Week 15 - Following their epic last-second win in New Orleans to stun Drew Brees and the Saints, the San Francisco 49ers were riding high in possession of the NFC's number one seed, but were feeling the after effects of the street fight that left them with a depleted defense missing five of its starters. Having to continue without several key players on both the defensive line and in the secondary, the (11-2) Niners would return to action and play host to another NFC South opponent in the (4-9) Atlanta Falcons. With the dirty birds already eliminated from playoff contention and the 49ers needing a win or a Rams loss to clinch a playoff berth of their own, the game would be a battle of ex-employees and former coworkers as Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan spent the 2015-2016 seasons as the offensive coordinator in Atlanta alongside Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who served four seasons in San Francisco as the defensive quality control coach and defensive line coach from 2001-04.
For Niner fans, any hopes of an offensive explosion similar to the one that played out a week earlier in New Orleans which saw a season-high 55 combined points scored in the first half, went out the window rather early as neither team scored in the first quarter. Entering the half in a 10-10 tie, the 49ers would open the scoring with an NFL season-long 21-play touchdown-scoring drive that marked the most offensive plays on a drive since Week 17 of the 2011 season (Miami Dolphins). Running back Raheem Mostert would do the honors, helping the 49ers draw first blood as he darted up the middle for the 2-yard score. The Falcons would answer on their ensuing possession as quarterback Matt Ryan connected with Julio Jones in the end zone for the first time in 10 games, helping Jones snap the longest scoring drought of his career and tie the game at 7. With the Niners maintaining a 13-10 lead, both teams would struggle holding onto the ball and were bit by the fumble bug. Already across midfield and threatening to add to their lead, 49ers running back Matt Breida was stripped of the ball on the Atlanta 38 yard-line. Though the turnover would halt what appeared to be a promising drive for the 49er offense, the Falcons were unable to cash in as they were forced to punt. The Niners would also have to punt on their ensuing drive, but would benefit from a fumble on special-teams.
With Falcons return man Kenjon Barner pinned deep to return, tight-end Ross Dwelley was able to get a helmet on the ball when making the tackle which led to a fumble picked up and taken to the 1-yard line by 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Rewarding him for his efforts, Shanahan would dial up consecutive plays for Juszczyk who caught a touchdown pass from San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on 2nd and goal as the 49ers turned their NFL-leading 20th fumble into six points. Coming off NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Saints, it would be the lone touchdown pass on the day for Garoppolo who saw his fair share of pressures, despite only being sacked once. Following a rare missed extra-point by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould who had made 43 consecutive PAT's before kicking one wide-left, San Francisco led 19-10 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. However, the challenge would be a welcomed one for an Atlanta team that entered the game with the highest-scoring offense in the fourth quarter this year, having scored 121-points entering Sunday. With a 1-yard touchdown run by Qadree Ollison on his one and only carry of the game, the Falcons were once again on their way to adding to their league-leading mark. And with only a field goal to show for on San Francisco's ensuing drive, the Atlanta offense would be given the chance of going for the win.
What would take place in the final 1:52 of regulation would be some of the most bizarre football witnessed by Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers this season. Clinging onto a 22-17 lead, the San Francisco defense would allow a pair of big plays to the most dangerous player on the field in Julio Jones. Making it to the red zone and setting up shop at the 5 yard line, the Falcons thought they had the game-winner on a pass from Matt Ryan to tight-end Austin Hooper who was believed to make a miraculous grab between his legs. But upon further review, the call that was initially ruled a touchdown, was reversed after replay showed that the ball had made contact with the ground before the receiver was able to cradle it with his legs. As if things weren't wild enough, it would turn into a game of inches as Atlanta flipped the script on the very next play when Julio Jones scored the game-winning touchdown by barely crossing the goal-line that was initially ruled short. Both teams began to celebrate and had thought they won, the Niners on a stop at the goal-line and the Falcons on a close but successful touchdown. But after further review, there could only be one and the officials would reverse the call as replays showed that Jones did in fact break the plain ever so slightly to make it a 23-22 Falcons lead. With 0:02 remaining and the Niners in need of a last ditch effort on the ensuing kickoff, San Francisco tried their luck at a miracle by lateraling the ball, but would instead lateral into a fumble that was scooped up at the 3-yard line and returned for an Atlanta touchdown as time expired. Handing the Niners the 29-22 loss, the Falcons scored 19 of their 29 points in the 4th quarter, including 12 in the final five seconds.
