ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta's pass protection allowed no sacks and no quarterback hurries against San Francisco.
That led to an efficient and productive day for Michael Penix Jr. in Sunday's 29-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Falcons (3-4) are 3-2 with Penix starting, and the come-from-behind win over the 49ers was perhaps the third-year quarterback's most encouraging demonstration of making good decisions and accurate passes when he is not pressured.
Penix completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
It was a dramatic improvement from the Falcons' 31-23 home loss to Chicago on Oct. 18, when Penix was sacked five times and fumbled twice, losing one.
The Falcons faced identical 14-3 deficits against the 49ers and Bears. When given better protection against the 49ers, Penix led the offense to 23 unanswered points for a 26-14 lead. He has completed at least 72% of his passes in each of Atlanta's three wins.
“I thought Mike was really good throughout the day,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. "That’s a very, very good defense. I mean, they’re excellent and they don’t give up big plays. We took our shots when we had them and when we didn’t, I thought Mike really saw it really well.”
Overall, Penix has thrown nine touchdown passes with only one interception this season. He made both quick and smart decisions against the 49ers, completing a combined 15 passes to running back Bijan Robinson and four tight ends.
“I just had to be smart and find my checkdowns, find the guys that are open and obviously deliver a good ball for them,” Penix said. "So, that’s all it was about. Just making sure we didn’t make any mistakes. Just go out there and play our brand of football.”
The Falcons took advantage of a short-handed 49ers offense for a 4-0 advantage in turnovers.
Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels had two takeaways in the final three minutes. He intercepted Brock Purdy’s pass intended for Jordan Watkins and then recovered a fumble by George Kittle with less than a minute remaining. Safety Jessie Bates III had a season-high nine tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.
Defensive tackle Maason Smith had a sack and a forced fumble.
The Falcons fell short of their goal for a fast start.
The defense appeared bound for a long day when Christian McCaffrey accounted for a combined 69 yards on San Francisco's touchdown drive to open the game before suffering a thigh injury the following possession. McCaffrey had catches of 16 and 24 yards and a 14-yard run before his 1-yard scoring leap over the middle.
The Falcons' run defense also was hurt by McCaffrey's backup, Kaelon Black, who ran for 63 yards, including a 30-yard scoring run.
The overwhelming turnover ratio saved the Falcons, who were outgained 400-295 in total yards.
One week after losing fumbles on kickoff and punt returns, Zachariah Branch returned the 49ers' first kickoff 61 yards to the San Francisco 36 to set up a field goal.
It was the longest kickoff return for Atlanta since Cordarrelle Patterson’s 103-yard touchdown return against Chicago on Nov. 20, 2022. No Falcons rookie had a longer kickoff return since 2000, when Darrick Vaughn had an 88-yarder.
On a day he made three field goals, Nick Folk's missed extra point was a low point. Folk hit the right upright following the Falcons' first touchdown on Penix's 1-yard scoring pass to Nick Muse.
Brian Robinson, normally the top backup to Bijan Robinson, was held out with a hamstring injury. That opened the way for Khalil Herbert to have two carries for 9 yards. The Falcons also held out linebacker Divine Deablo (hamstring, arm) and cornerbacks Billy Bowman Jr. (hamstring) and Avieon Terrell (back).
14 — Bates has 14 interceptions since joining the Falcons in 2023. He is already tied with safety Thomas DeCoud for the 13th-most interceptions in team history.
The Falcons, who are 1-1 in the NFC South and 2-1 on the road, will play at division rival Tampa Bay on Sunday.
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