San Francisco got the ball back at its 1 after an Atlanta punt and drove to the 19 before Garoppolo and Samuel failed to connect on fourth down. It only got worse on the second snap of the final period as Garoppolo threw deep for Samuel but had the ball picked off by Hawkins for a 14-yard gain to the Atlanta 45. That put the Niners in a 14-0 hole, and they never recovered. Terrell recovered for the Falcons at the San Francisco 22 and ran 21 yards before tight end George Kittle forced a fumble that Atlanta’s Hawkins recovered and ran in 4 yards for the TD. trying for 1 yard up the middle and getting the ball punched out by Rashaan Evans. The first-quarter fumble came as a result of running back Jeff Wilson Jr.

Then going on that first drive all the way down the field I thought was rough, fumbling, having the return for a touchdown to put us in a 14-0 hole.” “We knew it would have to be a physical game, we knew we would have to protect the ball, especially going in a little depleted. “We knew going into this game how that team was built,” Shanahan said.

Garoppolo followed with a harmless interception right before the break, and the Niners were blanked in the second half as the offense failed to capitalize when Atlanta’s offense struggled. Shanahan thought his team should have made that play.įrom there, Atlanta picked up 20 yards on a pass to Drake London and got a 16-yard run from Caleb Huntley before Mariota ran for a 3-yard score and a 21-14 lead with 57 seconds left before halftime. Quarterback Marcus Mariota, under heavy pressure, scrambled through the middle of the defense for 15 yards. “Guys have to be ready to go and ready to win regardless of the circumstances.”Ĭoach Kyle Shanahan thought the game turned late in the second quarter with the Falcons facing third-and-12 from their 39. “It truly does suck, but in the five years I’ve been here, I’ve seen it,” linebacker Fred Warner said. Star defensive end Nick Bosa didn’t dress because of a sore groin, and the team ended the game with seven defensive starters sidelined. The Niners couldn’t overcome abundant injuries, particularly on the NFL’s top-ranked defense. We’ve just got to go back to the drawing board, get back to our style of football, and I think the rest will take care of itself.” “Putting up zero points in the second half is just not us. “It’s just on the offense,” Garoppolo said after completing 29 of 41 passes for 296 yards, two scores and two picks. Garoppolo had thrown 72 consecutive passes without a pick until he was intercepted on the final drive of the first half.

That essentially sealed San Francisco’s fate and ended a two-game winning streak.

The hole in the ground download