Coincidentally, 49ers tight-end George Kittle and Falcons receiver Julio Jones each finished with 13 receptions for 134 yards on the day to lead their respective teams. While Jones scored two of his team's three touchdowns on offense, Kittle was held out of the end zone, but did manage to make some history as he passed Hall of Fame tight-end Mike Ditka for the most receiving yards by a tight-end in his first three seasons in NFL history. Having proved to be one of if not the best tight-end in the league today and a key component in Kyle Shanahan's offense, Kittle also made a number of key blocks that has helped his team along the way. Neither team's quarterback stacked the box score as Matt Ryan narrowly topped Jimmy Garoppolo in passing yards: 210 to 200, and threw two touchdowns to Jimmy G's one.
Week 16 Preview - Despite the loss, the 49ers did manage to clinch their first playoff berth since 2013 with the L.A. Rams suffering a blowout loss on the road to the Dallas Cowboys. Hoping to get back into the win column in preparation of the playoffs and big Week 17 showdown that could determine the fate of the NFC's No. 1 seed as well as the NFC Western Division crown, the (11-3) 49ers will host the (8-6) Rams in what will be the Niners' final home game of the regular season. After handing the Rams a 20-7 loss at the L.A. Coliseum back in Week 6, San Francisco will try to replicate a similar outcome and hopes to return to form on defense as they're expected to get both Richard Sherman and K'Waun Williams back on defense to help reinforce a 49er secondary that proved to be costly in the loss to Atlanta. But after having their way with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks just two weeks earlier, the Rams are not to be taken lightly and are always a dangerous foe whenever the 2-time reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is on the field. The 49ers will have to account for him and plenty of others if they plan on proving that the upset loss to the Falcons was just a fluke and that they're still the team to beat in the NFC when they have all their key pieces on defense.
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For the fifth time, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl Champions. Led by the greatest quarterback-coaching tandem in NFL history, the Patriots pulled off the unthinkable by completing a 25-point comeback in the first ever Overtime Super Bowl. With the Falcons leading New England by a score of 28-3 midway through the third quarter, the game seemed to be all but over as Atlanta appeared to be on their way to claiming their first ever Lombardi Trophy. So much so that President Trump even reportedly left his Super Bowl party early once the Patriots fell into their 25-point hole. But Tom Brady and company would have none of that as they would soon orchestrate the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, while treating us to an instant classic in the third most watched Super Bowl ever.
Making their record-setting seventh Super Bowl appearance, Brady and coach Bill Belichick would have their fair share of mistakes early on as the tide quickly turned against them following a scoreless first quarter. With New England marching on offense and putting together what appeared to be a promising drive, things would soon go up in flames as running back LaGarrette Blount was stripped of the ball just two plays into the second quarter. The play would ignite a scoring barrage by Atlanta who scored 21 unanswered-points in a span of 12 minutes. After Devonta Freeman began things off with a 5-yard touchdown in which he cut far left and found his way into the end zone untouched, QB Matt Ryan who was named MVP the night before, needed only five plays to extend that lead, ending the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to his tight-end Austin Hooper. Things would only get uglier the rest of the half as the Patriots were plagued by a series of unfortunate firsts.
After failing to score in a quarter for the first time in their last 32 quarters, came Blount's first fumble in 16 games. It would also mark the first time the Patriots would trail in a game since Week 12. Then came an 82-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Robert Alford to make it a 21-0 game. It would be the first return for a touchdown of any kind all year against New England and the first pick-six thrown in Brady's postseason career. It wasn't long before you began seeing coach Belichick on the sidelines, pencil and paper in hand, making early adjustments to address in the locker room come halftime. With only a field goal to show for at the half, the Patriots would watch their deficit climb to 25-points following a second touchdown pass from Matt Ryan on Atlanta's second possession of the third quarter. Leading 28-3 with a quarter and a half remaining, New England would need to pull off the largest comeback in Super Bowl history if they wanted to award their future Hall of Fame coach and quarterback duo with an unprecedented fifth ring. But while most teams would fold under pressure when facing such a deficit, Brady remained calm and poised as ever despite his team having its back against the wall. After a touchdown pass to backup running back James White who had himself a game to remember, the Patriots managed to inch a bit closer before the start of the fourth quarter, despite a missed extra-point by kicker Stephen Gostkowski, his fifth missed PAT of the year.
