The Atlanta Falcons defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a final score of 29-20 on Sunday to improve to 3-4 overall. The previously undefeated 49ers got off to a quick 14-3 lead, but the Falcons never seemed rattled. The offense did an outstanding job keeping San Francisco's defense off balance.
When the 49ers had a chance to steal the game late, the Falcons defense shut the door, recording two of four total turnovers in the fourth quarter. Rookie Kendal Daniels intercepted Brock Purdy and then recovered a fumble in the final minutes to seal the win for Atlanta.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski was pleased with what he saw from his team on Sunday.
"Proud of the effort, obviously," Stefanski opened his post-game press conference. "Plus-four in the turnover
margin is where it starts. Really good finish there. When you're playing a good team - you know great coaches, great players on that side - you have to be about your business and take care of the rock. We took care of it, we took it away, so that's a great recipe for winning in this league."
When asked about Daniels' clutch play down the stretch just one week after suffering a scary neck injury, Stefanski couldn't say enough about his rookie linebacker.
"That's remarkable, truly," Stefanski said of Daniels' performance. "That's unbelievable to just do that and then to make a play at the end. Man, really proud of that kid."
As for quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Stefanski was equally as impressed. Penix finished 25/34 for 213 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 118.9
"I thought Mike was really good throughout the day. You know, that's a very, very good defense. I mean they're excellent and they don't give up big plays. And we took our shots when we had them, and when we didn't, I thought Mike saw it really well."
Watch Stefanski and Penix's full post-game press conferences, as shared by the team's YouTube channel below.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Kevin Stefanski comments on Falcons' 29-20 win over the 49ers
