The San Francisco 49ers lost a winnable game to a subpar Atlanta Falcons team, 28-14. Please make no mistake. This is a game that the 49ers should have won easily. They have many questions after losing to the falcons, but the most crucial question revolves around the team’s health.
Injury Issues
San Francisco has a significant injury issue revolving around the organization. Before the Falcons game, they learned they would be without defensive end Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, and Jimmie Ward, but that was only the beginning of the injury storm. After the game, they learned they are dealing with 19 injuries to impact players, starters on both sides of the ball, through six games.
They have 12 injured players on defense, led by Bosa, Armstead, Kinlaw, and Charvarius Ward, and seven on offense, highlighted by Trey Lance, Trent Williams, and Elijah Mitchell. Many aspects of the game went wrong, like turnovers, missed tackles, and dropped passes, but you can blame this game on injuries.
The 49ers’ Depleted Defense
The Falcons could do anything and everything they wanted to do on Offense. The 49ers’ top-ranked defense in the NFL when healthy, according to CBS, did not look the part in Atlanta. Don’t be concerned with the defense. They didn’t have their starting defensive end, defensive tackles, cornerbacks & safety. The 49ers depleted defense only gave up 21 points, despite Marcus Mariota not having an incomplete pass until 10 mins in the fourth quarter.
The Offense Stalled
After a slow start in Atlanta, the 49ers’ Offense finally woke up after being down 14 points to the falcons, but it wasn’t enough. The bread and butter of Kyle Shanahan’s offense, the running game, was nonexistent in Atlanta. They only rushed for 50 yards in the game against a team that allows 115 yards per game this season.
They could not run the ball partly because they were down the whole game, with many mistakes and poor execution. The 49ers will not be competitive on Offense if they can’t run the football effectively. Of course, many people will blame the Offense’s errors and lack of execution on the starting quarterback’s production and Jimmy Garoppolo’s ability to throw the football and prevent interceptions. Still, you cannot blame this loss solely on Garoppolo. This loss against the Falcons was a team effort for San Francisco.
He played well enough to win, but his skill position players could not hold up their end of the bargain. They had multiple drops and fumbles that could have changed the game’s outcome. If Ray Ray McCloud and Charlie Woerner secure their drops, the 49ers are at least down by one score with 10 minutes and the ball.
However, one bright spot in the 49ers’ loss to the Falcons was that Brandon Aiyuk shined. He had a great game. He finished with eight catches for 83 yards, a 10.4-yard average per catch, with two touchdowns. He showed the 49ers and the NFL why he is one of the most electrifying playmakers in the league. However, the 49ers need to get Aiyuk more involved later in the season.
The 49ers Competition
With losing a winnable game in Atlanta, San Francisco drops to a 3-3 record, yet they are still in first place in the NFC West division. They will be fine if they can get their impact players back on the field, especially on defense.
The Best Ability is Availability
After their east coast road trip, they have a challenging next three games against excellent teams in the NFL. It starts next week with a home matchup with the high-powered and explosive Kansas City Chiefs after their next two games are against the Rams at Sofi Stadium and the Chargers at home.
If San Francisco rolls out the same roster they had in Atlanta against the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, and Chargers, they will struggle mightily and be in the same spot they were in last season, but with a more difficult schedule.
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