Michael Penix finished 21-38 for 241 yards and one touchdown, spreading the ball around with four receivers accumulating 40-plus yards. He suffered a bone bruise during the game, but did finish. Coach Raheem Morris told reporters that Penix will be “day-to-day” and “he’s as tough as it gets.”
Darnell Mooney led the receiving unit with 68 yards, while tight end Kyle Pitts had a team high seven receptions. But none of it was enough. Even in their first game without All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, the 49ers defense made the plays to stifle what had been a hot Falcons offense in recent weeks.
“Some missed opportunities out there,” Morris said. “We have to do a better job coaching. We have to do a better job playing. Ultimately, those things fall on us and we’ll get them fixed.”
On the other side of the ball, the Falcons defense—a week after sacking Josh Allen four times—could only get to Mac Jones once. The biggest difference though was being unable to stop McCaffrey, who had his best day this season, finishing with 129 yards on 24 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns, as well as seven receptions for 72 yards through the air. Some of that was due to linebacker Divine Deablo leaving in the first half with a forearm injury. He left the stadium in a sling and will miss some time, according to Morris.
“Deablo will be week-to-week,” Morris said. “We’ll kind of get a feel for what that is. He’ll miss some time, obviously.”