49ers drop from the ranks of the unbeaten with sloppy 29-20 loss to Falcons

The previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers were handed their first loss of the season on Sunday, putting on a mistake-filled performance that made them seem a safe distance from the Super Bowl-contending status they carried into the game.

The 49ers opened up a 14-3 first-half lead before a comedy of errors that included turnovers and a number of costly penalties helped the Falcons run off 23 unanswered points to take a 26-14 second-half lead. The 49ers closed the gap with a late touchdown and were in position to retake the lead with just over four minutes to play, but an interception by quarterback Brock Purdy led to a game-sealing field goal for the Falcons and a 29-20 victory.

That interception was one of two for Purdy and one of four turnovers for the 49ers, who also committed seven penalties for 55 yards. Purdy finished the game with 288 yards on 27-of-40 passing with one touchdown, while quarterback Michael Penix finished with 213 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-34 passing for the Falcons, who committed zero turnovers on the day.

49ers jump out ahead in the first half before mistakes help Falcons narrow the gap

The 49ers began the game on offense, starting at their own 36-yard line after a 34-yard kickoff return by running back Kaelon Black. A false start penalty on the first play moved the 49ers backward, but a heavy dose of Christian McCaffrey after that put the 49ers in position to score. Three carries from McCaffrey for 28 yards put the 49ers across midfield, then catches of 16 and 24 yards from McCaffrey gave the 49ers a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. A four-yard run by Black moved the ball to the 1-yard line, but Black was then stuffed for no gain on two consecutive runs to set up a fourth down. McCaffrey then jumped over the top of the offensive and defensive lines for a touchdown to finish the drive and put the 49ers up 7-0.

It didn't take long for the Falcons to respond with points of their own. A 60-yard kickoff return from Zachariah Branch got the Falcons started at the 49ers' 36-yard line, and running back Bijan Robinson followed with runs of 12 yards and six yards to get to the 18-yard line. But an incomplete pass on second down followed by a tackle for loss on Robinson by linebacker Fred Warner on third down limited the Falcons to a field goal attempt, which kicker Nick Folk connected on from 39 yards to cut the 49ers' lead to 7-3.

The 49ers started their next drive at their own 34-yard line and moved across midfield on completions to McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, but a sack by defensive tackle Maason Smith pushed the 49ers back and led to a punt. The Falcons followed with a three-and-out and punted back to the 49ers, who took over at their own 37-yard line. An 11-yard pass to Kittle got the 49ers started on their next drive, and with McCaffrey getting medical attention after taking a hit to his leg, Black took off on runs of 15 yards and seven yards to get the 49ers to the Atlanta 30-yard line as time expired in the first quarter. Black then started the second quarter with a bang, running into the end zone from 30 yards out for his first NFL touchdown, giving the 49ers a 14-3 lead.

The Falcons took over at their own 32-yard line after the kickoff and moved across midfield on a 15-yard completion to wide receiver Drake London and a six-yard run by Robinson. Completions to London and tight end Charlie Woerner moved the ball to the 30-yard line, followed by runs by Robinson and Branch to put the ball at the 20. Penix then connected on a short pass to running back Khalil Herbert, who was pushed out of bounds just short of the goal line for a 19-yard gain. Penix then found tight end Nick Muse wide open in the end zone to give the Falcons their first touchdown. The point-after attempt from Folk bounced off the upright, leaving the score at 14-9 with 8:47 remaining in the second quarter.

The next drive for the 49ers began at their own 30-yard line and moved into Falcons territory with the help of three unusual plays -- a 10-yard end-around to wide receiver Jacob Cowing, a dazzling flip pass from Purdy to running back Jordan James for 11 yards, and a run and fumble by James that was recovered by guard Dominick Puni at the Atlanta 28-yard line. The 49ers went back to Black on the next play, but Black put the ball on the ground for the team's second consecutive fumble, which this time was recovered by the Falcons with 4:20 remaining.

The Falcons moved across midfield before facing a 4th-and-4 at the 49ers' 44-yard line, but another mistake by the 49ers cost them the chance to get off the field as defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa was flagged for encroachment, giving the Falcons a first down. The Falcons then moved to the 15-yard line while using the rest of the clock, then Folk hit a 33-yard field goal as time expired to put the halftime score at 14-12.

The 49ers ended the half with a 188-to-144 edge in yardage, with 105 of those coming on the ground. Purdy finished the first half 8-of-10 passing for 90 yards, while Penix completed 14-of-18 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown.

Things get ugly in the second half for the 49ers

After a 38-yard kickoff return from Herbert to start the third quarter, the Falcons took the lead on a 10-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Penix to tight end Kyle Pitts. The Falcons moved steadily down the field on a series of short gains after the kickoff, and after a 12-yard completion to London gave the Falcons a 1st-and-goal at the 5-yard line, Penix connected with Pitts to give the Falcons a 19-14 lead.

The 49ers took over at their own 32-yard line after the touchdown and used Purdy's arm to move downfield on passes of 15 yards to wide receiver Jordan Watkins, 20 yards to Kittle, and 14 yards to tight end Luke Farrell. But after a pass to Black was stopped for a four-yard loss, the 49ers committed their second turnover of the game when Purdy was picked off by safety Jessie Bates, giving the Falcons the ball their own 10-yard line.

