The San Francisco 49ers gutted out a tough win over the Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 20-10. With that victory in hand, the 49ers overtook the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the NFC West.
The Niners did a masterful job containing Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who only had 92 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in this game. At the same time, San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey torched Atlanta for 201 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.
Following an exchange of punts to get things started, the Falcons scored the game’s first points. They orchestrated a 19-play, 60-yard drive that led to a field goal for a 3-0 Atlanta lead early in the second quarter. That 10:40 possession featured three third-down conversions, an impressive feat considering the 49ers came into this game with the sixth-fewest third-down conversions allowed in the NFL this season (23).
San Fran was unable to put together a proper response. Even though they got down to Atlanta’s 23 yard line, a pass from quarterback Mac Jones hit off the hands of wide receiver Jauan Jennings and was intercepted by linebacker Kaden Elliss. That was Elliss’ second career INT and his first since December 29th, 2024.
After forcing a punt, the 49ers started to lean on running back Christian McCaffrey, who ran the ball three straight times for 31 yards to get onto Atlanta’s side of the field. From there, Mac Jones hit Jauan Jennings twice for 13 yards to get into the red zone. On the other side of the two-minute warning, Christian McCaffrey caught a 13-yard pass before he was taken down at the one yard line. After that, McCaffrey walked into the end zone unscathed for a rushing TD and a 7-3 lead with 1:48 to go in the first half. McCaffrey accounted for 54 of the Niners’ 80 yards on that series.
Atlanta’s offense took the field with 1:42 left in the second quarter and two timeouts in its pocket. That’s when disaster struck. Michael Penix Jr. was sacked and stripped of the football at the Falcons’ 39. That loose ball was scooped up by the Niners at Atlanta’s 40 yard line.
The staunch Falcons defense forced a three-and-out and even sacked Mac Jones on a 3rd and 6. But, the 49ers were still close enough to attempt a 55-yard field goal, which Eddy Piñiero made with ease for a 10-3 advantage. So far this season, Piñiero is 17 for 17 on field goal attempts.
Once the Dirty Birds took the field, Michael Penix immediately completed an 18-yarder to wideout Drake London. On the next down, wide receiver Darnell Mooney made an acrobatic 38-yard catch to get to San Francisco’s 22 yard line. Unfortunately for the ATL faithful, Michael Penix Jr. was penalized for intentional grounding, which includes a ten-second run-off. Since that penalty was called with ten seconds left in the half, the run-off ended the second quarter, and Atlanta was forced to leave the field with a seven-point deficit.
San Francisco came out of halftime guns blazing. Mac Jones completed passes of ten yards and 15 yards to wideouts Kendrick Bourne and Skyy Moore to get the ball past midfield. That drive stalled at Atlanta’s 25, so the Niners kicked a field goal for a 13-3 advantage.
Atlanta’s offense finally showed some life after a good kick return set them up on San Fran’s side of the field. The Falcons used their rushing attack and picked up a first down before tight end Kyle Pitts got the offense into the red zone with a 17-yard catch. That eventually resulted in a ten-yard catch-and-run by Bijan Robinson for a touchdown to cut the score to 13-10. That was Robinson’s second TD catch of the season and his first since Week One.
After that Dirty Birds touchdown, there was a big break in the scoring. These teams combined for four consecutive punts before any more points were put on the board.
In the fourth quarter, Kyle Pitts caught a 19-yard pass to get the Falcons into enemy territory. Eventually, Atlanta had a chance to convert a 4th and 1 at San Francisco’s 35, but a Michael Penix Jr. pass was well-defended and batted down, leading to a turnover on downs.
Christian McCaffrey played like an MVP candidate tonight. He picked up 36 yards on the ground and through the air to help the Niners get down to Atlanta’s four yard line. From there, McCaffrey pounded his way into the end zone for a 20-10 lead with 2:26 remaining in the game. McCaffrey finished the game with a season-high 129 rushing yards, a team-high 72 receiving yards, and two ground TDs.
Atlanta’s offense took the field with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter. Michael Penix Jr. soon completed an 18-yard pass to Darnell Mooney to take this down to the two-minute warning. Faced with a 4th and 10 with 1:31 to go in the game, Michael Penix Jr. threw an incompletion for a turnover on downs to give the 49ers the win.
The Falcons are now 3-3 on the season after this contest. This loss ended Atlanta’s two-game win streak.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
