49ers vs. Falcons live blog

SANTA CLARA

This is the live blog for the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons. I’ll update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.

12:00 Here are the 49ers inactives:
Kenneth Acker
Tramaine Brock
Keith Reaser
Carlos Hyde
Brandon Thomas
Ian Silberman
Anquan Boldin

12:01 Here is the 49ers’ starting lineup
Offense
LWR: Torrey Smith
RWR: Quinton Patton or Bruce Ellington or Jerome Simpson
LT: Joe Staley
LG: Alex Boone
C: Marcus Martin
RG: Jordan Devey
RT: Erik Pears
TE: Vance McDonald
QB: Blaine Gabbert
RB: Kendall Gaskins
FB: Bruce Miller

Defense
LDT: Glenn Dorsey
NT: Ian Williams
RDT: Quinton Dial
LOLB: Aaron Lynch
LILB: Michael Wilhoite
RILB NaVorro Bowman
ROLB: Ahmad Brooks
LCB: Dontae Johnson
FS: Eric Reid
SS: Jaquiski Tartt
RCB: Marcus Cromartie

12:05 The Niners have three corners active for this game: Dontae Johnson, Marcus Cromartie and Chris Davis.

12:30 I see about 50,000 fans disguised as empty seats.

1:01 Aldon Smith on pace to record three whole sacks this season.

1:03 Atlanta wins the toss and defers.

1:08 The Niners are flagged for a false start on play No. 1, then they go three-and-out. Blaine Gabbert completed a six-yard pass to Vance McDonald on third-and-10.

1:14 Matt Bryant makes a 46-yard field goal, and the score is 3-0 Atlanta. Devontae Freeman touched the ball  four times and gained 28 yards on that drive.

1:17 Bruce Ellington returns the kickoff to the Niners 34.

1:23 Desmond Trufant breaks up a short pass intended for Jerome Simpson on third-and-6, and the Niners go three-and-out again. Bradley Pinion tackles Eric Weems after a 41-yard punt return.

1:27 Aaron Lynch sacks Matt Ryan on third-and-5, and the Falcons go three-and-out. Lynch and Tartt seem like the best players on the 49ers defense.

1:28 Ellington makes a fair catch at the Niners 16.

1:37 Kendall Gaskins rushes for one yard on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons 9. First-and-goal when the second quarter begins.

1:40 Gabbert scrambles for 9 yards on second-and-goal from the 10. The Niners are challenging.

1:42 Ruling confirmed. Third-and-goal from the 1.

1:43 Gabbert play fakes and throws a TD pass to a wide open Garrett Celek. 7-3 Niners.

1:45 Big play on that drive: On third-and-9, Gabbert scrambled to his right and hit Quinton Patton, who ran for about 30 yards after the catch.

1:52 Ryan completes a 10-yard pass to Jones on third-and-12, and the Falcons have to punt. So far, Geep Chryst is outcoaching Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

1:56 Gabbert throws one to a defensive lineman on third-and-9, but the DL drops the pass. Should have been a pick-six. Falcons ball at the Niners 45 after the punt.

2:02 Tony Jerod-Eddie knocks down Matt Ryan’s pass on third-and-9 from the Niners 18. Jones dropped a pass on the previous play. He may have scored had he hung on.

2:03 7-6 Niners after the field goal.

2:05 Ellington returns the kickoff to the Niners 33.

2:11 Phil Dawson makes a 46-yard field goal, and the score is 10-6 Niners. Jerome Simpson dropped a nice back-shoulder pass on third-and-8.

2:13 Torrey Smith dropped his second pass of the game so far.

2:17 Jerod-Eddie knocks down Ryan’s pass on third down. That’s two pass break ups for him today.

2:22 Halftime live chat going on now.

2:25 Draughn breaks a tackle in the backfield and runs for 30 yards. The Niners are back in field-goal range.

2:26 On third-and-6 from the 11, Gabbert throws a touchdown pass to Celek. Celek ran a stick-nod route on that play. 17-6 Niners with 1:16 left before halftime.

2:30 Bowman gives up a 53-yard deep catch to Jones on the first play of the drive. Ryan throws a touchdown pass to Freeman two plays later. 17-13 Niners with 13 seconds left. Atlanta gets the ball to start the second half.

2:47 Eric Weems returns the kickoff to midfield.

2:52 The Falcons gain exactly one yard before punting.

2:57 Gabbert completes a 26-yard pass to Torrey Smith down the left sideline on third-and-5 from the Niners 16. Smith ran a stutter-n-go. Gabbert’s pass was money.

3:00 Simpson bobbles a well-thrown pass down the seam and Phillip Adams makes the interception. The play is under review.

3:04 Ruling confirmed.

3:10 Ryan throws over a receiver’s head on third-and-7 near midfield, and the Falcons punt. The Niners are double-covering Jones on third downs and forcing Ryan to throw elsewhere. Good strategy.

