SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — On the biggest defensive play of the game, the Atlanta Falcons had a key piece missing: an 11th man on the field.
The San Francisco 49ers took advantage of that blunder to convert a key third down that set up the touchdown that helped seal a 20-10 victory over Atlanta on Sunday night.
On a night when the Falcons (3-3) made several miscues, that might have been the most egregious.
The Niners were facing a third-and-13 at the
Atlanta 21 with less than three minutes left in a game they were leading 13-10. A stop by the Falcons would have forced a field goal try and given Michael Penix Jr. and the offense the chance to drive for the go-ahead touchdown.
But with one defender missing, Mac Jones was able to find Christian McCaffrey on a 17-yard slant down to the 4. McCaffrey ran it in on the next play to make it a two-score lead.
“It was absolutely embarrassing,” coach Raheem Morris said. “It was my fault. I’ll get it fixed.”
That wasn't the only mistake that the Falcons made on a night when the defense struggled to contain McCaffrey and the 49ers running game.
Penix fumbled on a sack to set up a field goal by San Francisco late in the second quarter and then committed an intentional grounding penalty with Atlanta in field goal range in the closing seconds of the half. Penix threw the ball away before getting outside the tackle box, leading to a 10-second runoff that ended the half without the Falcons getting any points on the drive.
“You get rid of the ball, and that’s the way we’re taught in that situation,” he said. “I don’t know. I just knew I couldn’t take a sack in that situation right there.”
Despite all of that, Atlanta still had a chance in the fourth quarter to pull off the win.
On the drive before McCaffrey's game-sealing touchdown, Atlanta had driven down to the San Francisco 35 and had a chance at a game-tying field goal or a touchdown.
With Atlanta fFacing third-and-1, Bijan Robinson was stuffed for no gain and Morris opted to go for it in fourth down. Penix threw a quick out to star receiver Drake London but backup slot cornerback Chase Lucas read the play perfectly and broke up the pass.
“Anytime you get a chance to throw it to one of your best players, you feel pretty good about it,” Morris said. “They made a great play.”
The Falcons struggled most of the night on offense, generating only two scores on nine possessions.
Robinson was held to 40 yards on 14 carries and failed to reach 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time this season. With the running game stalled, Penix was unable to make up for it as he was off target on several throws and under pressure for much of the night.
“At the end of the day, we just have to find a way to win,” Penix said. “If it’s on the ground, if it’s in the air, whatever it takes, that’s what we have to do. They did do good on the run game, but we’ve got to find a way. We’ve got too many good players on this team to not find a way.”
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