand in the NFC South race
They say Georgia’s most famous sporting event, the Masters, doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday. In that same spirit, the NFC South race doesn’t really begin until Week 15, with every team having a 7-7 record. Days like Sunday are the reason why.
Who could have seen this coming? Not only did the Falcons hand the Niners their first loss of the season, but the formerly one-win Tampa Bay Buccaneers thrashed the division-leading Carolina Panthers 43-13. Atlanta (3-4) is now percentage points behind Carolina for the division lead. — Kendall