The Atlanta Falcons fell behind early, but a sound game plan and sensational individual efforts helped them claw back and take this win from the San Francisco 49ers. Here’s the Week 7, 3 up and 3 down:
3 up
Kendal Daniels
After suffering a terrifying injury against the Bears, Daniels put that behind him and had his coming-out party. In just his 7th start, the rookie linebacker wore the green dot and held down the fort while Divine Deablo nursed an arm injury. Daniels did more than survive; he thrived, accumulating a TFL
and multiple turnovers. Daniels operated as the MIKE linebacker, and while he wasn’t perfect, his instincts made up for the small mistakes that popped up here and there.
Those natural instincts and athletic ability made Jeff Ulbrich comfortable with the amount of work the rookie has been given, and you should feel the same. He’s raw, but he’s improving week to week, and he and Harold Perkins Jr. are competing for the title of biggest draft steal.
Jessie Bates III
I really wanted to replace Bates on the list this week, but the safety made it impossible. He hauled what will likely be the most impressive interception of his career, a play that turned the tide when the Falcons desperately needed it. At the end, when it looked like the 49ers were driving for a touchdown, Bates called game with a lethal peanut punch. When wearing the red helmet, he’s the best safety in the history of the game.
After a slow start that raised questions about his future in Atlanta, he now looks poised for an extension.
Michael Penix Jr.
We’ve seen Penix be efficient and manage the game when his running backs put up 200 yards, but we haven’t seen him lead the team that way without a run game. We can check that off the list. No, we did not see a high volume of deep shots, but that’s not what was needed to win. Raheem Morris took away the deep ball and dared his former quarterback to carve up his zone defense underneath, and that’s exactly what Penix did.
We saw Penix work through his progressions and come off receivers who weren’t open, getting down to his 3rd, and at times 4th, option. It was great to see him celebrate National Tight Ends Day, and that’s an underrated storyline coming out of this game: eight different receivers caught a ball.
3 down
Run Game
The run game has been in a slow decline the last three weeks, and the unit had its worst performance in that span. Now, to be fair to the offensive line, the 49ers have stuffed everyone. They allow the fewest explosive runs in the league, and sold out to stop Bijan. Still, the Falcons have to get this operation back on track as they prepare to enter the second half of the schedule.
They’ve started to implement more inside zone and duo concepts but have barely dipped their toes into power. We did see a few misdirection concepts, and that’s a great way to take advantage of run blitzes. Start mixing in more, and defenses will be forced to play more honestly.
Jahan Dotson
Dotson was the lowest-graded receiver in the game according to PFF. He wasn’t unplayable, but he is on a two-game skid now and needs to refocus. The drop was inexcusable. Dotson not only had the first down, but he also had room to gain those yards he claims to love.
There have also been some noticeable effort issues, not anything egregious, but enough that they can’t be ignored. Dotson is still separating at a high level; he’s also great at drawing PIs, but it can be frustrating not getting many targets. He has to stay locked in so he’s ready when the ball comes his way.
Xavier Watts
This is a bit nitpicky, but Watts hasn’t really taken the year-2 leap we hoped for, and this felt like a good time to point it out. He was responsible for the 49ers longest pass play of the game and just hasn’t made the impact plays in coverage that he did as a rookie. With the secondary constantly shifting cast members, communication breakdowns are more likely, and that could be affecting the second-year safety. Watts has been fine, but we know he can be better, and hopefully he’s able to take that leap now that the secondary is starting to get healthy again.
The Falcons are now sitting just below .500 at 3-4, and the NFC South is wide open. They have a chance to improve their title odds by burying the Buccaneers next week. Can they get it done?
