It wasn't perfect, but San Francisco 49ers They cruised to a 20-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night at Levi's Stadium.
A lack of perfection will likely define the 49ers' season as they try to overcome injuries to some of their best players, but Sunday's result was further proof that despite various health concerns, the 49ers are a team to be reckoned with in the NFC. At 5-2, they remain atop the NFC West and in third place overall in the conference.
Here are eight takeaways from the 49ers' fifth win of the season:
The 49ers got vintage Christian McCaffrey.
Seven weeks passed and McCaffrey finally looked like himself again. The 49ers' superstar running back was explosive, forced some misses and led the offense in nearly every category. He was their leading rusher with a season-high 129 yards. He also scored just two touchdowns and led the club with seven receptions and 72 receiving yards. McCaffrey has helped keep the 49ers afloat all year, but on Sunday night he helped them look more like a resilient offense than just stringing together enough plays to win.
George Kittle's return is a big deal.
It can't be overstated how much Kittle's return has helped the 49ers improve their game. Kittle didn't have any catches, but this stat from Next Gen Stats tells the whole story of what Kittle means to San Francisco's offense.
Mac Jones' two powerful shots shine on a slow evening
Because the ground game was working, the 49ers didn't need much from their backup QB. Jones was 17 of 26 for 152 yards and one interception. The turnover came as a result of a pass from WR Jauan Jennings, who likely should have made the catch. However, Jones made two crucial plays on Sunday night. The first came before the 49ers' first touchdown of the second quarter. On third-and-4, Jones came under pressure and rolled left before throwing through four defenders to McCaffrey, who was picked off at the 1-yard line. McCaffrey scored on the next play.
Later in the red zone, Jones found McCaffrey on third-and-13, where the running back slid behind the linebacker and in front of the defender to pick off Jones' throw at the 4-yard line. McCaffrey scored one play later.
Those two moves to third were important moves by the backup QB on a night when their offense wasn't asking him to carry the load.
Fred Warner's replacement, Tatum Bethune, takes the field.
Bethune, a seventh-round draft pick in 2024, looked ready for a tough matchup against Atlanta. He was all over the field for the 49ers and led the team with 10 tackles. He also put pressure on the Falcons' top drive. Bethune briefly left the game in the first quarter and remained silent on the issue after the game when speaking with NBC reporter Melissa Starks. It wasn't perfect from Bethune, who got out of position a couple times, but it was nonetheless an impressive outing that gives some hope to the 49ers defense even without Warner in the middle of the front seven.
49ers CB Chase Lucas had another huge game.
Lucas emerged as a preseason star for San Francisco after spending last year on the practice squad. His play was enough to earn him a roster spot, and his presence helped the 49ers to two wins this season. He was the first player on the team to stop Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams on the final play on fourth down at Sophie Stadium. Then on Sunday night, with 8:20 left, he broke up a fourth-and-1 pass intended for Falcons WR Drake London. The 49ers took over at their own 35 and marched 65 yards to score the game-winning touchdown. If Lucas doesn't throw a pass on fourth down, Sunday's game could go very differently for San Francisco.
Bryce Huff takes over
The 49ers struggled to find passes when Nick Bosa wasn't on the field. Huff answered the call Sunday night with two quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. He was a nightmare for the Falcons offensive line in Atlanta's top drive. They threw multiple blockers at him and tried to leave him one-on-one, but on almost every snap he ended up in the backfield. San Francisco's defense still needs more consistency in the passing game, but being able to get home in obvious passing situations is a good start.
Eddie Pineiro remains perfect
Pineiro converted both field goal attempts, one from 55 yards and the other from 43 yards, bringing his overall score with the 49ers to a perfect 17 of 17. This is the kicker Kyle Shanahan has been waiting for.
49ers safety depth chart changes
The 49ers appear to be playing their season safely. Rookie Marquez Sigle and Ji'Ayir Brown started at the two safety spots. Jason Pinnock, who opened the season as a starter, also had some success. Malik Mustafa has seen the game and the club is trying to find a better pairing at the end of the minor game. More importantly, finding the top pair at the end of the secondary frees up other players on the depth chart to operate as chess pieces in potential wrinkles from defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
More 49ers: Kyle Shanahan provided an injury update for two starters after the win over the Falcons.
