What is the story about?
It
looked Sunday like the San Francisco 49ers were off to their Bye week early.
The Atlanta Falcons dominated the previously unbeaten 49ers and prevailed 29-20 thanks to a slew of uncharacteristic mistakes from the visitors. It looked going in like a trap game, and the 49ers played like they knew it and assumed a loss in a generally pathetic showing for a team that was the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Here's our notebook from whatever that mess was Sunday:
First quarter
- No Jacob Cowing deep on the opening kickoff. Unclear if that's a demotion or a factor that comes with his expanded offensive role in a depleted 49ers receiving corps. Kaelon Black was back deep with Jordan James.
- Big start for Christian McCaffrey. Three plays, three carries, 28 yards. Then the 49ers' first throw of the game went to the running back for 16 yards.
- Tough for Black. He got three carries in the red zone and couldn't punch it into the end zone. The 49ers eventually went back to McCaffrey for a touchdown. The rookie RB has to be fuming after failing to score on three runs inside the 5. 7-0, 49ers.
- Man the 49ers special teams unit is kind of a mess again this year. Zachariah Branch ripped off a 61-yard return after San Francisco's opening drive score.
- Fred Warner vs. Bijan Robinson on third-and-3. Advantage Warner. The Falcons turned him loose for a one-on-one in the hole against the star running back and Warner wrapped him up for a loss. Atlanta had to kick a field goal after the huge kick return. Nice work from San Francisco's defense which continues to be stout.
- Another good return for the 49ers. James took the second kick and bounced his way out to the 34. If San Francisco isn't going to be good at stopping kick returns, the least they can do is be good at doing them.
- Three pass attempts for Purdy. Three targets for McCaffrey.
- The first non-McCaffrey target is to George Kittle. There have been four pass attempts for San Francisco and none of them have gone to wide receivers.
- Make that six pass attempts and none to wide receivers. McCaffrey, Black, Kittle and Juszczyk have all been targeted.
- San Francisco has punted on its last three drives in which Purdy has taken a sack.
- McCaffrey is on the sideline getting worked on to end the first quarter. It's been all Black on the 49ers' third series. He got loose for 22 yards on the final two carries of the quarter.
- End of first quarter score: 49ers 7, Falcons 3
Second quarter
- Whew! Black finally found a crease and his explosiveness was apparent. He went 30 yards on the first play of the second quarter for his first-career touchdown. It felt like that run was coming for a long-time from Black who has been one broken tackle away from long runs so many times.
- Looked like the 49ers forgot how to cover the flats on the Falcons first touchdown drive. Interested to see how they adjust there.
- Jacob Cowing back to return again Kaelon Black had been in that role, but with McCaffrey officially questionable to return the 49ers can't have Black returning kicks.
- A WR target finally comes with 8:36 to go in the second quarter. It was an incompletion to Brandin Cooks.
- Cowing's first touch comes with 6:30ish left in the first half. It was an end around he took 10 yards for a first down.
- Lucky moment for RB Jordan James who got his first carry with five minutes left in the first half. The 49ers recovered.
- Brutal. One play later Black fumbles on a second-and-1 and the Falcons recover at their own 29. San Francisco was going in to take a two-score lead and instead a mistake from their rookie running back. Marking this one as a potentially game-changing play.
- Short throw after short throw after short throw for Penix. The 49ers have no answers so far.
- Osa Odighizuwa just got got by a hard count when they weren't going to snap it on a fourth-and-4. What a calamity the end of this half has been.
- Halftime score: 49ers 14, Falcons 12
Third quarter
- Another big kickoff return sets up Atlanta near midfield. Special teams is a huge issue for San Francisco.
- Good couple of plays by undrafted rookie DT James Thompson Jr. to come up with a run stuff and then to track down TE Kyle Pitts from behind for a short gain on a screen.
- Jack Jones is not an effective NFL cornerback.
- No adjustments for the 49ers defense so far. They're allowing Atlanta to have every easy underneath throw and the Falcons cruised in for an easy score to open the third quarter. It's 19-14 after a 10-play, 59-yard drive. Just not good enough from San Francisco's defense.
- Classic Purdy scramble out to the left, peel back and find a receiver downfield. That's just not something every quarterback can do.
- And then a horrendous interception. Purdy didn't have anywhere to go and he kept it near the sideline while throwing it away. That was ugly. Two giveaways deep in opponent territory is a good way to lose a football game.
- Every Penix throw more than 10 yards down the field has been a misfire.
- Second-and-20 deep shot goes for a first down because of a defensive holding. This is a mess for San Francisco. Their most undisciplined game of the year.
- Third-and-8 deep shot goes for a first down because of pass interference on Jack Jones. An absolutely abominable performance from the 49ers defense.
- The 49ers just got flagged for offsides because their defensive player running onto the field was not on the correct side of the line of scrimmage. This is really, really ugly.
- End of third quarter score: Falcons 19, 49ers 14
Fourth quarter
- The 49ers defense forced a punt on Atlanta's second drive. Since then they've allowed three touchdown drives of 68, 59 and 90 yards, and a 51-yard field goal drive.
- A Jordan Watkins sighting! His second grab is a 35-yard grab on a deep shot. Purdy is going to have to find more of those plays.
- Purdy just hasn't been sharp. His 35-yard throw to Watkins wasn't great. He had a third-and-9 throw to Brandin Cooks that went way behind the receiver. Just not his best day.
- Now Purdy BADLY misses on a throw to an open McCaffrey. Maybe a miscommunication?
- What a strange gameplan for the 49ers. Atlanta's pass rush is very good and it just seems like they don't really have any answers for it. Purdy hasn't looked comfortable all game.
- Purdy has finally started targeting wide receivers with some regularity. Four targets for Watkins, three for Cowing. His third target was an 18-yard completion after the 49ers forced an Atlanta punt with 9:33 to go.
- The clock is winding inside of six minutes. The 49ers are trailing by 12 and there's zero urgency on this series. What in the world are they doing?
- Eddy Pineiro missed another extra point. He's officially in disaster mode. Don't be surprised if the 49ers look to move on over the bye week. It's 26-20 after a Kyle Juszczyk TD and the missed PAT.
- What are the Falcons doing? They took over with 5:05 left. They ran it once, then consecutive incompletions brought up another punt that Atlanta shanked badly and the 49ers have real life.
- Brandin Cooks jumped on a third-and-4 to make it a third-and-9. That's just not a mistake a veteran like Cooks can make.
- Ouch. Purdy's second interception of the game was worse than his first one. He continues to have trouble when trailing. It certainly didn't help that his receiving corps was so banged up, but that pass had nothing to do with his receivers. He just got fooled and fired an INT right into a linebacker's chest. Jimmy Garoppolo-esque.
- Final score: Falcons 29, 49ers 20
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers score: Analysis and notes from dreadful performance vs. Falcons
