Falcons Coach Breaks Down 'Special' 49ers Offense, Key Playmakers
The Atlanta Falcons (2-3) will welcome the San Francisco 49ers (3-2) to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday for an intra-conference matchup.
Following a Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, San Francisco has won three of its last four - with veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. Entering the season, former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance was slated as the 49ers' starting quarterback, but an ankle injured forced Garoppolo, who started 45 games in the previous five seasons for San Francisco, back into the lead role.
Offseason controversy aside, Garoppolo is now three games into his sixth season as the 49ers' starter and boasts a career record of 33-15. Despite having never reached the 4,000-yard passing mark, Garoppolo has consistently guided San Francisco to success, headlined by appearances in the Super Bowl (2019-2020) and NFC Championship Game (2021-2022).
Falcons coach Arthur Smith is in the business of winning, and Garoppolo's consistency in that regard has Smith's full attention heading into Sunday.
"Jimmy's won a lot of football games," Smith said. "I have a ton of respect for him. There's no flinch from him in the pocket. Guy finds a way to win a lot of football games. Obviously gets rid of the ball quickly, has a quick delivery. Tougher than hell. He's won a lot of games."
Garoppolo, 30, is surrounded by a solid group of skill players. Smith singled out receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk as some of the key weapons.
Samuel, fresh off an All-Pro third season is San Francisco's leading receiver and top playmaker. Through five games, he's recorded 20 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns while adding 125 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He's a unique football player, in every sense.
"He's a fun player to watch," Smith declared. "Obviously when you're playing him, he's a pain in the you know what. He's very strong. Really good football player and I say that as a compliment - he is a football player. Really strong hands, hard to tackle, can play multiple spots. So, we got our work cut out there. We got to make sure we account for him and tackle him."
Samuel's 6-0, 215-pound frame and athleticism creates one of the league's most versatile playmakers. His skill set, while rare, is quite similar to that of Falcons star Cordarrelle Patterson.
Last year, Patterson, at 6-2, 225-pounds, became the first player in Falcons franchise history to surpass 500 rushing and receiving yards in the same season. He's followed up his breakout age-30 campaign by ranking fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game, but a knee injury has him on the shelf for at least three more games.
While Samuel is undoubtedly a different player to defend, Smith believes that the Falcons' experience facing Patterson throughout offseason programs will "certainly" help them prepare for the 49ers star - to an extent.
"I think some of the motion stuff you'll see," said Smith, on the similarities in usage. "They're different players but they're both really good players. Ironically, they're both from South Carolina, but like I said, it certainly helps when you're playing against versatility. But again, he's a different player."
The other established star on the 49ers offense is Kittle, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. He's widely regarded as an elite blocker, but he's extremely well-rounded, recording at least 900 receiving yards in three of the last four seasons, including a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns.
Kittle missed the first two games of the season due to a groin injury and has yet to firmly break out in the three games since. Thus far, the 29-year-old has 11 receptions on 15 targets but has just 99 yards to show for it and is yet to reach the endzone.
However, Kittle is coming off his most productive game to date (six receptions for 47 yards) and dominated Atlanta a season ago, catching all six of his targets and totaling 93 yards during the 49ers' 31-13 victory in Week 15.
As a result, Smith is well aware of Kittle's potential, citing his experience and football intellect as key factors in his performance.
"Kittle's made a ton of plays in this league," began Smith. "Plays at an unbelievably fast pace. Really good instinctive player. Finds different ways to (make an impact), and he's got a good feel on some of the delay stuff he does do create explosive (plays)."
Beyond the players on the field, Smith has a great deal respect for 49ers coach and former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Rather than focusing on the plays, Smith's appreciation stems more from what Shanahan and the 49ers do behind the scenes in the installation and execution process than anything else.
"The thing that you see about the Niners is pretty creative," Smith admitted. "What they do (is) they play fast, they practice hard and it's not the play calls - it's the intent to details, it's the climate that he's created there. It could be a basic call, and when you got guys that are in sync and believe in what you're doing, they could take a very, what you call, vanilla play call and make it special."
With Smith and Shanahan both serving as their respective team's play caller, the two are poised to go toe-to-toe on Sunday. While the Falcons will be down Patterson, they're expected to get Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Pitts back from injury.
Atlanta's offense, led by veteran Marcus Mariota, will have to hold its own against San Francisco's stout defense, because the visitors' offense promises to provide creativity, versatility and speed, a combination likely to lead to a solid haul of points.
The Falcons and 49ers kick off at 1 p.m. in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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