49ers’ ground game wakes up, bullies Falcons in 20-10 win

It took seven games, but the San Francisco 49ers' running game finally looked like the running game of old on Sunday night -- and it led to a huge win over the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

The 49ers, who entered the night averaging just 82.2 yards per game and a league-low 3-1 yards per carry, rushed for 174 yards on 39 carries while grinding out a 20-10 victory over the Falcons. Running back Christian McCaffrey had his biggest game of the season, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries with seven catches for 72 yards, while the running game was bolstered by the blocking of tight end George Kittle, who was in his first game back after a stint on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

The Falcons, who averaged a league-leading 151.2 yards on the ground, were held to 62 yards on 20 carries by an injury-riddled 49ers defense. 49ers quarterback Mac Jones had a somewhat quiet evening with 152 yards and one interception on 17-of-26 passing, while Falcons quarterback Michael Penix completed 21-of-38 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown.

Running game leads 49ers to late first-half flurry and halftime lead

The 49ers held the Falcons to a three-and-out to start the game, then moved into Falcons territory on six plays before their opening drive stalled. After a punt to the Falcons that resulted in a touchback, the Falcons embarked on a 19-play, 60-yard drive that took over ten minutes off the clock but only resulted in a field goal. The drive featured mostly short gains and included penalties on each team that shifted field position, then after a third-down sack credited to defensive linemen Bryce Huff and Sam Okuayinonu, the Falcons brought kicker Parker Romo onto the field to connect from 38 yards out and take a 3-0 lead.

The 49ers began their second possession at their own 35-yard line after a touchback and moved downfield much quicker than the Falcons, but the end result of the drive was significantly worse. After reaching the 25-yard line in six plays, including a 15-yard run from McCaffrey and a 13-yard third-down catch from Jauan Jennings, a pass from Jones at the 23 bounced off the hands of Jennings and into the arms of linebacker Kaden Ellis, who gave the Falcons possession at their own 34-yard line after a 16-yard return.

The Falcons moved just past midfield after the interception before the 49ers forced another punt, then the 49ers took over at their own 20 after another touchback. McCaffrey and the 49ers kept the running game going with 31 yards on three carries to start the drive, then he added a 13-yard catch on third down later in the drive to set up a 1st-and-Goal at the one-yard line. McCaffrey finished the drive off from there, plowing into the end zone to give the 49ers a 7-3 lead with less than two minutes left in the half.

Next came the defense's turn to make a big play, courtesy of Bryce Huff. After taking over at their own 30, the Falcons moved to the 46-yard line with back-to-back completions. But on the third play of the drive, Huff zipped around the edge and got to Penix for a strip sack, which was recovered at the 40-yard line by defensive tackle Alfred Collins. The 49ers were held to a three-and-out after the fumble and were forced to settle for a 55-yard field goal from Eddy Pineiro to take a 10-3 lead.

There were still 38 seconds left on the clock after the field goal, which almost proved to be enough for the Falcons to do some damage before the half. But after a 19-yard completion to wide receiver Drake London and a 38-yard completion to wide receiver Darnell Mooney moved the ball to the 49ers' 22-yard line with 17 seconds remaining, Penix was called for intentional grounding after being pressured by Huff, which led to a ten-second run-off and the end of the half.

The 49ers racked up 100 yards on the ground on 17 carries in the first half, with 76 of those yards coming from McCaffrey on 12 carries. Jones completed 9-of-14 passes for 69 yards and one interception in the half, while Penix connected on 13-of-19 passes for 128 yards.

Late fourth-down stop leads to McCaffrey slamming the door

The 49ers added to the lead with their first possession of the second half, an 11-play, 43-yard drive that ended with another Pineiro field goal. A 12-yard run from McCaffrey along with a 15-yard catch by wide receiver Skyy Moore and a 10-yard grab by Kendrick Bourne pushed the 49ers deep into Falcons territory before the drive stalled. Pineiro capped the drive with a 43-yard field goal to put the 49ers up 13-3.

A special teams breakdown followed the field goal as the 49ers gave up a 45-yard kickoff return to Jamal Agnew, giving the Falcons field position at the 49ers' 48-yard line to start the next drive. The Falcons capitalized with a six-play drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to running back Bijan Robinson, cutting the lead to 13-10 with 6:28 left in the third quarter.

A three-and-out from the 49ers followed the touchdown, then the Falcons went through an eight-play, 20-yard drive that ended in a punt back to the 49ers that was downed at the 4. Two completions to McCaffrey moved the ball to the 28-yard line, then the drive stalled and the 49ers punted back to the Falcons with 12:48 left in the fourth quarter. The Falcons put together an eight-play, 48-yard drive that moved to the 49ers' 35-yard line, but instead of kicking a field goal when facing a 4th-and-1 at the 35, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris chose to go for a first down. The attempt fell short with the help of defensive back Chase Lucas, who was in coverage on an incomplete pass intended for London.

The 49ers took over and kept grinding with the running game, moving deep into Falcons territory on runs from McCaffrey, Brian Robinson and Mac Jones. The 49ers then moved backwards after McCaffrey was stuffed for a five-yard loss on a pitch, but then Jones connected with McCaffrey for a 17-yard gain to the 4-yard line on a 3rd-and-13. After that, McCaffrey finished the Falcons off with his second rushing touchdown of the night, giving the 49ers a 20-10 lead with 2:26 remaining in the game.

The defense finished the job for the 49ers on the next possession, forcing a turnover on downs after a seven-play drive for the Falcons. McCaffrey added a 15-yard run from there, then the 49ers ran out the clock to seal the victory. The 49ers moved to 5-2 with the win, staying in a first-place tie with the Rams in the NFC West. The Falcons fell to 3-3 with the loss.

Game Notes

The 49ers lost starting center Jake Brendel in the first half due to a hamstring injury and cornerback Renardo Green to a toe injury. Brendel was replaced by Matt Hennessy, while Green was replaced by Darrell Luter... The win moved the 49ers to 49-33-1 all-time against the Falcons...Next up for the 49ers is a road game at NRG Stadium in Houston against the Texans, who will be coming into the game on a short week after facing the Seahawks in Seattle on Monday night. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on FOX.

Scoring Summary

• Q2 12:59 — ATL 3, SF 0
  J. Romo 38 yd. Field Goal (19 plays, 60 yds, 10:40)
• Q2 01:50 — ATL 3, SF 7
  C. McCaffrey 1 yd. run (E. Pineiro kick) (13 plays, 80 yds, 6:10)
• Q2 00:43 — ATL 3, SF 10
  E. Pineiro 55 yd. Field Goal (4 plays, 3 yds, 0:50)
• Q3 10:14 — ATL 3, SF 13
  E. Pineiro 43 yd. Field Goal (11 plays, 43 yds, 4:51)
• Q3 06:34 — ATL 10, SF 13
  B. Robinson 10 yd. pass from M. Penix (J. Romo kick) (6 plays, 48 yds, 3:41)
• Q4 02:31 — ATL 10, SF 20
  C. McCaffrey 4 yd. run (E. Pineiro kick) (11 plays, 64 yds, 5:50)

Game and Player Stats