Four Takeaways From the 49ers 29-22 Heartbreaking Loss to Atlanta
For the fourth time this season, the 49ers played a game with a lead-change in the final 10 seconds, and for the third time, the result went against San Francisco. The 4-9 Atlanta Falcons came into Levi’s Stadium and pulled off the upset win of the week, defeating the NFC-leading 49ers 29-22 to relegate the 49ers back to second place in the NFC West.
This had trap game written all over it. The 49ers won a season-changing game over the Saints week 14, and had the division-rival Rams waiting in the wings week 16.
San Francisco wound up losing Sunday on a game-winning touchdown catch by Julio Jones with two seconds remaining. The play was initially ruled short of the goal-line, but was reviewed and called a touchdown.
The 49ers have a short week to rebound from this loss, as they host the Rams on Saturday Night Football for an important divisional matchup.
Defense Wins First Three Quarters, Loses Game on Final Drive
A week after the 49ers’ offense overcame a poor defensive performance to earn a major win at New Orleans, the defense had a chance to repay the favor, needing one final stop to earn a gritty 22-17 victory.
Over the first seven drives, Atlanta was held to just 145 yards. In the final two drives, the Falcons matched that with two huge touchdowns.
After getting torched by Matt Ryan on a two-minute drill, the 49ers had seemingly lost the game when tight end Austin Hooper made an acrobatic four-yard catch for the go-ahead touchdown with five seconds left. Yet, a replay review resulted in the catch being overturned, giving the defense one last chance to save the game. The 49ers were given a vital mulligan.
With the game on the line, Ryan and the Falcons kept it simple, throwing a bullet to Jones. Jones was immediately upended by safety Jimmie Ward, and was called short on the goal line for a San Francisco win, but after review, it was ruled Jones broke the plane, resulting in the Falcons’ win.
On his final two drives, Ryan looked like a completely different player. He picked apart the decimated San Francisco secondary, hitting Jones six times for 59 yards and that game-winning touchdown.
Prior to the late-game collapse, the 49ers’ defense had a quality bounceback performance. Atlanta running back Devonta Freeman managed just 39 yards on 12 carries and Hooper was limited to just 20 yards.
Ultimately the final 10 minutes was all that really mattered, as the 49ers were outscored 19-3. The Falcons also scored on San Francisco’s errant lateral attempt on the final play of the game.
One-Dimensional Offensive Battle
Both the 49ers and Falcons’ success was entirely contingent on the amount of times Jones and George Kittle touched the ball. The two matched each other blow-for-blow. Both had 134 yards on 13 catches, but Jones found the end zone twice, which was ultimately the difference.
By just getting Kittle the ball, the offense went from dismal to adequate. Kittle got the ball on six of the 49ers’ 10 drives. They scored on four of those six (with one scoring drive starting on the Atlanta one yard line). Essentially, the 49ers could only move the ball if Kittle was the one doing it. He was not only the lone 49er to eclipse 30 receiving yards, he was the only one to have over three catches.
The correlation between “best player touches” and scoring was identical for Atlanta. Jones had 115 of his 134 receiving yards on scoring drives. The Falcons’ effectiveness, especially on the final two drives, depended entirely on whether Ryan could find Jones.
Of course, the 49ers were down three of their top five defensive backs. Yet, given how one-dimensional the Atlanta offense was, a couple triple-teams should have been called into action.
Where Were the Wide Receivers?
Yes, Kittle’s monster day was awesome and will never be rejected, but a little variety on offense could have changed the direction of the game. Although the 49ers built a nine-point lead, the Falcons were always well-within striking distance.
Atlanta quickly closed the gap to two with a touchdown, but San Francisco responded by working its way into Falcons’ territory with a 29-yard catch by wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The drive would stall there and Robbie Gould would kick a field goal to make it a five-point game.
That Samuel catch was the longest completed pass of the game. Much can be made of Jimmy Garoppolo’s inaccuracy, but the bigger issue at hand was the failure by the receivers to get open.
San Francisco’s three receivers totaled just 49 yards on four catches in the entire game. Samuel had just that one catch, and Kendrick Bourne had the only other double-digit yard game by a receiver, with one catch for 11 yards. Emmanuel Sanders had just two catches for nine yards.
All three were sorely missed, but none more than Sanders. Kittle surely benefited from the extra eyes on Sanders, but the failure of the midseason acquisition to make any impact really simplified the 49ers’ air-attack. Garoppolo finished 22-34 with 200 passing yards. Subtract Kittle’s 134 yards, and that leaves Garoppolo with just 66 yards.
As San Francisco enters the final two weeks of its regular season, they will need to find ways to get their receivers involved, otherwise their playoff opponents will just need to shut down Kittle to silence the offense.
Not as Bad as it Seems
Although every loss is not great, this one could have been a lot worse. The 49ers still clinched a spot in the postseason thanks to Dallas dismantling the Los Angeles Rams.
Yes, losses are bad, but the 49ers have not been a playoff team while calling Levi’s Stadium their home. Regardless of how this season winds up, a lot of 49ers’ fans at the beginning of the season would have been thrilled knowing they would make the playoffs in 2019.
There is also still a great chance at winning the division. Hopes are not relegated to the Wild Card. The 49ers, as of now, hold a better division record than Seattle. The Seahawks lost to the Rams last week to make their division record 3-1. If the 49ers can beat the Rams next Saturday, they would just need to defeat the Seahawks week 17 to win the division.
Winning in Seattle has not been easy for the Red and Gold this decade. The 49ers have won just once at CenturyLink Field (2011). Going 1-10 at your top-rival is painful, but a lot of that pain can be erased if the 49ers end their decade on a high-note: Their first Division title since 2012.
