The 49ers face the Atlanta Falcons on 1978-11-05 at the visitors' stadium. Steve DeBerg is the starting quarterback. O.J. Simpson is in the running back rotation in his first 49ers year after the Buffalo trade. Freddie Solomon and Paul Hofer are the receivers.
The roster transition under general manager Joe Thomas continues to define the year.[1]
The Sunday matchup against the Atlanta Falcons is the kind of road game where the roster's offensive line has the matchup the coaching staff has been pointing toward all week. The Joe Thomas front-office tenure continues to be defined by the post-Brodie quarterback room.
Steve DeBerg is the listed starter. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the Atlanta Falcons' offensive line. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the staff has been working through.
Around the conference Week 10 continues to shape the 1978 playoff race. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins share the NFC East projection. The Rams remain the NFC West projected leader. The road matchup with the Atlanta Falcons is the calendar's sense-check on the rebuilt 49ers roster's pacing. The Sunday closes a week where the playoff race continues to clarify across the divisional standings.
Through 9 games the 49ers are tracking the kind of pace that, in calendar 1978, defines the roster transition under Joe Thomas. Steve DeBerg's passing line is the offensive identity. O.J. Simpson is in the rushing rotation. The Atlanta Falcons are tracking their own divisional standing. Vegas opens the lines accordingly.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-1 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-4 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 5-4 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 7-2 | W6 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-3 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 5-4 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 3-6 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 6-3 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-4 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-5 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-6 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-7 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 7-2 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-4 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-4 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 7-2 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-4 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-5 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-6 | L6 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-6 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 7-2 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-3 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 5-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-5 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 1-8 | W1 |
49ers 3, Atlanta Falcons 049ers 3, Atlanta Falcons 749ers 3, Atlanta Falcons 1449ers 10, Atlanta Falcons 2149ers 10, Atlanta Falcons 21[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3331010 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 07142121 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 19 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Steve Bartkowski 1 yard rush ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Wallace Francis 37 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 3-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Bubba Bean 1 yard rush ( Tim Mazzetti kick) | 3-21 |
| 49ers | Paul Hofer 3 yard rush ( Ray Wersching kick) | 10-21 |
The home effort came up short 10-21 on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on 1978-11-05. DeBerg threw for 75 across 20 attempts in his last start before being benched. Bob Ferrell ran for 63 on 18 carries. The Falcons scored 14 first-quarter points to take an early lead the 49ers did not close. Steve DeBerg threw the kind of passing line the offense has been working through. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that defined the afternoon.[1]
San Francisco lost 10-21 against the Atlanta Falcons. DeBerg threw for 75 across 20 attempts in his last start before being benched. Bob Ferrell ran for 63 on 18 carries. The Falcons scored 14 first-quarter points to take an early lead the 49ers did not close. The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of game-script the calendar's transition year has been working through. Steve DeBerg threw the kind of passing line the offense has been producing across the start.
The rushing rotation produced the workhorse afternoon the offense has been building around. The receiver room caught the routes the playbook has been calling. The defensive unit produced the kind of pressure that, in calendar 1978, defines the rebuild's progress. The Sunday's outcome sets the next week's posture.
49ers 10, Atlanta Falcons 21. Margin: minus 11. The Sunday's box score reads in line with the calendar's transition-year pacing. Steve DeBerg's passing line came through. The rushing rotation produced the workhorse line. The defensive unit produced its pressure.
A 10-21 road loss at the Atlanta Falcons. The 49ers' transition-year calendar continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
DeBerg threw for 75 across 20 attempts in his last start before being benched. Bob Ferrell ran for 63 on 18 carries. The Falcons scored 14 first-quarter points to take an early lead the 49ers did not close. The Sunday's full-sixty produced the kind of game-flow the staff has been working through across the season's first weeks.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in calendar 1978, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the year's transition.
By the numbers
Steve DeBerg's passing line came through. The rushing rotation ran the workhorse line. The receiver room caught the route distribution. The defensive unit produced the pressure that, in transition-year play, defines the calendar's pacing.
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort the staff has been projecting. The Joe Thomas front-office continues to shape the depth chart. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in calendar 1978, defines the transition-year pace.
What it means
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 6/20 | 75 | 0 | 1 | |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Steve Bartkowski | 14/26 | 164 | 1 | 1 | |
| June Jones | 2/3 | 46 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Bob Ferrell | 18 | 63 | 0 | 13 |
| Paul Hofer | 11 | 34 | 1 | 13 |
| O.J. Simpson | 5 | 15 | 0 | 7 |
| Steve DeBerg #17 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Greg Boykin | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| ATL | ||||
| Ricky Patton | 10 | 33 | 0 | 8 |
| Haskel Stanback | 8 | 28 | 0 | 9 |
| Steve Bartkowski | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Bubba Bean | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| Ray Strong | 3 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| Mike Esposito | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| George Franklin | 1 | -8 | 0 | -8 |
| June Jones | 3 | -16 | 0 | -2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Kenny Harrison | 2 | 63 | 0 | 50 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Paul Seal | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Elmo Boyd | 1 | -7 | 0 | -7 |
| ATL | ||||
| Wallace Francis | 4 | 75 | 1 | 37 |
| Billy Ryckman | 3 | 59 | 0 | 27 |
| Jim Mitchell | 3 | 24 | 0 | 11 |
| Alfred Jackson | 2 | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| George Franklin | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Bubba Bean | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1978 W10 - 49ers at Atlanta Falcons - Game Thread
