49ers run over Falcons: Rapid reactions

The San Francisco 49ers needed a bounce-back game against the Atlanta Falcons, and they got it, winning 20-10 on Sunday night. With no Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, or Fred Warner, the 49ers were counting on a lot of young guys to step up. And they delivered.

Here are my rapid reactions. These are my live responses to the action on the field as the game unfolded. Let's take a look.

• Nice opening series from the 49ers' defense. Jordan Elliot had good pressure on second down.
• Mac Jones got sacked on the offense's first play. That's not a good sign.
• Brian Robinson looks good running the ball.
• Who had Luke Farrell with a catch before George Kittle?
• The offense had a nice opening drive, but nothing came of it, thanks in part to the offensive line giving up quick pressure.
• Great tackle in space by Dee Winters.

• Tatum Bethune is injured, and Curtis Robinson is in for him. This team can't catch a break.
• No pass rush. And it's showing. This drive is lasting forever—15 plays and over eight and a half minutes so far. It's the end of the first quarter, and the 49ers have had the ball only once.
• Sam Okuayinonu gets the sack, and the Falcons have to settle for a field goal.
• Christian McCaffrey is running the ball well, too.
• What's wrong with Jauan Jennings lately? The ball just went off his hands and was intercepted. And that was a nice drive, too.

• And now Renardo Green is hurt. At least Bethune is back.
• That did not look like pass interference on Deommodore Lenior.

• Nick Zakelj is in the game at left guard. I'm not sure if Connor Colby is injured or if they're replacing him for now. Colby allowed a sack in the first quarter.
• Actually, now Colby is back in there.
• Jake Brendel is out with an injury. It will be interesting to see how the offensive line plays without him.
• Great play by Jones to buy time and hit McCaffrey, who took the ball down to the one-yard line.
• McCaffrey gets it in, and the 49ers take the lead.

• Huge sack by Bryce Huff leads to a fumble recovery by Alfred Collins.

• The offensive line has dominated in the run game. But they've been mostly bad in pass protection in the first half.
• Colby has more catches in the first half than Kittle. I did not have that on my bingo card.

• Eddy Piñeiro is good again. He's been perfect on field goal attempts since joining the 49ers. This one was good from 55.
• Darrell Luter, Jr. is getting cooked on this drive.
• Huff with another big play that forces intentional grounding. The 49ers have a 10-3 lead at the half.
• Nice catch and run by Skyy Moore.
• Bad kick coverage has made its appearance.
• Too many missed tackles on that drive, and the Falcons move to within a field goal.
• What a pathetic effort on that 3rd and 1.
• Is this where it starts to fall apart for the 49ers' undermanned defense?
• Chase Lucas is a playmaker.

• Nice job by the defense forcing a punt. The bad news: the offense now has the ball at the 2-yard line.
• Starting the 4th quarter, the offense has to put together a scoring drive here. This defense can only hold on for so long.
• What a horrible drop by Demarcus Robinson. That could end up costing the 49ers the game.

• Malik Turner has made at least two big plays on special teams.
• Malik Mustapha is punishing people in run defense.

• Will the 49ers ever intercept another pass? If so, now would be a good time.
• Huge play by Lucas on 4th and 1. And he almost picked off that pass.

• Now Jennings is missing blocks. He needs to get his head on straight.
• Great throw by Jones to McCaffrey. The 49ers have 1st and goal. The way Jones looked off the defender and then threw behind him was impressive.

• What a game by McCaffrey. He's looked like the 2023 version of himself. And a great job by the offensive line. They refused to be stopped on that touchdown.

• The defense made a big play to give the offense the ball, and the offense rewarded them for it. That's great complementary football.
• Rookie LB Nick Martin just recorded his first NFL tackle.
• Huff was being held and still got to the QB.
• The 49ers' pass rush is starting to punish Michael Penix.
• Lenoir with another penalty. Unreal!
• The defense holds, thanks to a relentless pass rush. And the 49ers will win this one.
• This was like the old 49ers—a dominant run game and a great defensive performance. Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh were brilliant tonight.
• McCaffrey had over 200 yards from scrimmage. He was incredible!
• Bethune had a great game, especially in his first game leading the defense without Warner.

San Francisco improves to 5-2 and will spend at least another week in first place. Next up is a trip to Houston to take on DeMeco Ryans' Texans. The 49ers hope to get Purdy and Pearsall back, which would be a huge boost.