The Atlanta Falcons overcame an early 14-3 deficit to defeat the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers 29-20 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, improving to 3-4 and handing San Francisco its first loss of the season.
San Francisco had entered the game at 6-0. The 49ers built their early lead behind a Christian McCaffrey rushing touchdown and a 30-yard score by backup Kaelon Black.
Atlanta responded by forcing four turnovers while committing none. The Falcons scored 13 points off those takeaways and finished with a plus-four turnover margin.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, posting a 118.9 passer rating. He connected with tight ends Nick Muse and Kyle Pitts for scores before finding Drake London on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that extended the lead to 26-14.
London finished with seven receptions for 66 yards. Bijan Robinson rushed 20 times for 63 yards and added five catches for 59 yards. The Falcons totaled 295 net yards, including 82 on the ground, and held a 30:47 to 29:13 advantage in time of possession.
Brock Purdy completed 27 of 40 passes for 288 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the 49ers, who finished with 400 total yards. McCaffrey was limited to seven carries for 39 yards after leaving early with a thigh injury.
Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels intercepted Purdy late in the fourth quarter and recovered a fumble by George Kittle in the final minutes to help seal the win. Daniels returned just one week after leaving the prior game with a neck injury that sent him to the hospital.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski praised the overall effort after the game.
“Proud of the effort, obviously,” Stefanski said. “Plus-four in the turnover margin is where it starts. Really good finish there. When you’re playing a good team – you know great coaches, great players on that side – you have to be about your business and take care of the rock. We took care of it, we took it away, so that’s a great recipe for winning in this league.”
Stefanski also highlighted Daniels’ performance after the difficult week.
“That’s remarkable, truly,” Stefanski said. “That’s unbelievable to just do that and then to make a play at the end. Man, really proud of that kid.”
Stefanski noted the Falcons stayed composed through the early hole.
“We understood it was going to be a 60-minute game,” he said, adding that the defense’s performance was outstanding.
Penix drew strong marks from his coach as well for navigating a tough defense.
“I thought Mike was really good throughout the day,” Stefanski said. “You know, that’s a very, very good defense. I mean they’re excellent and they don’t give up big plays. And we took our shots when we had them, and when we didn’t, I thought Mike saw it really well.”
The victory marked Atlanta’s first win of the season at home after earlier losses to Carolina, Baltimore and Chicago. It also snapped a two-game skid for the Falcons, who had entered the contest at 2-4.
San Francisco will host Las Vegas after its bye week. Atlanta travels to Tampa Bay next Sunday.
