ATLANTA - The 49ers had a path to escaping Mercedes-Benz Stadium with their undefeated record intact. Instead, a messy fourth quarter and too many self-inflicted wounds handed them their first loss of the season, 29-20 to the Falcons on Sunday.
Atlanta rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels delivered the closing blow, stepping in front of Brock Purdy’s third-and-9 throw with 2 ½ minutes left to lock up the game. By then, the 49ers had already spent the day digging out of holes they kept making for themselves.
The list was ugly: four turnovers by the offense, four penalties from the defense, and two replay reversals that wiped out potential touchdowns. Even a late chance to rally slipped away when George Kittle lost a fumble at the Falcons’ 19-yard line, sending the home crowd into celebration as Atlanta snapped its four-game winless stretch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The 49ers (6-1) still had one more swing at it after Kyle Juszczyk’s 1-yard touchdown catch brought them within 26-20 with 5:05 remaining. But Eddy Piñeiro missed the extra point - his fourth miss of the season - and that miss loomed large once the comeback fizzled.
Atlanta’s Jake Bailey then shanked a punt out of bounds at the 49ers’ 47, giving San Francisco one final chance with four minutes left. It never got off the ground.
Purdy completed passes to Kittle and Christian McCaffrey to move the ball to third-and-4 from the Falcons’ 47, but a false start on Brandin Cooks pushed the offense backward. On the next snap, Purdy forced a throw to Jordan Watkins and Daniels picked it off.
The Falcons turned that takeaway into a 31-yard Nick Folk field goal with 1:56 to go, pushing the lead back to two scores and ending the threat.
San Francisco’s receiving corps was stretched thin all afternoon, and Purdy spread the ball around as a result, targeting nine different players. Christian Kirk made his 49ers debut, but he did not see a pass thrown his way. The group was already missing Mike Evans (Achilles) for the first time this season, along with Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Demarcus Robinson (ankle), De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle), and Ricky Pearsall (season-ending knee surgery).
The injury list wasn’t any lighter on defense. The 49ers went without Nick Bosa (calf) for a fifth straight game.
Purdy finished 27-of-40 for 288 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Through the first six games, he had thrown only two picks.
Christian McCaffrey set the tone on the opening drive with a leaping 1-yard touchdown, though he had been out for the previous three plays because of a left thigh injury. He returned after halftime and finished with 39 yards on seven carries and six catches for 61 yards.
Kaelon Black ended up seeing plenty of work after McCaffrey’s first-half absence, and the rookie delivered both highs and lows. He scored his first career touchdown on a 30-yard second-quarter run, but he also lost his first career fumble.
The 49ers led 14-3 before the game tilted sharply. The Falcons scored the next 23 points and grabbed the lead when Michael Penix hit Kyle Pitts on a 5-yard touchdown pass to open the second half.
Then came the sequence that really broke the game open. Purdy threw an interception to Jesse Bates III at the 10-yard line on what looked like a throwaway, his third interception of the season.
He would add another later when Daniels closed the door. Moments later, Penix hit Drake London on a 21-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter, stretching Atlanta’s lead to 26-14 and putting Falcons fans in full celebration mode.
San Francisco’s late rally briefly looked alive when officials ruled Watkins had made a 23-yard touchdown catch with 11:43 left. After replay, that score was erased. Purdy then went incompletion, incompletion, sack on the next series, ending that drive.
That possession had started with a 35-yard strike to Watkins, who later had another catch attempt near the 13-yard line ruled incomplete.
The 49ers also hurt themselves with four defensive penalties, including two on reserve cornerback Jack Jones, in a game where the margin for error disappeared quickly.
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