Falcons beat 49ers 29-20 as Michael Penix Jr. throws 3 TDs and Atlanta forces 4 turnovers

Final: Falcons 29, 49ers 20. The San Francisco 49ers are no longer unbeaten. The Atlanta Falcons forced four turnovers, scored 13 points off them and beat San Francisco 29-20 on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes for Atlanta, which snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 3-4. The 49ers fell to 6-1 and head into their Week 8 bye.

“Any time you have four turnovers like that and you get zero, it’s real tough to win,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, according to The Associated Press. “Too sloppy to win.”

Who won the 49ers game?

Atlanta did. Here is how the scoring went, based on the official box score:

San Francisco started fast. Christian McCaffrey capped the opening drive with a fourth-down leap from the 1, and backup running back Kaelon Black ran 30 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to make it 14-3. The 49ers led 14-12 at halftime.

Atlanta took over after the break. Penix hit tight end Nick Muse for a 1-yard score in the second quarter, found Kyle Pitts from 5 yards out in the third, and gave the Falcons a 26-14 lead with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Drake London early in the fourth.

How the turnovers decided it

The 49ers had committed only six turnovers in their first six games, AP noted. On Sunday they had four:

• Kaelon Black fumble at the Atlanta 29 in the second quarter, recovered by Gervon Dexter Sr. It led to a Nick Folk field goal.
• Jessie Bates III interception of Brock Purdy at the Atlanta 10 in the third quarter, which set up the London touchdown.
• Kendal Daniels interception of Purdy with 2:34 left, after a shanked Atlanta punt had given San Francisco the ball near midfield. Folk then kicked a 31-yard field goal.
• Kendal Daniels fumble recovery on a George Kittle fumble in the final minute.

The 49ers also lost a would-be touchdown. After a lengthy review, officials took away Purdy’s apparent 23-yard scoring pass to Jordan Watkins, and Purdy was sacked on fourth down by Za’Darius Smith. Purdy’s 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk with 5:05 left cut the gap to 26-20, but Eddy Pineiro missed the extra point wide left.

49ers vs. Falcons player stats

Key numbers from the box score and AP:

• Michael Penix Jr. (ATL): 25 of 34, 213 yards, 3 TDs, no interceptions
• Brock Purdy (SF): 27 of 40, 288 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions
• Bijan Robinson (ATL): 20 carries, 63 yards
• Kaelon Black (SF): 12 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
• George Kittle (SF): 8 catches, 88 yards
• Drake London (ATL): 7 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD
• Kendal Daniels (ATL): 11 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery

San Francisco outgained Atlanta 400 yards to 295, according to the official game summary, but the turnover gap outweighed it.

McCaffrey injury and a thin receiver room

McCaffrey left in the first half with a thigh injury. He returned after halftime but did not get his usual workload and finished with seven carries for 39 yards plus six catches for 61 yards, AP reported. Asked whether McCaffrey was at full strength, Shanahan said, “I don’t know. I’ll ask him but it seemed all right.”

The 49ers were already short at wide receiver, with Mike Evans (Achilles tendinitis) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) inactive, and Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson also out. Watkins (three catches, 56 yards) and Jacob Cowing (three catches, 38 yards) stepped in as Purdy’s top wideouts.

49ers record and what’s next

• 49ers (6-1): Still first in the NFC West. After the bye, they host the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 8.
• Falcons (3-4): Visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.

FAQ