Did 49ers’ loss to Falcons reveal how to beat them again?

On the other hand, the Niners (3-3) — who boasted the NFL’s top-ranked defense coming into Sunday’s game — were barely allowed
Markus Mariota
throwing a “perfect” game (he was 13-on-14 for 129 yards and two touchdowns) and was knocked down by two running backs that even most fantasy football players have never heard of. For the record: Caleb Huntley and Tyler Allgeier combined for 110 yards in 31 carries, with Mariota adding another 50 in six runs, including the 3-yard touchdown 57 seconds before halftime that gave Atlanta the final lead.

“We knew it was going to be a physical game,” said 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson, who had nine tackles. “It was all of that and then some. I think that was their game plan. I mean, I don’t blame them.”

If you want to blame someone for the Niners’ failure to go toe-to-toe with the tenacious Falcons (3-3), round up the usual scapegoats.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (29/41, 296 yards) helped San Francisco overcome an early 14-0 deficit with two touchdown passes to rediscovered receiver Brandon Aiyuk only to throw two interceptions, the first essentially a Hail Mary -Equivalent at the end of the first half and the second a high pass that bounced off Deebo Samuel’s hands.

Coach Kyle Shanahan, back at the stadium where he was coordinating a prolific offense for a team that would hold a 25-point lead (too early?) in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, inexplicably left the Niners deliberately cowering on a nightmare one Fourth quarter drive that lasted more than eight minutes but didn’t score any points. It wasn’t quite Donovan McNabb at the maddening end of the Super Bowl XXXIX level, but the vibe was similar.

“It took a really long time,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said of the drive that started at the Niners 1-yard line with 10:42 left and San Francisco 14 behind. “I think it took us five minutes to get there at the 20-yard line.” That was a slight exaggeration – and one was ultimately due to a failed pass to Samuel on the 4th and 2nd of the Falcons ’19 with 2:34 left in question.

There was also a return of Jeff Wilson’s fumble late in the first quarter that turned into a Falcons touchdown, with safety Jaylinn Hawkins deftly rushing down on teammate AJ Terrell’s fumble in the end zone after Terrell appeared to scoop a 22-yard scoop-and -Score had completed. Hawkins, a former Cal star, later lived up to his “Takers” pedigree by intercepting the pass that ricocheted off Samuel’s hands in the second game of the fourth quarter.

It’s difficult to pin Sunday’s result on a defense that included missing three-quarters of their starting line – including star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who may be able to return from a groin injury next Sunday to chase Mahomes. But the Niners defenders, proud of the unit’s strength and determination, didn’t want to hear that sad tale after the game.

“No, that’s not it,” said defender Samson Ebukam (eight duels) about the injuries. “We just didn’t do our job, the whole game. It doesn’t matter if people got hurt; we would have been fine if we had watched our Ps and Qs. This isn’t rocket science. Do your job, do it physically, beat the man in front of you… just play better.

Ebukam and the Niners’ surviving defenders didn’t play well enough on Sunday against a team that basically stayed true to their nature – Falcons coach Arthur Smith imported his penalty attack from the Titans, although the 49ers should be grateful. Don’t bring Derrick Henry with you.

The question is, have the Falcons created a blueprint for a long-term attack on the Niners, or will the return of at least some of the paused players make this a futile proposition?