With Atlanta ahead 28-9 thru 3 quarters, the Falcons seemed destined to win and had the odds in their favor considering teams leading by 19 points thru 3 quarters in the postseason were an unbeaten 93-0 all-time. But if anybody was going to put that record to the test, you knew it would be Brady. Another Gostkowski field goal to start the fourth quarter helped make it a two-score game. And on Atlanta's ensuing possession, the New England defense would step up and put the ball back into their captain's hands. Facing 3rd and 1, the Falcons elected to opt for a pass play as Ryan was blindsided by middle linebacker Dont'a Hightower who made it to the quarterback freely after Devonta Freeman failed to pickup the blitz, resulting in a fumble recovered by New England. With new life and only 25-yards to go, you could feel the momentum shift immediately as Atlanta suffered their first turnover of the postseason. A touchdown pass from Brady to Amendola five plays later and a successful 2-point conversion on a direct-snap up the middle to James White made it an 8-point game.
Pinned back at their own 10-yard line, the Falcons quickly found themselves at mid-field as a wide-open Devonta Freeman gained 39-yards on the first play of the drive. Two plays later Julio Jones would display the type of footwork that would make Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes proud as Jones somehow contorted his body and got both feet in-bounds to make a spectacular 27-yard catch, despite his momentum falling towards the sideline all while securing the ball. It would be the last positive of the day for Atlanta, however, as they soon found themselves going backwards. With the ball at the 22 and kicker Matt Bryant standing by in case of a field goal attempt to make it a two-score game, the Falcons would be doomed by a 12-yard sack and an offensive holding call which knocked them out of field goal range and allowing Brady and company to pull off a comeback for the ages. Entering the game, the longest drive the Patriots had put together all season was 91-yards, and with the game on the line, New England would need to duplicate that mark in order to tie the game.
With three and a half minutes to go and a pair of timeouts remaining, Brady would march his team into the end zone with time to spare. But not before a miraculous catch that almost wasn't as Atlanta nearly intercepted the ball which would've sealed the win for the Falcons. Instead, receiver Julian Edelman came down with an awe-inspiring reception that rivaled that of David Tyree's helmet catch against Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Surrounded by three defenders, Brady looked for Edelman down the middle but had the pass batted up into the air by Robert Alford. With Alford falling back on the play and landing on his back, the combination of Alford's foot and the hand of safety Ricardo Allen prevented the ball from hitting the ground which then allowed Edelman to get both hands on the ball as all four players hit the ground simultaneously. Though the catch would feature" 70% of luck" according to Edelman himself, it would help gain another 23-yards to keep the drive alive and avert disaster. Four plays later, James White scored his second of three touchdowns with a 1-yard run up the middle. Still needing to tack on the game-tying 2-point conversion, New England would to just that. With WR Danny Amendola in motion, Brady threw a dart to his receiver who was met at the goal-line, barely breaking the plane and knotting the game at a dead-even 28-28.
Heading into overtime, the Patriots seemed destined to win whereas Atlanta was left stunned at the fact that they had squandered a 25-point second half lead. And after winning the coin toss and electing to receive, New England marched their way to the 2-yard line before once again handing the ball to James White who put the finishing touches on the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history by breaking the plane to win it, 34-28. Hoping to get another crack at it and pull off some late-game heroics of his own, the reigning MVP was left watching hopelessly from the sideline as his defense was unable to keep the Patriots out of the end zone. While many have blamed the Falcons collapse on the offense for simply disappearing in the fourth quarter, Atlanta's defense allowed New England to score on each of their last five possessions, including their game-winning touchdown in OT to the tune of 31-unanswered points. Though I agree that they probably should've ran the ball more, if Atlanta stands their ground and stops at least one of New England's two-point conversion attempts, it's Matt Ryan and the Falcons who are the ones celebrating a tinker-tape parade. Instead, the Brady-Belichick regime etches yet another milestone into their legacy, becoming the first-ever QB and coach to hoist five Lombardi Trophies.
