An undefeated 49ers team coming to town, where the Falcons had yet to win, seemed like a recipe for disaster. Even with the 49ers mightily banged up, they had gone 6-0 to this point and the Falcons had been struggling.
It was not always pretty and it certainly wasn’t easy, but these Falcons showed an incredible amount of talent, heart, and savvy in this one to come away with a 29-20 win. The defense forced four turnovers, the offense put together some impressive drives, special teams finally gave
Atlanta favorable field position, and Atlanta got their first home win of the 2026 season against a formerly undefeated team. It was a glorious, messy win that once again reminded us of what this team can be, and a sorely needed one after two tough losses in a row.
Who knows what this team can be when all is said and done, but the tenacity and will on Sunday was a thing of beauty and hopefully is a sign of better days to come. With the Panthers getting smoked by the Buccaneers, Atlanta is right back in the division and has all the opportunity in the world in front of them. What a day.
Here’s a drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched.
1st Quarter
Atlanta kicked it off to open things up, and the 49ers got a seam and took it across the 35 yard line. The 49ers opened up their drive with a jump offsides by Trent Williams. Christian McCaffrey evaded defenders and picked up five yards before Xavier Watts got him. McCaffrey then plunged up the middle, with the Falcons reacting late to the delayed handoff and allowing him to run for almost a first down. McCaffrey then slinked through the middle of the line and picked 14 yards. A quick pass to McCaffrey over the middle got 16 yards and another first down. Kendal Daniels then got Kaelon Black for a small loss. Purdy then hung in with pressure lagging and found McCaffrey again for 24 yards. Black then got the handoff and got four yards, with Atlanta dropping him just shy of a touchdown. Black was then stopped cold by LaCale London as he ran up the middle. On his third straight carry, the Falcons stopped Black again. McCaffrey then leaped over the top of the defense and got far enough to score the touchdown on fourth down. 7-0 49ers.
Zachariah Branch finally broke one, getting a lane and running 61 yards on the kickoff return. Bijan Robinson took it 11 on first down, and followed that up with seven more yards. Michael Penix Jr. then tried to hit Branch on second down, but didn’t connect. On 3rd and 3, Bijan got tackled for a three yard loss by Fred Warner. Nick Folk hit the 39 yard field goal try to make it 7-3 49ers.
The 49ers got it past the 30. McCaffrey made a fully extended sideline grab for five yards. Black then took it for a yard before London got him. Purdy then hit George Kittle for a first down. An all-out rush on first down then took down Purdy, as Maason Smith got home for a sack. Smith then deflected the Purdy pass. A quick swing pass to the fullback was stopped by Harold Perkins Jr., setting up a punt. Jahan Dotson made the fair catch at about the 10.
Bijan took the opening handoff for three yards. A quick swing pass to Robinson went nowhere with a defender right in his face, and he lost three yards. A 12 men in the huddle penalty backed the Falcons up. Penix then hit Austin Hooper for nine yards. Punt, and the 49ers caught it around the 38 yard line.
2nd Quarter
Purdy rolled out and got Kittle for a first down. Black ran for a first down, and the 49ers declined a neutral zone infraction on Jared Ivey. Black then rolled for about seven yards before Daniels got him. Then Black got loose and ran for a 30 yard touchdown to put the 49ers up 14-3.
Penix scrambled for two yards and then hit Bijan for a 15 yard pickup and a first down. Bijan took it six yards, and then Bijan was stymied for a gain of a yard. Penix then hit Drake London for a first down. Penix then found Charlie Woerner for nine yards, with Woerner spinning through contact. Bijan then fought through contact for another first down. A flip to Bijan was then flipped to Branch on the reverse, who ran for eight yards to the sideline. A swing pass to Khalil Herbert picked up 19 yards and almost went for a score, with Chris Blair with a tremendous box out block. The Falcons challenged the spot but didn’t win the challenge. Penix then hit a wide open Nick Muse for a touchdown. 14-9 49ers after Nick Folk doinked the extra point try.
The 49ers got to the 30 on their return. Purdy tried for Brandin Cooks, his first throw to a receiver, and missed. Black then pushed his way through the pile for seven yards. Purdy then hit on the sideline for a first down. A toss to Black was stopped after maybe a yard. An end-around to Jacob Cowing went for ten yards. Purdy under pressure was able to flip it to Jordan James, who got 11 yards and a first down. James then took another carry and pushed his way forward for close to eight yards, but fumbled with an assist from Xavier Watts; the 49ers got it back. On the next carry, Black ran into the defense and fumbled with an assist from Maason Smith, with Gervon Dexter recovering.
Penix hit London on first down for seven yards. A faked handoff to Robinson gave way to a pass under pressure to Kyle Pitts, who got two yards. A direct snap to Woerner went for a first down (really). Bijan then rolled ahead for five yards. Bijan then plunged ahead for a first down. Penix under pressure found Muse for a yard. Penix then hit Pitts for six yards. Penix then tried to get Jahan Dotson crossing over the middle, but Dotson just didn’t catch it. The Falcons got the 49ers to jump offsides on fourth down, somehow. Penix then got Branch, who dove forward for a first down. Penix then got a first down throw to Dotson. Then Penix hit Bijan on the sideline, who just got out of bounds with seven seconds yet. Penix then threw it out of bounds in the direction of London with two seconds left. Folk then hit the 33 yard field goal try to make it 14-12 49ers.
