The 49ers (2-1) host the Atlanta Falcons (0-4) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. June Jones is the Falcons' head coach in his third year. Bobby Hebert is the starter. Jamal Anderson is the back. Roell Preston and Bert Emanuel are the receivers.
Steve Young is on the injury report with a groin pull. Elvis Grbac is the listed starter. Derek Loville is the lead back.[1][2]
Elvis Grbac is the listed starter at 3Com Park Sunday. Steve Young's groin is the kind of late-week injury report that, in calendar 1996, has been the franchise's recurring story. The Falcons under June Jones are 0-4 with the offense averaging 14 points per game. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the kind of home matchup where the schedule offers the staff exactly one chance to evaluate Grbac at starter.
Week 5 has the schedule's home matchup against the NFC West's projected bottom team plus a slate where the divisional races are clarifying. The Cowboys sit at 3-1; the Packers 4-0; the Panthers 2-2. The AFC East has the Patriots at 3-1 and the Bills 3-1. Around the league the storyline is the Packers' continued dominance. Inside the division the Falcons are 0-4, the Saints 0-4, the Rams 0-4. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the only divisional matchup of the slate.
Through three games the 49ers sit at 2-1 with a plus 34 point differential. Young is on the injury report. Grbac's last NFL start was 1995. Loville is on pace for 1,100 rushing. The Falcons are 0-4 with Hebert averaging 195 passing per game. Vegas opens the 49ers as 14-point home favorites. A figure to follow: Grbac's first-quarter completion percentage in his first start since 1995.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-1 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-1 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1-2 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-2 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 4-0 | W4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-1 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3-1 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-2 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 0-4 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-0 | W4 |
| Denver Broncos | 3-1 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-1 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-3 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-3 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 3-0 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-1 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-2 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-3 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-4 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 4-0 | W4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 3-1 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-2 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 1-3 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-4 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-1 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 3-1 | W3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1-3 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1-3 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 1-3 | W1 |
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Elvis Grbac threw for 222 yards and a touchdown in his first 1996 start, Derek Loville added 35 receiving yards and the 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons 39-17 at 3Com Park. J.J. Stokes caught 7 for 88. Jerry Rice caught 7 for 72 with a touchdown. Bobby Hebert threw for 206 with two touchdowns. The 49ers led 27-3 at halftime.[1][2]
Elvis Grbac made his first 1996 start and the 49ers won 39-17 at 3Com Park. The third-year backup's pocket reads against the Falcons' defensive front looked the cleanest of his short NFL career. J.J. Stokes caught seven for 88. Jerry Rice caught seven for 72 and a touchdown.
The defensive front produced four sacks of Bobby Hebert. Bryant Young registered two. The 49ers' offense scored on seven of nine possessions. The Falcons' offense, with Hebert throwing two touchdowns, produced 17 points across the closing two quarters after trailing 27-3 at the half.
The 49ers walk away 3-1 with the road trip to St. Louis on Sunday next. The home record is 3-0. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Grbac's first 1996 start. The film room is going to spend the week on the front rotation against Hebert.
49ers 39, Falcons 17. Margin: plus 22. Record: 3-1.
A 39-17 home win over the Falcons. The 49ers improve to 3-1 in Elvis Grbac's first 1996 start.
How it unfolded
Grbac opened with a touchdown drive ending in a Rice 14-yard score. The Falcons answered with a Morten Andersen field goal. The second quarter produced three 49ers touchdowns: two short Loville rushing scores and a Grbac touchdown to Brent Jones to push the lead to 27-3 at the half. The third quarter saw a Falcons touchdown to make it 27-10. A Wade Richey field goal and a Vardell rushing touchdown made it 36-10. The Falcons added a fourth-quarter touchdown to make the final 39-17.
The turning point
The first-quarter Grbac-to-Rice touchdown. With the 49ers driving from midfield and the offense facing third-and-six at the Falcons' 14, Grbac found Rice on a slant. The 7-3 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture from the first quarter forward.
By the numbers
Grbac 22-of-36 for 222 with one touchdown and no interceptions; the cleanest first-start passing line of his career. Stokes 7 catches for 88. Rice 7 catches for 72 with the score. Loville 18 on 8 carries; the running game produced 96 yards. Defensively the front produced four sacks (Bryant Young 2, Stubblefield 1, Junior Bryant 1).
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Elvis Grbac | 22/36 | 222 | 1 | 0 | |
| Terry Kirby | 1/1 | 24 | 1 | 0 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Bobby Hebert | 17/32 | 206 | 2 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Anthony Lynn | 1 | 67 | 0 | 67 |
| Derek Loville | 8 | 18 | 0 | 10 |
| Dexter Carter | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Terry Kirby | 4 | 14 | 0 | 9 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Elvis Grbac | 4 | 13 | 0 | 12 |
| Tommy Vardell | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| ATL | ||||
| Jamal Anderson | 14 | 67 | 0 | 19 |
| Craig Heyward | 9 | 55 | 0 | 14 |
| Eric Metcalf | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| J.J. Stokes | 7 | 88 | 0 | 40 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 7 | 72 | 1 | 24 |
| Tommy Vardell | 5 | 35 | 0 | 14 |
| Terrell Owens | 1 | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| Ted Popson | 2 | 20 | 1 | 16 |
| Sean Manuel | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| ATL | ||||
| Roell Preston | 6 | 65 | 1 | 17 |
| Tyrone Brown | 4 | 59 | 1 | 22 |
| Eric Metcalf | 3 | 44 | 0 | 25 |
| Terance Mathis | 3 | 29 | 0 | 12 |
| Jamal Anderson | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
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