49ers drop stunner in mistake-filled effort against lowly Falcons
The 49ers followed up a triumph with a flop.
After their biggest win of the season last week in New Orleans — and finishing their gauntlet against the Packers, Ravens and Saints with an impressive 2-1 record — San Francisco on Sunday made a slew of mistakes on offense while allowing the Atlanta Falcons to take advantage of their banged up secondary.
Atlanta came to Levi’s Stadium and took down the NFC’s top team in stunning fashion, 29-22, getting the go-ahead touchdown from Julio Jones with 2 seconds left and a special teams touchdown as the 49ers were trying a desperation hook-and-ladder kickoff return as time expired.
It was a strange day that included the silver lining of clinching a playoff berth by way of a Rams loss in Dallas.
“I don’t think we played with any type of intensity that we’ve played with all year,” tight end George Kittle said. “And we got to figure out that.”
Mixed day for Kittle in setting new NFL record
Kittle’s game exemplified San Francisco’s mixed emotions coming out of their third, and most stunning, loss of the season.
He set a career high with 13 catches and had a season-high 134 yards. He broke Mike Ditka’s record in the third quarter for yards by a tight end in their first three seasons.
Yet he made one of the 49ers’ most glaring gaffs of the game that contributed to the loss.
On a key third-and-4 just inside the 2-minute warning, Kittle, who Atlanta struggled to bring down all game, took a bubble screen with an alley toward a first down, which would have gone a long way toward salting the game away.
But instead of running through defensive back Damontae Kazee, whom Kittle dump trucked earlier in the half, Kittle fumbled the ball out of bounds, stopping the clock and forcing San Francisco to settle for a field goal to make it 22-17 with 1:52 remaining.
That allowed the Falcons to get their second straight scoring drive to take the lead with just heartbeats remaining.
Jones (13 catches, 134 yards, two touchdowns) terrorized San Francisco’s defense, which was missing top cornerback Richard Sherman, slot defender K’Waun Williams and strong safety Jaquiski Tartt. Jones barely broke the plane in the waning moments after officials initially ruled he was short thanks to Jimmie Ward’s hit at the goal line on a short pass over the middle.
Levi’s Stadium was momentarily in a state of euphoria after the initial ruling.
49ers players flooded the field from the sideline in celebration. But officials sent them back while reviewing the play. Replays showed the nose of the ball barely broke the plane.
Moments after the 49ers thought they had their 12th win of the season came the harsh reality that it was more likely to be their third defeat.
And considering the previous two came against sure-fire playoff contenders, Sunday’s was easily the most dispiriting.
“I think everybody to a man will tell you that they should have played better and they can play better,” left tackle Joe Staley said. “This isn’t going to define our season. It’s going to be something that we’re going to learn from.”
Garoppolo struggles against Falcons
Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t nearly the same player as he was last week against the Saints. The passing game was disjointed and struggled to get in rhythm.
Top receiver Emmanuel Sanders had two catches for 9 yards. Deebo Samuel didn’t make his first, and only, reception until late in the fourth quarter. Kittle had 13 receptions and no other pass catcher had more than two.
“I think Jimmy played like the rest of the offense,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I don’t think anybody stuck out and played bad or poorly, but I don’t think anybody played good enough to win. Definitely starts with me.
“I thought Jimmy had some good plays. Missed a couple like guys always do. I give a lot of credit to (the Falcons). I thought their guys played hard and did a good job schematically with their plan. I thought they had a hell of a day and we need to be on our stuff to win and we weren’t.”
Garoppolo finished with 200 yards on 22 of 34 completions. He threw one touchdown and wasn’t intercepted, though he had a handful of passes that could have been.
Running back Matt Breida fumbled in the third quarter at the Falcons’ 38-yard line, the first turnover of the game for either team, when the ball was ripped away from defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who was a problem for the interior of San Francisco’s offensive line missing starting center Weston Richburg, who went out for the year last week with a knee injury.
It felt like the 49ers were going to overcome their sloppiness and win. Particularly after getting a massive special teams turnover that set up a touchdown.
Backup tight end Ross Dwelley drilled punt return man Kenjon Barner and forced a fumble that was eventually snagged by fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
It set up Juszczyk’s 2-yard touchdown catch two snaps later, giving him his first score of the season. Juszczyk became San Francisco’s 14th offensive player to score a touchdown this year.
The 49ers’ playoff picture is still bright
The Seahawks, who own the tiebreaker over San Francisco after winning their matchup last month, won Sunday in Carolina, putting them back in first place in the NFC West. Either team would win the division if they win their remaining two games, which means both teams control their own destiny.
They play Week 17 in Seattle.
“Everything matters right now and you get towards the end of the year, there’s not a lot of guys left, guys are wearing down,” Shanahan said. “Everything is about right now, so our guys need to bring their best. It’s not just what you do on Sunday, it’s what you do every single day to prepare for Sunday.”
The 49ers got on the board first with Raheem Mostert’s fifth touchdown in the last four games to cap a 21-play drive. He scored from two yards out.
The Falcons responded with an impressive series for Jones, who beat Sherman’s backup, Emmanuel Moseley, for a pair of receptions, including a game-tying 5-yard touchdown.
The Falcons made it 10-7 with a 43-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo, then the 49ers tied it at 10 with a 22-yard field goal just before halftime after a failed third-down conversion on a fade route to Kittle in the end zone.
Ryan completed 25 of 39 for 210 yards, but played his best late in the game. The first of the of the Falcons’ two scores in the fourth quarter was set up by a long pass to Jones that drew a controversial pass interference on Ward. It led to a 1-yard touchdown run from Qadree Ollison.
It marked the second straight week the 49ers’ defense, which has been arguably the best in the NFL against the pass all year, allowed a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
“There were so many chances in that game to close it,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “I wanted us to be in that situation, honestly, so the defense could be the reason that we end the game. But unfortunately, they made more plays than us on that drive.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 6:56 PM.