A holding call early in the next possession put the Falcons in a 1st-and-20 at their own 12-yard line, but the Falcons were given a first down after cornerback Jack Jones was hit with an illegal contact penalty. A 19-yard completion on a 3rd-and-3 moved the ball to the 44-yard line, then the Falcons faced a 3rd-and-8 after a two-yard run from Robinson and an incomplete pass. From there the Falcons got another key penalty on Jones, who was flagged on a 20-yard pass interference call to put the ball at the 49ers' 34-yard line. Another third-down penalty followed that one, this time being an offside penalty on 3rd-and-2 by defensive tackle James Thompson. Penix and London then finished the drive with a 21-yard touchdown, putting the Falcons up 26-14 early in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers got a much-needed big play at the start of their next drive as Purdy connected with wide receiver Jordan Watkins for a 35-yard gain to the Falcons' 35-yard line. But a holding penalty on guard Connor Colby was called on the next snap and moved the 49ers into a 1st-and-17. A nine-yard completion to Kyle Juszczyk put the 49ers in a 2nd-and-9 at the 34-yard line, but two consecutive incompletions soon moved them into a 4th-and-9. The 49ers went for a first down and converted on an 11-yard completion to Cowing, giving them another set of downs at the 23.

Purdy and Watkins seemingly connected again on the next play for what seemed like a highlight touchdown on a leaping catch in the end zone, but the call was overturned upon replay. Two more incompletions followed the overturned touchdown, and then the Falcons closed the door on the drive when Purdy was sacked by linebacker Za'Darius Smith.

The Falcons took over at their own 27-yard line after the sack with 11:30 remaining in the game. The 49ers got a break on first down when the ball was snapped over Penix's head for a 12-yard loss, which was enough to eventually lead to a punt that gave them possession at their own 18-yard line with 9:33 on the clock. The 49ers turned the possession into a 10-play, 82-yard drive that was helped with two defensive penalties on the Falcons and was capped with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Juszczyk. But kicker Eddy Pineiro missed the point-after attempt, leaving the score at 26-20 with just over five minutes left to play.

The 49ers got what they needed on the next possession -- a tackle for a two-yard loss on first down followed by two incompletions that led to a three-and-out. They were then gifted with a 20-yard shanked punt from Jake Bailey that gave them the ball at their own 47-yard line with 4:02 remaining. But mistakes wound up standing in the way once again, keeping the 49ers from capitalizing on the opportunity. Two short completions after the punt led to a 3rd-and-4 for the 49ers, but they were pushed backward into a 3rd-and-9 after a false start penalty by wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Falcons then stopped the 49ers on the next play as Purdy was picked off by linebacker Kendal Daniels, who returned the ball to the 49ers' 19-yard line.

The Falcons ran the clock down to two minutes before attempting a 31-yard field goal, which Folk connected on to make the score 29-20. The final 49ers' drive of the game ended in fitting fashion -- a fumble by tight end George Kittle, which was forced on a punch-out by Bates and recovered by Daniels at the 20-yard line.

The Falcons ran out the clock to seal the win and move to 3-4 on the season. The 49ers fell to 6-1 with the loss.

Game Notes

Today's meeting was the 84th in the history of this series, which saw the two teams meet twice per season when the Falcons were part of the NFC West (1967-2001). The 49ers hold a 49-34-1 overall record in the series... The 49ers were listed as 2.5-point favorites coming into the game... The loss leaves the Minnesota Vikings (6-0) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) as the lone undefeated teams in the NFL... The missed point-after attempt was the fourth of the season from Pineiro... The interception by Bates was just the second of the season for the Falcons... The 49ers will now head into their bye week before returning to game action on Sunday, November 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The game will kick off at 1:05 p.m. PT/4:05 p.m. ET at Levi's Stadium and will air on CBS.

Scoring Summary

• Q1 09:25 — SF 7, ATL 0
  C. McCaffrey 1 yd. run (E. Pineiro kick) (10 plays, 64 yds, 5:38)
• Q1 07:10 — SF 7, ATL 3
  N. Folk 39 yd. Field Goal (5 plays, 15 yds, 2:16)
• Q2 15:00 — SF 14, ATL 3
  K. Black 30 yd. run (E. Pineiro kick) (4 plays, 63 yds, 1:41)
• Q2 08:51 — SF 14, ATL 9
  N. Muse 1 yd. pass from M. Penix (kick failed, hru) (10 plays, 68 yds, 6:07)
• Q2 00:02 — SF 14, ATL 12
  N. Folk 33 yd. Field Goal (14 plays, 56 yds, 4:20)
• Q3 09:05 — SF 14, ATL 19
  K. Pitts 5 yd. pass from M. Penix (N. Folk kick) (10 plays, 59 yds, 6:01)
• Q4 15:00 — SF 14, ATL 26
  D. London 21 yd. pass from M. Penix (N. Folk kick) (11 plays, 90 yds, 5:37)
• Q4 05:09 — SF 20, ATL 26
  K. Juszczyk 1 yd. pass from B. Purdy (kick failed, wl) (10 plays, 82 yds, 4:28)
• Q4 02:00 — SF 20, ATL 29
  N. Folk 31 yd. Field Goal (4 plays, 6 yds, 0:38)

Game and Player Stats

More info on: Kaelon Black, Ji'Ayir Brown, Connor Colby, Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing, Ashtyn Davis, Jaden Dugger, Luke Farrell, Jalen Graham, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, Romello Height, Jordan James, Jack Jones, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle, Deommodore Lenoir, Christian McCaffrey, Malik Mustapha, Osa Odighizuwa, Dominick Puni, Brock Purdy, James Thompson, Corliss Waitman, Fred Warner, Jordan Watkins, Mykel Williams