As for the Falcons who remain one of 13 NFL franchises yet to win a Super Bowl, the road back to Super Sunday figures to be a much harder task given they'll be without offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan who agreed to take the reigns as the next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Shanahan will be replaced by college offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian after serving in last month's BCS title game with the Alabama Crimson Tide. As for the Patriots, they now trail only the Pittsburgh Steelers' 6 Super Bowl titles and tie the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with 5. With the loss, Matt Ryan became the eighth MVP since 2000 to make it to the Super Bowl and lose (0-8). Completing 17 of 23 passes, Ryan threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns but suffered that pivotal fumble which helped New England turn things around. Brady on the other hand set Super Bowl records for the most pass attempts (62), completions (43) and pass yards (466) to go with his pair of touchdowns and one interception, helping him claim Super Bowl MVP honors for a record 4th time. Many (Brady included) think it was Patriots backup running back James White who deserved the award, as he rushed six times for 29 yards, tallying a record 14 receptions for 110 yards and adding three total touchdowns to become the first player to ever record two rushing touchdowns and one receiving in a Super Bowl.
Now begins the speculation and chatter of whether or not we've seen Tom Brady in uniform for the last time. With a record five Super Bowl's under his belt and a promising young quarterback behind him in Jimmy Garoppolo for the Patriots to fall back on if need be, the man has nothing left to prove having already etched his name alongside his boyhood idol Joe Montana as the game's all-time greats, regardless of how you want to rank them. But with Belichick at his side and no real threat in the AFC to get in the way of yet another title run, why wouldn't he return for No. 6? After sticking it to his critics and redeeming himself from the Deflategate scandal, it's obvious that the fire still burns inside of Brady and that he's not ready to release his grasp on the league just yet.
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With both the AFC and NFC Championships in the books and new conference champions crowned, the table is officially set for Super Bowl LI. And with each team coming off of blowout victories, there should be no shortage of fireworks when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots square off against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons come February 5. But aside from claiming division crowns and dismantling their opponents in the playoffs in blowout fashion, the road these two teams have taken to get this far are very different from one another.
In what will be New England's fourth trip to the Super Bowl in the last decade and an NFL record 9th appearance overall, the Patriots who feature the number one ranked defense in the league, were able to shake off the early distraction of being without their star quarterback for a quarter of the season as Tom Brady served his 4-game suspension due to his connection with the Deflategate scandal. While the team would go 3-1 in his absence to begin the year, they wouldn't skip a beat upon his return either and were near perfect with their leader on the field to the tune of a 14-2 regular season record while ranking tops in the league in Wins and Losses: 11-1 (1st), Point Differential: +208 (1st), Points Per Game: 30.7 (2nd), and Points Per Game Allowed: 15.9 (1st). Even a red-hot team like the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of nine straight, couldn't get in the way of Brady and company as the Patriots handed Pittsburgh their worst loss in an AFC Championship in their 16 trips -- a 36-17 shellacking on Sunday. Brady would register a near perfect performance by passing for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory that would send his team to the big game. His go-to target in that game? Undrafted journeyman Chris Hogan who hauled in a career-best 180-yards and two touchdowns on 9 receptions.
