The 49ers open 2004 at the Georgia Dome for a 10:00 PT kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons.
Tim Rattay starts at quarterback. Kevan Barlow runs the ball. Curtis Conway and Cedrick Wilson lead the receivers. Eric Johnson at tight end. Dennis Erickson begins his second year as head coach.
Michael Vick starts for Atlanta in his return from the 2003 broken leg.[1][2][3]
Dennis Erickson opens Year 2 Sunday morning in Atlanta. The kind of opener where, with the franchise coming off a 7-9 finish that ended the Steve Mariucci era, Erickson's second year faces Michael Vick in his return from injury.
Tim Rattay is the new starter after Jeff Garcia was released in the offseason. Kevan Barlow the lead back. Curtis Conway the WR1.
Favored by Atlanta by 4 at home. Vick's return is the kind of national-story matchup the schedule produces in Week 1.
Opening Sunday opens the NFC. The Falcons (with Vick back) lead the NFC South. The Rams compete with Marshall Faulk and Marc Bulger. The Seahawks compete with Matt Hasselbeck. The 49ers come off a 7-9 finish. Around the conference the Eagles, Packers, and Cowboys lead the contender talk. The opener at Atlanta is the kind of road game where Dennis Erickson's second year, with major roster turnover from the Garcia-Owens-Hearst era, gets its first read.
Through zero games the 49ers reset to last year's 7-9 finish. Tim Rattay's career stats through 2003: 8 starts, 13 TDs, 11 INTs, a 78.3 rating. Kevan Barlow averaged 4.4 yards a carry in 2003 with 691 yards. Terrell Owens was released in the offseason. Jeff Garcia released. Eric Johnson the holdover tight end. Brandon Lloyd a second-year receiver. Vegas opens Atlanta as 4-point home favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-0 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 0-0 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-0 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Alge Crumpler 15 yard pass from Michael Vick ( Jay Feely kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Warrick Dunn 2 yard rush ( Jay Feely kick) | 14-0 |
| 49ers | Todd Peterson 23 yard field goal | 14-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Todd Peterson 32 yard field goal | 14-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Warrick Dunn 9 yard rush ( Jay Feely kick) | 21-6 |
| 49ers | Cedrick Wilson 8 yard pass from Tim Rattay ( Todd Peterson kick) | 21-13 |
| 49ers | Eric Johnson 16 yard pass from Tim Rattay (pass failed) | 21-19 |
Warrick Dunn ran for 63 yards and two touchdowns and the Atlanta Falcons beat the 49ers 21-19 at the Georgia Dome in Michael Vick's return from injury. Vick threw a touchdown. Tim Rattay threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Cedrick Wilson caught seven for 94 with a touchdown. Kevan Barlow ran for 76. The 49ers fell to 0-1 in the season opener.[1][2][3]
Michael Vick returned from his 2003 broken leg Sunday morning at the Georgia Dome. The Atlanta Falcons beat the 49ers 21-19 in the kind of cross-conference road loss where the new-era 49ers, after the offseason release of Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia, faced Vick's return as a road underdog.
Tim Rattay threw two touchdown passes. Cedrick Wilson caught seven for 94 with a touchdown. Kevan Barlow ran for 76. Vick threw a touchdown to make it 21-19 in the second half. The 49ers came up short on the final drive.
0-1. The kind of opener where, with the new starter at quarterback and the new offensive identity, the road game against Vick's return produced the kind of competitive but losing performance the line predicted. The New Orleans Saints at home next Sunday in another NFC matchup. The kind of Week 1 where the year's identity tape starts with a credible-but-losing road game.
Falcons 21, 49ers 19. Margin: -2. Season opener.
* Michael Vick: 13-of-22 for 163, 1 TD, 1 INT (return from injury).
* Warrick Dunn: 19 carries for 63, 2 TDs.
* Tim Rattay: 18-of-31 for 175, 2 TDs, 1 INT.
* Kevan Barlow: 19 carries for 76.
* Cedrick Wilson: 7 catches for 94, 1 TD.
* 49ers 0-1; Falcons 1-0.
A 21-19 cross-conference road loss at the Georgia Dome in Michael Vick's return from injury. The 49ers open 2004 at 0-1.
How it unfolded
Atlanta scored on its opening drive with a Warrick Dunn touchdown to make it 7-0. The 49ers answered with a Tim Rattay touchdown to Cedrick Wilson to tie at 7-7. The Falcons added a Vick touchdown to make it 14-7. The 49ers added a touchdown to tie at 14-14 in the second quarter. The Falcons added a Dunn second touchdown to make it 21-14 at halftime. The second half was a 49ers field goal and a Wilson second-half score to make it 21-19. The 49ers' final drive ended without scoring.
The turning point
Warrick Dunn's second touchdown before halftime. With the 49ers tied at 14-14 and the offense looking like it could match Atlanta's Vick-led production, Dunn's score gave the Falcons the lead they used to manage the second half.
By the numbers
Rattay 175 passing on 31 attempts with two TDs and an INT. Kevan Barlow 76 rushing on 19 carries. Cedrick Wilson 94 receiving on 7 catches with a TD. Vick 163 on 22 attempts with a TD. Dunn 63 rushing with two TDs.
Personnel watch
Tim Rattay's first 49ers start of the season. Michael Vick's return from injury. Cedrick Wilson's breakout receiving day. Kevan Barlow productive. The kind of opener where the new offensive identity, even in defeat, looked like the kind of team the year's roster turnover was promising.
What it means
0-1 with the Saints at home next Sunday. The kind of cross-conference road loss where the line predicted exactly what happened. Dennis Erickson's second-year opener produced the kind of competitive-but-losing tape the year's identity will likely produce.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Tim Rattay | 18/31 | 175 | 2 | 1 | |
| Ken Dorsey | 9/15 | 111 | 0 | 0 | |
| ATL | |||||
| Michael Vick | 13/22 | 163 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Kevan Barlow | 19 | 76 | 0 | 20 |
| Terry Jackson | 3 | 19 | 0 | 9 |
| Arnaz Battle | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| ATL | ||||
| Warrick Dunn | 19 | 63 | 2 | 10 |
| Peerless Price | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Michael Vick | 6 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| T.J. Duckett | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Cedrick Wilson | 7 | 94 | 1 | 27 |
| Eric Johnson | 8 | 86 | 1 | 16 |
| Terry Jackson | 3 | 31 | 0 | 17 |
| Brandon Lloyd | 4 | 29 | 0 | 14 |
| Curtis Conway | 2 | 24 | 0 | 13 |
| Kevan Barlow | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Arnaz Battle | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Jasen Isom | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| ATL | ||||
| Alge Crumpler | 6 | 82 | 1 | 22 |
| Peerless Price | 4 | 62 | 0 | 21 |
| Brian Finneran | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Justin Griffith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| T.J. Duckett | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2004 W1 - 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons - Game Thread
