Having stood their ground a number of times with goal-line stands this season, San Francisco's defense came thru yet again when they needed it most. Electing to go for it on 4th and goal, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan failed to complete a pass inside the end zone to his rookie tight-end Kyle Pitts. Unable to get beyond their own 10-yard line, the 49ers offense would have to punt which eventually setup Atlanta's kicker Younghoe Koo for the go-ahead field goal. After getting a field goal of their own on their next possession to tie the game at 3-all, San Francisco's offense would finally get going as Jimmy G and company flipped the switch and began firing on all cylinders. Finding the end zone with four straight touchdown-scoring drives, it was fullback Kyle Juszczyk who opened up the Niners' touchdown-scoring barrage. Setup by a big play from receiver Brandon Aiyuk who made sure his only reception of the game was a big one by turning on the burners for a 36-yard gain, Juice struck pay dirt with a 6-yard score, logging his first rushing touchdown of the season to put San Francisco up, 10-3. The Niners' first lead of the game would be short-lived, however, as Atlanta's offense was awarded another gift, this time by the officials.
After a big stop on 3rd and 4 by the San Francisco defense, defensive-end Arden Key's 5-yard sack that would've setup 4th down and a likely 52-yard field goal attempt by Atlanta, instead turned into an automatic first down as Key was flagged for "landing on the quarterback" as he was taken to the ground. The bogus penalty would give the Falcons offense new life which they would take advantage of on the very next play as Ryan connected in the end zone with receiver Russell Gage for the game-tying 20-yard touchdown. Feeling like they should still be leading the game, the 49er offense made sure they'd take a lead into the half as Garoppolo hit Deebo Samuel for a 30-yard catch and run. Awarding him for his big play, Deebo would take a handoff several plays later for a 10-yard touchdown to give him seven rushing touchdowns on the year. Continuing his historic 2021, no other receiver in the Super Bowl era has more than four rushing touchdowns in a single season. Even more impressive, it would be his fifth consecutive game with a rushing touchdown, something no other player has accomplished in the Super Bowl era.
Opening the second half with a 17-10 lead, the 49ers would have their roles reversed with the Falcons just a few plays into the third quarter. After fumbling the opening kickoff to start the game, the Niners forced a fumble on defense just three plays into Atlanta's possession to start the second half. Chasing and bringing Matt Ryan down from behind, San Francisco's Nick Bosa tallied his 15th sack of the season and stripped the Falcons QB of the ball which was recovered by Fred Warner. Needing only four plays to convert it into another touchdown, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. plowed his way into the end zone to give San Francisco their first multi-score lead of the game. After Atlanta answered with another field goal, the 49er offense went right back to work. Picking up right where they left off, a 12-play, 75-yard drive ended with QB Jimmy Garoppolo finding Jauan Jennings for the 4-yard touchdown. Playing catchup to start the fourth quarter, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith would gamble the rest of the way on offense. Making it to the red zone on two of their final three drives, the Falcons offense would be stood up twice inside the 10-yardline, including once at the 1 as San Francisco's goal-line defense epitomized the bend but don't break mentality, forcing a pair of turnovers on downs, the third of the game for the Niners inside the 10.
Marching away with the 31-13 victory, the Niners improved to 8-6 on the year, moving two games above .500 for the first time since their 2-0 start to the season as coach Kyle Shanahan defeated his former team. Logging his second straight game without an interception, Garoppolo registered a clean game in the win, avoiding any sacks or turnovers on his way to passing for 235 yards and a touchdown on 18 of 23 passes for a 123.7 passer rating. The win would mark Jimmy G's eighth straight game with a passer rating of 90+, good enough for the second-most among 49er QB's since 1950, trailing only Hall of Famer Steve Young's streak of 15 straight from 1994-95. Atlanta's Matt Ryan finished with a similar stat line -- 19/32 passes, 236 yards and 1 touchdown, but only a 92.7 passer rating. On the ground, 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. finished with 110 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries, making him the first 100-yard rusher against the Falcons defense since Week 17, 2019.
49ers tight-end George Kittle had another strong game on Sunday, despite being held out of the end zone for the first time in the last three weeks, finishing with a game-high 93 yards receiving on six receptions. With three games still remaining on the regular season schedule, Kittle surpassed Rob Gronkowski for the third-most receiving yards by a tight-end in his first five NFL seasons. And after a slow start, at least slow to his standards, the 49ers All-Pro tight-end has logged 28 catches for 425 yards and 3 touchdowns over his last 3 games. This after logging 35 catches for 425 yards and 3 touchdowns thru the first 8 games of the season. His 425 yards over a 3-game span are tied for the most ever by a tight-end in NFL history.
Week 16 Preview - It will be a quick turnaround for the Niners who will need to be ready for their only Thursday Night Football game on the schedule in Week 16 when they pay a visit to the Music City of Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans (9-5). Coming off a road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers where Tennessee lost the turnover battle -- 4-0, the 49ers would love a repeat performance if they're able to force as many turnovers as the Steelers did. Shutout in the second half, the Titans entered halftime with a 13-3 lead in Pittsburgh before three fumbles and an interception doomed them, including three turnovers in the second half before falling, 19-13. Sitting atop the AFC South with a 1-game advantage over the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans would've been the top seed in the conference had they pulled off the win on Sunday over Pittsburgh. Instead, they'll look to right the ship with a rebound performance on Thursday night. Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners will look to put a stop to that while maintaining their own ground in the NFC's playoff picture as they currently own a 1-game advantage over the New Orleans Saints (7-7) for the 6th seed.
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