As for the Falcons who made it this far under second-year head coach Dan Quinn by way of their high-octane offense which led the league in scoring spearheaded by MVP candidate Matt Ryan, the big game will be only the second trip to the Super Bowl for Atlanta in the franchise's 51 year history. With the Falcons' one and only Super Bowl appearance coming in 1998 -- an eventual loss to the Denver Broncos in the last game of John Elway's Hall of Fame career, the franchise is still seeking its first piece of hardware. Finishing atop the NFC South with an overall record of 11-5 during the regular season, the Falcons were a mediocre 7-5 on the year through their first 12 games before flipping the switch and winning their last four to closeout the season strong and hold off the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the division. And while most teams lacking Super Bowl experience are unable to translate their regular season success to the playoffs, the Falcons offense has been every bit as potent in the postseason as evident of their 44-21 handling of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers who entered Sunday's NFC Championship winners of 8 straight and playing out of this world at the QB position. But in the biggest game of his career and the Falcons' last game at the Georgia Dome, QB Matt Ryan was able to match and out-duel the performance of Rodgers by throwing for 392 yards and 4 touchdowns in a turnover-free game which gave him a passer rating of 139.4, the second-highest ever posted in a conference championship game behind only Kurt Warner's rating of 145.7 in 2009, bidding the perfect farewell to the team's home since 1992 and further solidifying his case for something no Atlanta Falcon has ever won before -- an MVP Award.
Ryan also added a rushing touchdown in Sunday's win over Green Bay to become the first-ever QB in Falcons franchise history as well as the first in playoff history to pass for four touchdowns and rush for another in the same game. He also became the first QB in history to record a passer rating of 120.0 in six consecutive games. Ryan's favorite target and in my opinion the best receiver in the league -- Julio Jones, led the way with a game-high 180-yards and a pair of touchdown grabs on nine receptions, eerily similar to Hogan's stats for the Patriots. Another team performance like that in a winning effort would make the Falcons the highest-scoring team to ever win a Super Bowl. Not to mention a title would do wonders for the city's fan base as Atlanta's only championship in either of the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA & NHL) came in 1995 (Atlanta Braves). But as we all know, that last win is always the hardest to get. And with history on New England's side, odds makers have the Patriots as 3-point favorites out of the gates. In case you were wondering the last time the Falcons defeated the Patriots, you'd have to go back to Week 10 of the 1998 season during Atlanta's only other Super Bowl run and before Brady was even drafted. Since then, the Patriots are a perfect 4-0 against Atlanta in the Brady era and are one of six teams the 2-time league MVP has never lost to in his career.
What also makes this match-up intriguing is that it will mark the seventh time the league's No. 1 scoring offense will meet the league's No. 1 scoring defense. A stat that figures to favor New England considering No. 1 offenses are 1-5 all-time versus No. 1 defenses in the Super Bowl. The last team sporting the league's best offense to fall victim to the league's best defense was Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos who set numerous records on offense during the regular season but were no match for the Seattle Seahawks' dominant defense in 2014 at Super Bowl 48. In fact, the only team with the No. 1 scoring offense to defeat a team with the league's No. 1 ranked defense was the 1989 San Francisco 49ers who blew out the Denver Broncos in record fashion with the largest blowout in Super bowl history, 55-10. A win for New England would give them five Lombardi Trophies, tying them with the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl victories of all-time with five. Brady will be trying just as hard to bring the Patriots their fifth title. Regarded as one of if not the greatest quarterback of all-time, Brady who will be making a record seventh Super Bowl appearance, can silence the critics once and for all if he's able to capture that elusive fifth Super Bowl ring, one for the thumb if you will, to add to his Hall of Fame resume.
But unless you're a Patriots fan, live in New England or just a Tom Brady fanboy, there's no reason you shouldn't be rooting for the Falcons to claim their first ever Super Bowl win. Unless for some odd reason you enjoy seeing the same thing over and over again. That's no diss to Brady and Pats head coach Bill Belichick who are undoubtedly the greatest quarterback-head coaching duo the NFL has ever seen, but the two have long been the commander and chief of the Evil Empire. You know, that team you've grown tired of watching win year in and year out. The Falcons on the other hand are both refreshing (seeing as they've never won it before), and exciting to watch. The Little Engine That Could, if you will. And for what it's worth, a computer simulation of Madden17 predicted back in August that the Falcons would make it to and win Super Bowl LI. With that said, here's to hoping for an exhilarating game (unlike last year's snoozefest) and a Falcons victory. Prediction: Falcons 27, Patriots 24.
Catch Super Bowl LI from Houston - Sun, Feb 5 Live on FOX @ 3:30PM PST.
