Falcons @ 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 31, Falcons 13
Writer: Justin Herrera (@Semtexmex93 on Twitter)
The Atlanta Falcons came into Santa Clara looking to pick up a big upset against the San Francisco 49ers. The main injury in this game was the 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell, who was ruled out with a knee injury prior to kickoff. This game looked like it was going to be a battle of two teams that had something to prove but quickly turned into a one-sided shellacking in favor of the 49ers. The Niners imposed their will on the Falcons in the second half and wore out their defense. The game result was San Francisco 49ers 31, Atlanta Falcons 13.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Matt Ryan: 19/32, 236 yards, TD | 5 carries, 20 yards
Matt Ryan hit so hard he almost left the frame #49ers pic.twitter.com/nFaRpFB7k4
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) December 19, 2021
Matt Ryan had a rough outing in this game, getting hit 10 times and sacked three times. Ryan got the ball early after a Jymcal Hasty fumble on the kick return gave the Falcons the ball. The Falcons started on the Niners’ 11-yard line, and after two incompletions and a reversed TD run, they were giving the 49ers the ball without scoring. This was a sign of things to come for the Falcons on Sunday. The one good series that Ryan had was helped by a preposterous roughing the passer call on Arden Key. This got the Falcons out of a fourth down and put them in a position to score a TD. This TD would come two plays later, as Ryan would connect with Russell Gage for a 20-yard touchdown.
Ryan’s second half started off with two sacks for a loss of 14 yards and a forced fumble. Ryan would come out on the next drive and redeem himself by throwing a dime lob pass to Russell Gage for 21 yards. He then nailed Olamide Zaccheus for 49 yards. This was probably his best pass of the game and really showed us what he had left in the tank. Ryan could’ve had Tajae Sharpe for a TD if the pressure didn’t throw off his pass, so once again the Falcons couldn’t capitalize on big plays. The next two drives were a punt and a turnover on downs, with the only bright spot being Kyle Pitts showing up for a 49-yard catch. Matt Ryan couldn’t get anything going against one of the weakest secondaries in the game. This makes him a hard guy to consider streaming/playing in fantasy football.
Running Back
Mike Davis: 6 carries, 21 yards | 1 target
Cordarrelle Patterson: 7 carries, 21 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards
Quadre Ollison: 1 carry, 3 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
Cordarrelle Patterson is shut down on 4th down by Jimmie Ward! #FTTB #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/wOUhAgVarS
— Pro Football Culture (@proftblculture) December 19, 2021
Cordarrelle Patterson was awful in this game and he couldn’t get anything going, with his longest run of the game going for four yards and his average per carry being 1.6. Patterson had two chances at a TD, coming up short on a one-yard push for the TD that was reversed on the Falcons’ first drive on the first. The second time came in the fourth quarter, on a fourth and two, getting the toss to the outside, but getting stuffed by the Niners. This solidified the game for the Niners. Mike Davis was actually the more effective of the two runners, as he was breaking tackles and got 21 yards on six carries. This wasn’t nearly enough to make either fantasy relevant this week.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Russell Gage: 11 targets, 8 receptions, 91 yards, TD
Kyle Pitts: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 77 yards
Olamide Zaccheus: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 53 yards
Hayden Hurst: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
I love how Russell Gage has turned into the Falcons version of Randy Moss without Calvin Ridley. 😄pic.twitter.com/mmG2HNwgpX
— Moody (@EricNMoody) December 19, 2021
Russell Gage has proven to be the guy in this offense, looking a lot like Calvin Ridley last year. He had a 20-yard TD that was heavily contested by Ambry Thomas. He also got his opportunity to “Moss” Thomas for 21 yards. Overall, Gage was an absolute stud for the Falcons, getting targeted 11 times, catching eight passes for 91 yards.
