49ers' offense has to excel for win in Atlanta
San Francisco has best defense but it's wounded now
ATLANTA >> Too much drama has unfolded in the 49ers' history with the Falcons for this Sunday's affair to be a humdrum, run-the-ball matchup.
Before rehashing old tales, this is the here-andnow situation:
The 49ers (3-2) are seeking a third straight win, and, for the third straight year, they're looking to sweep both games of an East Coast swing that included a week-long layover in West Virginia.
The Falcons (2-3) are 5 ½-point home underdogs, ready to welcome in a former NFC West rival (19672001) for its maiden voyage into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which opened in 2017.
If the 49ers win this 82nd all-time meeting, they'll pull even at 20-20-1 in visits to Atlanta. Rather than exhume this series' totality, just remember these dramatic moments and key players:
FANTASTIC FINISHES >> The Falcons' Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (1983 Hail Mary catch-and-run) and Julio Jones (2019, last-second touchdown catch-and-lean), and the 49ers' Terrell Owens (2001 overtime score) and NaVorro Bowman (2013 `Pick-Six at The Stick')
PLAYOFF GAMES >> The 1998 49ers lost a divisional playoff at Atlanta, after losing Garrison Hearst to a broken ankle on the first snap. The 2012 49ers rallied behind Frank Gore's two touchdowns and their defense's late stop to clinch the NFC Championship in Atlanta.
RECORD SETTERS >> Joe Montana threw a career-high six touchdown passes and Jerry Rice caught a careerhigh five in a 1990 win at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
More recently, the 49ers won last December at home behind strong efforts from their defense, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jeff Wilson Jr. Those should also be Sunday's key factors. Here are some keys to this matchup:
1. TURNING A NEW CORNER >> Losing cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to an anterior cruciate ligament tear was reminiscent of Jason Verrett's last season: Yes, on synthetic grass, but also on the opening game of a 10-day road trip that led to sullen words about losing a well-liked leader.
This cornerback corps is deeper than last year's. With newcomer Charvarius Ward comfortable saying he's “CB1” — and deservingly so — the 49ers must turn to one of their young, somewhat untested draft picks to replace Moseley, at least until Verrett's ACL comeback is cleared, which isn't likely for this game.
Deommodore Lenoir is up for that challenge, after being targeted a lot in Carolina. “I like that. I get to show my ball skills, my instincts and that I can make plays,” said Lenoir, who's following his mentor Richard Sherman's advice to evoke “supreme confidence.” If not Lenoir, then the 49ers could turn to Sam Womack III, Ambry Thomas, Qwuantrezz Knight and, perhaps, veteran Dontae Johnson.
This isn't a greater priority because the Falcons' passing attack ranks 30th, led by rookie Drake London (22 catches, two touchdowns) and hamstring-hindered Kyle Pitts (10 catches, no scores).
2. OFFENSIVE HOT STREAK >> This is the game George Kittle goes big (see: over 50 yards for the first time this season). This is the game Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel or both eclipse 100 yards. This is the game Jauan Jennings gets the ball in his hands more, as Garoppolo suggested after last game.
Look, the 49ers want to run more than pass. That said, it would serve them well to parlay last week's offensive outburst and get as many offensive weapons involved.
Why? Because of what looms next Sunday at Levi's Stadium: a potential shootout against the NFL's No. 1-scoring team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers kept their humility in check this past week by saying they could have scored more in Carolina than 37 points (actually 30 if you don't count Moseley's pick-six).
Garoppolo wants to spread the wealth, saying: “It's exciting that we have a good group, where it's not all about, `Hey, I need this catch, I need that catch,' or, `It was supposed to go to me here.' It's cool to have guys like that all on the same page.”
3. SECOND-LINE ACTION >> Defensive tackles Arik Armstead (feet, ankle) and Javon Kinlaw (knee) remain out, and with Nick Bosa (groin) ailing but possibly playing, the 49ers' depth must come through and get through to Marcus Mariota.
Bring on the “B” team! Inside will be Kevin Givens and Hassan Ridgeway, with likely cameos from Charles Omenihu and Kerry Hyder Jr., that latter pair of veterans also helping on the edge rush.
Those ends, including Samson Ebukam and Drake Jackson, must stay on task and not allow Mariota (or the Falcons' running backs) to bounce outside. Mariota was sacked five times in last Sunday's loss to the Bucs, and he ranks just 30th in completing 57 percent of his passes.
The 49ers beat Mariota in his only other appearance against them: December 2017, in Garoppolo's first start at Levi's Stadium when Mariota was with the Titans.
4. KEEP GAROPPOLO CLEAN >> Grady Jarrett delivered one of the NFL's most controversial plays this season when a sack of Tom Brady resulted in an unnecessary roughness call, for merely wrapping Brady up and rolling him to the ground.
Garoppolo, Brady's former understudy with the Patriots, took notice of the Falcons' “very disciplined” defense. “It starts with Grady Jarrett up front. He's a wrecker in the run game and pass game,” Garoppolo said.
Jarrett, an eighth-year veteran, will be a tough test for a still-suspect offensive line playing without left tackle Trent Williams for a third straight game.
In winning the past two games, Garoppolo has been sacked twice, thrown three touchdown passes and had none of his 57 passes intercepted.
5. LINEBACKERS MUST RULE >> In winning the Falcons' last home game, against the Cleveland Browns, coach Arthur Smith was captured by NFL Films' mics telling his staff: “All right guys, here's what we're doing: We're going to run the (heck) out of this football.”
“They're physical and they finish. They run the ball,” defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said. “They don't try to hide it. They're not disguising it. They want to play smashmouth football.”
Well, so do 49ers linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Or, shall we say Greenlaw first because he leads the team with 49 tackles to Warner's 34? Regardless, they're again emerging as the 49ers' best linebacker duo since Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman helped win that 2012 NFC Championship in Atlanta.
“I wouldn't go as bold to say me and him are Pat and NaVorro. That's a pretty big statement, if we were to say that,” Warner said. “But, at the same time, of course our mindset is to be the best.”
The Falcons won't have Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) but they still rely on the same principle that's made them the NFL's thirdmost productive rushing attack, now featuring Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley, Avery Williams and Mariota.
“First things first for this week: We're worried about stopping the run,” Ryans said. “That's one thing that we're committed to and we know they're going to be committed to it as well.”