The 49ers (7-2) travel to the Georgia Dome for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons (7-2). Chris Chandler is the starter under Dan Reeves. Jamal Anderson is the back; Terance Mathis and Tony Martin are the receivers. The Falcons are on a four-game winning streak.
Steve Young is back at starter after the Week 10 absence. Ty Detmer is the backup. Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Jerry Rice is full-go.[1][2]
The Atlanta Falcons come into Sunday's home game 7-2 and tied with the 49ers for the NFC's wild-card lead behind the Vikings. Dan Reeves' first year has produced the kind of offense the team's last decade did not produce. Chris Chandler is throwing for 280 yards per game. Jamal Anderson is on pace for 1,800 rushing. Terance Mathis is in his best season as a starter. The 49ers' Sunday issue is the secondary's coverage on Mathis, who caught two touchdowns at 3Com in Week 4.
Week 11 has the Atlanta-49ers rematch in the conference's most-anticipated road game plus a slate where the wild-card race is settling. The Broncos sit at 10-0; the Vikings 9-1; the 49ers 7-2; the Falcons 7-2. The AFC East has the Dolphins at 7-3 and the Bills 5-5. Inside the division the storyline is the Broncos' chase of 1972's perfect season. The 49ers' Sunday at the Georgia Dome is the conference's only matchup of teams tied for the wild-card lead.
Through nine games the 49ers sit at 7-2 with a plus 87 point differential. Young returns at starter after the Week 10 absence. Hearst averages 4.7 yards per carry and is on pace for 1,500 rushing. Bryant Young has 10 sacks across the first nine. Atlanta is 7-2 with Chandler averaging 280 passing per game and Anderson 5.0 a carry. Vegas opens the Falcons as 4-point home favorites.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-2 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-3 | W1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 5-4 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-6 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-7 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 6-3 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 6-3 | W4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-4 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 5-4 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 9-0 | W9 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6-3 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-4 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-5 | L4 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-6 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-2 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-2 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-5 | L2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-6 | W1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-1 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-3 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-5 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-6 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-3 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-4 | -- |
| New York Giants | 3-6 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-7 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 1-8 | L1 |
Jamal Anderson ran for 100 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns and the Atlanta Falcons beat the 49ers 31-19 at the Georgia Dome. Steve Young threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Jerry Rice caught 10 for 169 and a touchdown. Terrell Owens caught 3 for 87 and a touchdown. Chris Chandler threw for 198 and a touchdown. The Falcons led 24-12 at halftime.[1][2]
Jamal Anderson ran for one hundred yards on thirty-one carries and the Falcons won 31-19 at the Georgia Dome. The Sunday at Atlanta was the kind of NFC West road game that decides the divisional tiebreaker and the conference's wild-card seeding.
Jerry Rice caught ten for 169. The future Hall of Famer's best statistical afternoon since 1996. Steve Young threw for 342. Terrell Owens added 87 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers' offense produced 397 total yards. The defense surrendered Anderson's 100 rushing on the workhorse 31-carry script and gave up 14 third-quarter points.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 7-3 with the home game against the Saints on Sunday next. Atlanta sits at 8-2 with the divisional tiebreaker over San Francisco. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the secondary's afternoon. The film room is going to spend the week on the front rotation against Anderson and the third-quarter game-script.
Falcons 31, 49ers 19. Margin: minus 12. Record: 7-3, plus 75 differential. • Young: 21-of-40 for 342, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 3 rushes for 15. • Hearst: 16 carries for 56; 1 catch for minus 1. • Rice: 10 catches for 169, 1 TD (highest receiving line of the year). • Owens: 3 catches for 87, 1 TD. • Edwards: 2 catches for 18. • Chandler: 12-of-21 for 198, 1 TD. • Anderson: 31 carries for 100 (3.2 ypc), 2 TDs. • Christian: 4 catches for 48. • Mathis: 3 catches for 49.
A 31-19 road loss at the Georgia Dome. The 49ers fall to 7-3 with the divisional tiebreaker now sitting at Atlanta.
How it unfolded
Atlanta opened with a Chandler touchdown drive ending in a Mathis 12-yard score. The 49ers responded with a Wade Richey field goal. Anderson's first rushing touchdown made it 14-3. Owens caught the 39-yard touchdown to cut it to 14-12. The second quarter produced a second Anderson rushing touchdown and a Morten Andersen field goal to push the lead to 24-12 at the half. The third quarter belonged to the Falcons: a Chandler touchdown to Tony Martin to make it 31-12. Rice caught a 14-yard touchdown to cut it to 31-19; the 49ers added no further scoring.
The turning point
The second-quarter second Anderson touchdown. With the 49ers down 14-12 and the defense facing fourth-and-one at the Falcons' 41, Reeves called the goal-line dive that Anderson converted. The 21-12 cushion turned into 24-12 by the half and the 49ers' offense never closed the gap against the Falcons' second-half script.
By the numbers
Young 21-of-40 for 342 with two touchdowns and one pick. Rice 10 catches for 169 with a touchdown; his highest receiving yardage line of the year. Owens 3 catches for 87 with a score. Hearst 56 on 16 carries (3.5 ypc); the Falcons' front held the running game below 4.0 a carry for the first time of the year. Chandler 198 with a touchdown; Anderson 100 on 31 carries with two scores.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 21/40 | 342 | 2 | 1 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Chris Chandler | 12/21 | 198 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 16 | 56 | 0 | 20 |
| Steve Young #8 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 11 |
| Terry Kirby | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| ATL | ||||
| Jamal Anderson | 31 | 100 | 2 | 10 |
| Chris Chandler | 4 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| Ken Oxendine | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 10 | 169 | 1 | 65 |
| Terrell Owens | 3 | 87 | 1 | 54 |
| Mark Harris | 1 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| Marc Edwards | 2 | 18 | 0 | 13 |
| J.J. Stokes | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Greg Clark | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Terry Kirby | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Garrison Hearst | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| ATL | ||||
| Terance Mathis | 1 | 78 | 1 | 78 |
| Bob Christian | 4 | 48 | 0 | 19 |
| Tony Martin | 4 | 44 | 0 | 13 |
| O.J. Santiago | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Jamal Anderson | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Brian Kozlowski | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
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