Kyle Pitts got 49 of his 77 yards on one play in the fourth quarter. He had an awesome matchup but couldn’t take advantage of it. This has been a trend for Pitts this year and should make people worry about his fantasy value going forward. Olamide Zaccheus is another guy who got a 49-yard pass but only had 53 yards in total on the day.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo: 18/23, 235 yards, TD | 3 carries, 4 yards
Jimmy Garoppolo's best pass of the day!
Should have been pass interference but what a throw.#JimmyG pic.twitter.com/0rI7UdciDa— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) December 13, 2021
Jimmy Garoppolo was everything the Niners needed him to be in this game. He made the right decisions and didn’t give the ball away. Garoppolo came out early targeting his favorite tight end George Kittle twice for 53 yards on the Niners’ third drive. On the next drive, Garoppolo would complete all three of his passes for 54 yards, helping the team score a rushing touchdown. Jimmy G got back to work right before the half, targeting Deebo Samuel for 30 yards and Jauan Jennings for 15 yards, setting up a Deebo 10 yard TD run.
The second half started with an aborted play that was recovered by Jeff Wilson. After the fumble, Jimmy G threw a 13-yard pass down the middle to Kittle and hit Deebo in stride for a 21-yard gain, leading to a Wilson five-yard TD run. Jimmy G would finally throw his only TD of the game to Jennings, officially leading four straight touchdown scoring drives. The rest of the game was filler as the Niners’ defense had stopped the Falcons and allowed for the Niners to run out the clock. Garoppolo is a good QB when everything is going according to the script, much like today. The problem with starting him is you don’t know how well the 49ers script is going to go, so while he is a streaming option I wouldn’t say he’s the best option.
Running Back
Jeff Wilson: 21 carries, 110 yards, TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
Jymycal Hasty: 1 carry, 13 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
Kyle Juszczyk: 1 carry, 6 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
Jeff Wilson Jr. puts the @49ers up 14! #FTTB
📺: #ATLvsSF on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/KuNpULKmDC— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2021
Jeff Wilson showed up today, going for 110 yards and a TD. The majority of Wilson’s yards came in the second half when the 49ers had control of the game. Wilson’s best drive was the 49ers’ second drive of the 3rd quarter, where he went for 34 yards on four carries. Wilson used his vision and rough downhill running to wear out the Falcons and go for 72 yards in the second half while scoring a six-yard TD. Kyle Juszcyzk got his score in this game on the team’s third drive, running for a six-yard TD.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Kittle: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 93 yards
Deebo Samuel: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 60 yards | 6 carries, 29 yards, TD
Brandon Aiyuk: 2 targets, 1 reception, 36 yards
Jauan Jenning: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards, TD
Jimmy G to George Kittle!
Kittle holds on despite the big hit over the middle. pic.twitter.com/e0EBDj8NKt— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) December 20, 2021
Deebo Samuel is a bonafide playmaker, and this man is coming for your chin strap. He was a beast in the open field, getting 51 of his 60 yards on two catches, while rushing for a TD and almost throwing a TD to Brandon Aiyuk. Overall, Samuel is a must-play every week in fantasy and is the best player for yards after the catch in the entire NFL.
George Kittle has been en Fuego since his return from injury. In this game, he was able to break off big play after big play, starting off with a screen pass that he stretched for 25-yards. He followed that up with a hell of a catch over the middle for 28 yards. Kittle ate a big hit on this play and was still able to bring down the ball. He finished with 93 yards and could’ve had much more if this game was more competitive. Brandon Aiyuk continues to be one of the most underutilized parts of this offense, only receiving two targets in this game. The one reception he had was a slant route that Aiyuk stretched to a 36-yard gain. Jauan Jennings is starting to have a big role in this offense as the third receiver. Getting six targets, Jennings made the most of his opportunities early on making a 15-yard catch to get the first down on a drive that saw Deebo score a TD. Jennings would catch the game-sealing four-yard TD.
— Justin Herrera (@Semtexmex93 on Twitter)