3rd Quarter
Khalil Herbert dropped the kickoff but didn’t let it slow him, rolling past the 40 yard line on the kickoff return. A quick flip to Pitts got the Falcons started with nine yards. Bijan plunged ahead for about five yards. Then Penix hit Hooper for 11 yards and a first down, with Hooper getting in a nice stiff arm. Robinson took a delayed handoff for a yard. Pitts then reeled in a short screen pass as Penix was pressured, picking up three yards. Penix then found London over the middle, who stayed on his feet forever because he’s Drake London. Herbert then took the handoff for a couple of yards. London then caught another one over the middle and plunged forward to the five yard line. On the next play, Penix calmly rolled out and hit Kyle Pitts for a touchdown, Pitts’ fourth scoring grab in the past three weeks. 19-14 Falcons.
Jordan James got past the 30 before DeMarcco Hellams got him. A diving Jordan Watkins got the 15 yard first down grab. xDexter then took down McCaffrey for a loss. Kittle then caught a first down. Purdy had forever on a rollout and hit a tight end for a first down. A swing pass to Black went for a four yard loss after Perkins got him. Then Purdy threw an interception on what was intended to be a throwaway to Jessie Bates.
A slant to London went for eight yards, and London exited for a check after a 49ers defender went helmet-to-helmet with him. Bijan then took it three yards for a first down. Robinson then rolled for over 25 yards, but a holding call on Atlanta backed it up. Penix then skipped one to the sideline looking for Chris Blair. Penix then hauled one back downfield for Dotson, looking for a deep completion, but missed…only it didn’t matter because there were two fouls on the play, including an illegal contact the Falcons accepted to earn a free first down. Bijan then rolled for about six yards, and followed that up with a maximum effort one yard run. A quick pass to Bijan on the sideline went for 19 yards. Bijan then took it two yards on first down. Under pressure, Penix threw the ball away. Penix under pressure again then chucked it toward Dotson, but another pass interference call gave the Falcons a big gain and a first down. Herbert then took it eight yards. Penix then tried an open London but missed high. Bijan plunged ahead for the first down, and two calls on the defense again helped the Falcons further, with an offsides call on the 49ers giving more yardage. Then Penix threw a beauty to London, who dove for a touchdown. 26-14 Falcons.
4th Quarter
Black picked up three yards on first down. Purdy then fired one deep to Watkins for 35 yards. A good gain was backed up by a holding call. A fullback pass got 11 yards. Then Purdy got Watkins again for a first down and more…but it was ultimately ruled incomplete. Purdy then threw it a little bit behind Cooks and it went incomplete. Purdy then got Jacob Cowing for 11 yards and a first down. Purdy then fired one deep into the end zone for Watkins, who caught it for a touchdown….until the review said he didn’t have possession coming down. On the next play, Purdy missed Black high. Purdy then threw it toward McCaffrey, but low and early. On fourth down, Za’Darius Smith got Purdy for a sack to end the drive.
Ryan Neuzil snapped the ball over Penix’s head on first down. A quick swing pass to Robinson went for six yards. A quick pass to London was then latereled to Bijan for very close to a first down and 16 yards. The Falcons then tried to draw the 49ers offsides and failed, setting up a punt. It was fair caught at the 18 yard line.
Purdy hit Cowing for a first down and 18 yards. Purdy tried to hit Kittle but it fell incomplete. McCaffrey took it up the gut for nine yards. Purdy then snuck it up the middle for a first down. Purdy then took a deep shot downfield, but it fell incomplete; a defensive holding call gave the 49ers five yards and a first down. Purdy then hit McCaffrey for five yards working against Perkins. Under pressure, Purdy kept moving and found Watkins for a first down, and then a facemask on Za’Darius Smith gave the 49ers more yards. Purdy then got Kittle for 11 yards and a first down. A fake handoff and quick toss to Kittle got four yards. Purdy then got McCaffrey again, just shy of a touchdown. Then Purdy got Kyle Jusczyk for a touchdown, but the 49ers missed the extra point. 26-20 Falcons.
Bijan was swallowed up on first down, losing three yards. Penix then threw a quick out to London, who couldn’t come up with it. On third down, Dotson appeared to stop his route looking for a ball sooner, and then Penix threw it a mile and it fell incomplete. Punt, and it was shanked by Jake Bailey.
One yard for the 49ers on first down. Purdy then hit McCaffrey for five yards. The 49ers were then hit with an offsides, and then Kendal Daniels made the play of the game, reaching up and knocking a Purdy pass off course and then intercepting it and returning it a long way down the field.
Bijan took it three yards on first down, and then another two yards on second down. Bijan then took it another yard and the clock wound down to the two minute warning. Nick Folk then hit the 31 yard field goal to make it 29-20 Falcons.
After the 49ers got it to about the 30 yard line, he hit Cowing for seven yards. Mike Hughes then broke up the pass intended for Kittle. Purdy then snucked forward to pick up the first down. Purdy then hit Cooks for a first down, with the clock still running. Purdy then spiked it. On the next play, Kittle got a big gain, but Bates punched it loose and Daniels fell on it.
The Falcons kneeled it out.