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Week 9 - In what's been a disastrous year for the San Francisco 49ers and their fans, Sunday brought at least some excitement as the (2-6) Niners hosted the (6-2) Atlanta Falcons. Entering the match-up, the 49ers had undergone a number of changes, including one at the quarterback position. With Colin Kaepernick at the helm, the 49ers had gone 27 consecutive drives without a touchdown while losing back-to-back games which led to the benching of the player once dubbed their "franchise quarterback." Filling in for Kaepernick would be former first round pick Blaine Gabbert who was declared a "bust" after a forgetful career in Jacksonville which saw the once promising QB compile a record of 5-22 with the Jaguars.
And if a change of scenery was all Gabbert needed to help turn things around at least for the time being, he sure got it in his new job in San Francisco. Making his first start since October of 2013, things would be slow to develop early on for the newly named starter as each of San Francisco's first two drives on offense resulted in a three and out. It wasn't until a 41-yard gain 11 minutes into the game that Gabbert began to finally resemble an NFL quarterback when he scrambled out of the pocket and threw a strike to a crossing Quinton Patton. After nearly running it in himself from 10 yards out before being stopped at the 1, Gabbert connected with tight-end Garrett Celek in the end zone early in the second quarter for the 49ers' first touchdown in over two games and Gabbert's first TD pass since Week 7 of last year. Though the second quarter score marked the ninth consecutive game without a first quarter touchdown for San Francisco, it was nice to finally watch them strike pay dirt for the first time in weeks.
With his first touchdown pass in over a year under his belt, Gabbert wasted little time before throwing another as he found Celek in the end zone a second time just three drives later to give his team a 17-6 lead which Atlanta would bite into with a touchdown of their own before the half. Though all 17 of San Francisco's points would come in the second quarter, it would be enough to hold off Atlanta who struggled on the ground after a stellar performance by the 49er run defense which held the Falcons to just 17 yards rushing, their fewest since 2000. With more interceptions than touchdown passes in his career, Gabbert couldn't avoid the turnover bug on Sunday as his two first half touchdown passes were matched by a pair of second half interceptions, including one that put the Falcons in an opportune position to steal the win with 7 minutes remaining in regulation. Needing a win anyway they could get it, the struggling 49ers benefited from a questionable decision by Atlanta's first-year head coach Dan Quinn not to go for it on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line. Playing it safe, Quinn elected to go for the field goal to pull his team within a point and rely on his defense.
The decision would come back to haunt him as the Niners converted a pair of first downs while milking the clock and sealing the 17-16 win. Gabbert who had lost his last 10 starts entering Sunday's game, ended that dry spell by making his debut as the 49ers starter a successful one as he recorded his first win as a starter since a win at Indianapolis on September 23, 2012. Behind an offensive-line that has been heavily scrutinized this season but didn't allow a single sack on Sunday, Gabbert threw for 185 yards while rushing for 32, trailing only RB Shaun Draughn who made his 49er debut with 58 yards on 16 carries. The 49er newcomer also caught four passes for 38 yards out of the backfield. With the win, the 49ers improve to 3-6 on the year, meanwhile Atlanta falls to 6-3, enduring their first 2-game skid of the season after getting off to a blazing 5-0 start. Receiver Julio Jones continued his stellar season by catching 10 passes for 137 yards from Falcons QB Matt Ryan who managed a turnover-free game, throwing for 303 yards and a TD in the loss.
Week 11 Preview - With a BYE in Week 10 for the 49ers, San Francisco will have plenty of time to rest up and prepare for the nightmare that is Seattle's CenturyLink Field. Having served as a dead zone for the 49ers over the last several years, the home of the (4-4) Seahawks has been none too kind to their NFC Western division rival. But with Niners head coach Jim Tomsula announcing during the week that it'll be Gabbert who will once again get the nod at QB, perhaps San Francisco will finally have some luck come their way in the Pacific Northwest as the Seahawks' home venue was a thorn in the side of Colin Kaepernick who couldn't muster up a win on the road in Seattle and struggled mightily. Though it's unlikely, a performance in Seattle for the 49ers run defense like the one we saw against Atlanta would do wonders considering it's been Marshawn Lynch who the Niners struggled against in their earlier meeting this season. San Francisco is also still seeking their first win of the season within in the division.
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