The 49ers (2-1) host the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff in the first NFC West game of the year for both teams. Dan Reeves is in his first year as Atlanta's head coach. Billy Joe Tolliver is the starter; Jamal Anderson is the back. Bert Emanuel and Terance Mathis are the receivers.
The 49ers come off the 33-7 home win over the Saints. Steve Young is the starter; Brent Jones is back at tight end.[1][2]
Dan Reeves' first year in Atlanta is 1-2 with two close losses. Billy Joe Tolliver is the starter; the journeyman quarterback has thrown for 200-plus in two of three. Jamal Anderson is the kind of workhorse back the Reeves system has historically built around. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the first NFC West game of the year. The Falcons enter as the projected fourth team in the division behind the 49ers, Saints and Panthers.
Week 4 has the schedule's first NFC West home game for the 49ers plus a slate where the divisional races are clarifying. The Packers sit at 3-0; the Cowboys 1-2; the Vikings 3-0. The AFC East has the Patriots at 3-0 and the Bills 2-1. Around the league the storyline is the Packers' second-consecutive undefeated September. Inside the NFC West the Falcons are 1-2, the Saints 1-2, the Panthers 0-3, the Rams 0-3. The Sunday at 3Com is the only matchup of NFC West rivals on the slate.
Through three games the 49ers sit at 2-1 with a plus 19 point differential. Young is on pace for 4,500 passing yards. Hearst averages 78 rushing yards per game. Owens has 5 catches for 98 across the first three. The Falcons are 1-2 with Tolliver averaging 220 passing per game and Anderson 4.3 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 6-point home favorites. Watching today: Anderson's chase of 100 rushing yards, sitting at 92 in the previous game.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-0 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2-1 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-1 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-1 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 3-0 | W3 |
| Miami Dolphins | 2-1 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1-2 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 1-2 | L2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 3-0 | W3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-1 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-2 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1-2 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-2 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 2-1 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-1 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-2 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-3 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-0 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-1 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-1 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2-1 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-1 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 2-1 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1-2 | -- |
| New York Giants | 1-2 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-2 | L1 |
49ers vs Falcons 1997 SF35-ALT28 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #atlantafalcons 4
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49ers vs Falcons 1997 SF35-ALT28 #49ersfan #49erfaithful #atlantafalcons 3Steve Young threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns, Garrison Hearst added 83 receiving yards and the 49ers blew out the Atlanta Falcons 34-7 at 3Com Park. William Floyd caught 7 for 85 and a touchdown. Terry Kirby ran in two touchdowns. The 49ers' defense produced two sacks and held Atlanta to 162 passing yards. Jamal Anderson ran for 46 on 16 carries.[1][2]
Steve Young threw for three hundred and thirty-six yards at 3Com Park and the 49ers won 34-7. Garrison Hearst added 83 receiving on 2 catches out of the backfield. William Floyd, the fullback, caught seven for 85 with a touchdown. Terry Kirby ran in two touchdown rushes.
The 49ers led 21-0 at halftime and 31-7 entering the fourth quarter. Atlanta's offense, with Tolliver throwing for 162, produced one touchdown across the full sixty minutes. The defensive front held Anderson to 46 rushing. The secondary, with Tim McDonald at safety, held Bert Emanuel under 75 receiving.
The 49ers walk away 3-1 with the road trip to Carolina on Sunday next. The home record is 2-0. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Hearst's receiving production. The film room is going to start with the front rotation against Anderson and work outward to the receiving distribution.
49ers 34, Falcons 7. Margin: plus 27. Record: 3-1.
A 34-7 home win over the Falcons. The 49ers improve to 3-1 with the second-cleanest single-game offensive line of the start.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a 65-yard touchdown drive ending in a Kirby rushing touchdown. The Falcons went three-and-out. Young added a Stokes touchdown reception in the second quarter to push the lead to 14-0. A Kirby second touchdown made it 21-0 at the half. The third quarter produced a Wade Richey field goal and a Young touchdown to Floyd to push the lead to 31-7 after an Atlanta touchdown. A closing fourth-quarter Richey field goal made the final 34-7.
The turning point
The first-quarter Kirby touchdown. With the 49ers driving for the opening score and the offense facing fourth-and-goal from the 1, the staff called the I-formation dive that Kirby converted. The 7-0 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture from the first quarter forward.
By the numbers
Young 17-of-24 for 336 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hearst 33 rushing on 10 carries plus 83 receiving on 2 catches. Floyd 7 catches for 85 with a score; career single-game receiving high. Stokes 3 catches for 77 with a touchdown. Owens 2 catches for 48 in his quietest afternoon of the start. Defensively the front produced two sacks of Tolliver; the secondary held the Falcons' offense below 250 total yards.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 17/24 | 336 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jim Druckenmiller | 2/7 | 32 | 0 | 0 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Billy Joe Tolliver | 17/31 | 162 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tony Graziani | 3/5 | 17 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 10 | 33 | 0 | 8 |
| Terry Kirby | 4 | 21 | 2 | 15 |
| William Floyd | 4 | 20 | 0 | 12 |
| Jim Druckenmiller | 2 | -3 | 0 | -1 |
| ATL | ||||
| Jamal Anderson | 16 | 46 | 0 | 12 |
| Terance Mathis | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Harold Green | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Tony Graziani | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Byron Hanspard | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bob Christian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| William Floyd | 7 | 85 | 0 | 21 |
| Garrison Hearst | 2 | 83 | 0 | 69 |
| J.J. Stokes | 3 | 77 | 1 | 36 |
| Terrell Owens | 1 | 56 | 1 | 56 |
| Iheanyi Uwaezuoke | 3 | 41 | 0 | 25 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 11 |
| Marc Edwards | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| ATL | ||||
| Bert Emanuel | 6 | 62 | 1 | 16 |
| Terance Mathis | 4 | 35 | 0 | 13 |
| Todd Kinchen | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| O.J. Santiago | 2 | 27 | 0 | 16 |
| Harold Green | 4 | 13 | 0 | 12 |
| Bob Christian | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Jamal Anderson | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Ed West | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1997 W4 - 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons - Game Thread