The San Francisco 49ers entered Week 6 on the back of two straight wins, but they faltered and fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 28-14, on the road. This loss has the 49ers in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West together with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Here we'll look at some takeaways from the 49ers' loss in Week 6.
The 49ers' defeat in Atlanta on Sunday can be attributed to many factors. Injuries undoubtedly played a role. They provide some context for how San Francisco's game went on Sunday. They do not, however, tell the entire story.
While not as dominant as it had been in the first few weeks, the 49ers' defense struggled but made enough stops to allow the offense to re-enter the game. The 49ers, sadly, were never able to fully capitalize. They had numerous mistakes on offense, which did not allow them to overcome some of the other issues they faced in this game.
Here are our four takeaways from the 49ers' Week 6 loss vs. the Falcons.
Final from Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/IEU3SwHhJL
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 16, 2022
4. Turnover party
Turnovers always hurt, and multiple turnovers in a single game surely magnify their impact a lot more. The 49ers' three turnovers on Sunday dropped them to 0-3 in games with multiple turnovers. On the other hand, when they commit one or fewer errors, they are 3-0. Conversely, the 49ers failed to take the ball away from the Falcons even once. It's difficult for any team to win when they're losing the turnover battle so badly, but ball security is especially important for San Francisco.
One big turnover was Jeff Wilson's first-quarter fumble. WR Deebo Samuel gained seven yards on a short catch-and-run late in the first quarter. Wilson then picked up a couple on the ground to set up a third-and-1. The 49ers went back to Wilson for a yard, but he fumbled. Falcons CB A.J. Terrell recovered and ran it back for a touchdown. Ouch.
3. Absentee run game
The 49ers' usually strong run game was missing against one of the NFL's worst run defenses. There were numerous opportunities to run, but they only managed 16 attempts for 50 yards. This offense will not be successful if it continues to be as one-dimensional as it was on Sunday.
Wilson in particular, was a disappointment. He came off a 120-yard effort last week to rack up a measly 25 yards here. He also had the aforementioned fumble in the first period. He was pretty much an absentee running back in this contest, and it showed on the scoreboard.
2. Jimmy G came to play
Jimmy Garoppolo struggled in his first three starts this season, but he looked better on Sunday as he continues to find a groove. He was moving around in the pocket well, extending plays, and hitting check-downs to gain yards on potentially losing plays. He was also a couple of drops away from connecting on some deep throws that would have been game-changers.
He finished with 307 total yards and two passing touchdowns. His ledger did include two interceptions, though, which aren't ideal. To illustrate, his second INT was a typical blunder in which he attempted to force one to Samuel as an opposing cornerback closed in and got a hand on the ball to deflect it to another defensive back. Despite this, Jimmy G looked mostly in command, completing 29-of-41 passes. It wasn't enough to win on Sunday, but it was still a good sign after his rough start to the season in relief of the injured Trey Lance.
1. Walking wounded
The only 49ers starters on defense who were not injured or forced out of the game were linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. The struggle was real for the 49ers, who started the game without six of their projected starters: Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Emmanuel Moseley, and Jimmie Ward. The 49ers' defense also took another hit when No. 1 cornerback Charvarius Ward left the game in the first half with a groin injury. He never returned.
On offense, right tackle Mike McGlinchey injured his left calf on a play in which fullback Kyle Juszczyk appeared to collide with him. McGlinchey did not play in the second half anymore.
Safety Talanoa Hufanga was also taken out of the game after the first play but returned after being cleared of a concussion. Meanwhile, DE Samson Ebukam went down early in the game with a right leg injury but returned.
As these injuries mount, the window of opportunity and the margin of error continue to shrink for the 49ers. Can they bounce back with a Week 7 despite this growing list of injuries? We'll see.
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