Following back-to-back brutal losses, the Atlanta Falcons desperately need to stay focused and not get weighed down after falling to 2-4 in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears. The 31-23 loss saw them battle back after a 31-7 deficit, but they failed to take advantage of Chicago's mistakes early on while their fumbles on special teams (and inability to keep Michael Penix Jr. protected) were what sealed it.
It was a deflating game, but there's no time to dwell on it. The margin for error is razor thin, and in Week 7, it unfortunately won't get any easier. On Sunday, the Falcons will host the 6-0 San Francisco 49ers in an emotional matchup given the history between these two coaching staffs and franchises.
Sunday afternoon will mark Raheem Morris' return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Atlanta fired him in January after two seasons as the head coach (and a long time as an assistant under Dan Quinn). Meanwhile, we all remember Kyle Shanahan is the innovative OC that took the Dirty Birds to the Super Bowl and helped ignite Matt Ryan's MVP season. Now, he's the coach on the opposite sideline.
Kevin Stefanski and company badly need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but we know what's on the line for the home team. It's less clear what the Falcons are going up against with the 49ers coming to town, but we got you covered with everything you need to know about this game.
How did the 49ers (Atlanta's Week 7 opponent) fare in Week 6?
The 49ers are fresh off of a 23-17 win over the Washington Commanders where they led by as much as 20 points and still managed to hold on because of some less-than-adequate game management from Commanders head coach Dan Quinn-- but San Francisco lost momentum in the second half.
In this matchup, the Niners looked plenty good, and Brock Purdy had another nice day to add to his MVP candidacy, as he threw for 269 yards and a touchdown--and that was despite having a shorthanded WRW room after Mike Evans midway through the game and not having Deebo Samuel.
Christian McCaffrey didn't have the most efficient day on the ground, but he scored two touchdowns and caught nine passes, so he's still one of the better weapons in football, even at 30, and George Kitle had a quality day, catching five passes for 69 yards and his fifth touchdown of the season.
On defense, Malik Mustapha had some nice PBUs and they got to Jayden Daniels four times, so this offensive line may have a tough time.
The 49ers are one of three undefeated teams still standing alongside the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota, but the Falcons will have an extra day of rest after San Francisco played on Monday Night Football--and the home-field advantage with the Niners traveling cross-country could also be an advantage for Atlanta in Week 7.
What should the Falcons' defense expect from the 49ers' offense?
We talked a little bit about the 49ers' offense, and this will be a daunting test for a Falcons' defense that got lit up by the Bears on Sunday. Caleb Williams incompleted just six passes, and given Purdy just became the NFL's leader in career passer rating on Monday, this will be a similarly difficult task.
Even if Evans doesn't play due to his Achilles tendonitis and they're down him and Deebo, this defense still has McCaffrey and Kittle to slow down, and given Purdy is tied with Trevor Lawrence and Kirk Cousins for the league lead with 14 passing touchdowns and isn't very turnover-prone, this defense needs to ensure pressure keeps getting home and coverage holds up.
Hopefully A.J. Terrell is activated off IR like Stefanski said he might be and/or C.J. Henderson returns so Mike Hughes can hit the bench and the 49ers don't have a weak link to pick on on the backend. And given they converted on 50% of their third downs and all of their fourth downs, they need to be at full strength at CB.
How will the Atlanta Falcons' offense fare against the San Francisco defense?
Morris is certainly familiar with this roster and its strengths, so he should have his fingerprints all over the 49ers' gameplan on both sides of the football. But as the Niners' DC, he'll have more of an affect on his group's attempts to slow down Michael Penix Jr. and a high-octane Atlanta offense.
And while he wasn't a good head coach, he's proven to be a quality defensive coordinator, as the 49ers have the seventh-best run defense in the NFL and allowing the fifth-least yards on the season.
Morris' group also held Washington to just 53 rush yards. But it wasn't exactly the toughest group to stop, as Austin Ekeler, Rachaad White, and Jeremy McNichols is one of the worst RB rooms in football.
Going from that to containing Bijan Robinson is a very different story, and it has to be a priority for the Falcons to get Bijan Robinson going as he had just 11 touches (and nine carries) against the Bears, because a big day from No. 7 can help the offense get back to basics from a play-calling perspective.
The goal should be their defense down in order to set up the play-action game, but also to keep Purdy and their offense off the field. But the offensive line also needs to hold up, and San Francisco is bound to send pressure like they did against Daniels, especially if they get Nick Bosa back on Sunday.
But they have a solid secondary. Deommodore Lenoir will spend the day shadowing Drake London, while safety Malik Mustapha will be involved in slowing down Kyle Pitts after his big day. But the real issue is Fred Warner preventing this run game from getting off the ground, because that's how the Falcons win.
It's not impossible to suggest the Falcons can pull off an upset and hand the 49ers their first loss of the season--and Stefanski pulling one over on Raheem Morris would be an added bonus.
Add us as a preferred source on Google