One week after Bijan Robinson led the Atlanta Falcons' surprise win over the Buffalo Bills in prime time, another star running back stole the NFL spotlight. This time, it was Christian McCaffrey who led the way, as the San Francisco 49ers veteran eclipsed 200 scrimmage yards to carry Kyle Shanahan's still-depleted NFC West contender to a 20-10 victory on "Sunday Night Football."
McCaffrey's multipurpose showcase, which included two rushing scores, helped offset an underwhelming showing from quarterback Mac Jones, who finished with just 152 yards and an interception in place of the injured Brock Purdy. So, too, did a dominant outing from Robert Saleh's defense, which despite missing iconic veterans like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner swarmed and rattled Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., especially in the latter stages of the low-scoring competition.
Pass rusher Bryce Huff, who was acquired via trade in the offseason, had a strip-sack of Penix and nearly got a second forced fumble late in the game, doing his best impression of Bosa. Meanwhile, second-year reserve Tatum Bethune filled in for Warner at linebacker and thrived, leading the 49ers with 10 tackles, including one behind the line. Backup cornerback Chase Lucas also had a fourth-down pass breakup while defending Drake London and nearly recovered a would-be Penix fumble in the closing minutes.
Robinson still fared reasonably well as a pass outlet for Penix, catching six throws and scoring once, but he was mostly bottled up on the ground. The Falcons were once again plagued by curious play-calling and personnel usage, with Robinson notably subbed out for Atlanta's failed fourth-down try, and fell to 3-3 on the season with the defeat. The 49ers, on the other hand, now lead the NFC West at 5-2, sharing the same record with the rival Los Angeles Rams.
Here are some big-picture takeaways from Sunday night's matchup:
The 49ers defense is deeper than we realized
Losing Bosa, one of the game's top sack artists, was daunting enough. Then Warner, the heart and soul of the 49ers' defense, went down, too. Somehow San Francisco ... got better? Well, maybe that's a stretch, but what Robert Saleh's unit put on display Sunday was postseason-caliber punishment. Bryce Huff looked like a freak of nature rounding the corner in pursuit of Penix, Bethune showed solid instincts on the second level, and the corner group never let Penix challenge them down the field. Better offenses will test them more (see: Week 6's loss to the Buccaneers), but maybe we shouldn't be so quick to write them off for the stretch run. There's still a tangible level of nastiness emanating from the front seven.
Atlanta may have an identity crisis on offense
Or perhaps it's the opposite: The Falcons know their identity; it's just a rote, predictable and sluggish one. Too harsh? Probably. When they feed Robinson, usually good things happen. And they kind of did in little spurts, when Robinson served as Penix's safety valve out of the backfield. But Bijan's absurd combo of reliability and versatility has almost seemed to shackle coordinator Zac Robinson to horizontal concepts -- a screen here, a pitch there, but nothing to truly put Penix's rocket arm to work, at least consistently. It shows up when Penix is then asked to string together big-time throws with unsteady pockets; the timing, the decisiveness, the touch just isn't in sync. Maybe the inexperience of the quarterback is part of it. But the unit feels incomplete.
It's probably time for Brock Purdy again
This is presuming Brock Purdy is healthy enough to actually return to the field (and hopefully stay there) in the next week or so. Jones had a solid run in place of the injured starter; a 4-1 record as the fill-in isn't anything to sneeze at, especially considering how poised Jones was in his first relief efforts. But Jones' warts have shown more in recent outings, and Sunday's matchup with the Falcons was the most concerning. McCaffrey's all-purpose action saved the day, while Jones tried one too many times to push the ball in a game he just needed to manage with care. Again, it wasn't a losing effort for the backup, but you could see a little more clearly why Purdy's more natural mobility and off-script pizzazz actually elevates San Francisco's arsenal.
