Falcons Hand 49ers First Loss of Season With 29-20 Win in Atlanta

The Atlanta Falcons handed the San Francisco 49ers their first loss of the season on Sunday, winning 29-20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta behind three touchdown passes from Michael Penix Jr. and a defense that forced four turnovers.

Atlanta scored 13 points off those turnovers, while San Francisco finished with none of its own. “Any time you have four turnovers like that and you get zero, it’s real tough to win,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Too sloppy to win.”

Turnovers decide the game

Penix threw scoring passes to tight ends Nick Muse and Kyle Pitts, then gave Atlanta a 26-14 lead with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Drake London in the fourth quarter. Penix completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards with no interceptions, and the Falcons improved to 3-4 with their first home win of the season.

San Francisco’s last chance faded late. Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels intercepted Brock Purdy’s pass intended for Jordan Watkins with 2:34 remaining, Purdy’s second interception of the game, and Nick Folk followed with a 31-yard field goal. Daniels then recovered a fumble by George Kittle with less than a minute left to close out the win.

Purdy completed 27 of 40 passes for 288 yards with one touchdown and the two interceptions. His 1-yard scoring pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk with 5:05 remaining cut Atlanta’s lead to 26-20, but Eddy Pineiro’s extra-point attempt went wide left, his fourth missed extra point of the season.

An injury-limited 49ers offense

San Francisco, already thin at wide receiver, lost more room to move when running back Christian McCaffrey missed much of the first half with a thigh injury. McCaffrey returned for the second half but did not take his normal workload, and he finished with seven carries for 39 yards. The 49ers had only six turnovers in their first six games before Sunday.

San Francisco had built a 14-3 lead on Kaelon Black’s 30-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. Atlanta answered with 23 unanswered points, and a long review took away Purdy’s apparent 23-yard touchdown pass to Watkins before Za’Darius Smith sacked Purdy on fourth down.

Kittle led San Francisco with eight catches for 88 yards, and McCaffrey added six receptions for 61 yards. Bijan Robinson rushed for 63 yards for Atlanta, which snapped a two-game skid.

San Francisco, now 6-1, has a bye week next and then hosts Las Vegas on November 8. Atlanta visits Tampa Bay next Sunday.

Reporting based on coverage by the Associated Press.