3:11 Niners ball at their 3 after the punt.

3:15 Gabbert completes a shovel pass to Ellington for a one-yard gain on third-and-10. Conservative play call.

3:22 Marcus Cromartie breaks up a pass intended for Roddy White on third-and-10, and the  Falcons punt. White has zero catches. Cromartie is having a fantastic game.

3:24 Ellington makes a fair catch inside the 10-yard line. Second time he’s done that today.

3:30 Gabbert takes a shot to the head and leaves the game for two plays. On the second play, Kaepernick throws deep and Vance McDonald drops the pass.

3:33 Gabbert scrambles for five yards on third-and-10, and Bradley Pinion punts.

3:34 36-yard punt.

3:34 Bowman blitzes up the middle and sacks Ryan on third-and-9. Loss of nine.

3:47 Bruce Miller runs up the middle on fourth-and-1, and the refs say he got the first down. Atlanta is challenging the spot.

3:49 Ruling confirmed.

3:50 On second-and-7, Gabbert drops back and throws a pick right to Vic Beasley.

3:56 Jimmie Ward tackles Justin Hardy one yard before the end zone on third-and-goal, and the Falcons decide to kick the field goal. 17-16 Niners with 2:56 left.

4:02 Gabbert scrambles for five yards on third-and-four right before the 2-minute warning. Atlanta has just one timeout left.

4:06 Gaskins runs up the middle for three yards on third-and-3, and this game is all but over. The refs are reviewing the spot.

4:09 Ruling confirmed. Stay tuned for grades.

This article has 266 Comments

  1. With all the injuries, this game has the same kind of feel to it as the game against the Broncos last year. Good luck secondary!

    1. The 49ers face ATL. w/o Vernon Davis, their top two running backs–Bush and Hyde, their starting QB, and their top three cornerbacks…Somewhere in a Levi’s Stadium suite, Jed’s moneyball protégé, Paraage Marathe, and the York’s, are counting their money stacks, while fans are preparing to read Monday’s sports page headline: 49er’s Experience Shock and Awe,” and left wondering: What happened to the moneyball talent portion of the money ball program we copied from Billy Bean?

  2. It’s always interesting to see how the number of injuries and the number of losses seems to be directly related. Players seem to get out of the training room faster when the team is doing well and can’t get out of it when they’re not.

    Naw, I’m sure that’s just coincidence.

      1. I have a strong feeling AD’s head would feel a lot better too if he and everyone else that got the hell out of dodge didn’t see this cluster F coming.

  3. C’mon St. Louis, I need someone to give me back the points that Fangio’s defense costs me.

  4. 12:30 I see about 50,000 fans disguised as empty seats.
    ————-
    Low hanging fruit. When I had season tickets the only games that didn’t have empty seats through the first quarter were the Raider games. I would always sit there at some point halfway through the first quarter and wonder why the hell does everyone show up so late?

  5. I knew the day would come where this team looked like a Jr college line up again, circa 2000-2010, but hell I didn’t want to believe it would be this quick. This is absolutely amazing. And not in a good way

  6. Sounds like Jimmie Ward will be making the start opposite Johnson, not Cromartie.

    @ChrisBiderman:
    “Jimmie Ward and Dontae Johnson introduced with the starting defense, not Cromartie.”

  7. The Falcon’s don’t have much of a pash rush despite the claimed bulletin board material. Looks like more of the same so far.

  8. Why the 9 minute gap that had the huge Ellington completion or the Gabbert bootleg?? Omissions of huge plays seems bizarre.

  9. Is there going to be a classic QB controversy? Regardless of the outcome, I would say Gabbert’s performance so far qualifies. Will QB7 respond like a grownup?

        1. I think overall Blaine has done really well. I think we need to see a couple weeks of the same type of performances once teams get some tape on him. He’s improvised well, he hit open players and not turned the ball over. He had a bad pass to Torrey and another one into tight coverage and one batted at the line. We still have a lot of time in this game.

    1. Back shoulder pass. It was meant to be like that. That was a great pass but thw WR’s are letting him down.

  10. Pears at guard and Brown on the right side of the line? Seems to work better, though it hardly could’ve gotten any worse.

    1. Pears is too light in the lower body. He looks like a TE trying to play guard. They need beef

      1. Yeah. I just thought that’s what I’ve spotted on one play, but guess I’ve been wrong. Still, much improved line play today.

    1. That first one to Smith was behind and low but the other two certainly should have been caught.

  11. Let’s see how the defense improves by being given more time on the side to catch their breath.

    1. Ryan seems to be helping as much as he can. His throws are off. Rest will help them be fresh.

  12. Gabbert’s ball has good pace an placement. I believe the receivers are unaccustomed to this and will need the rest of the season to adjust.

  13. Blaine ryan? Lol switch uniforms and its what they look like playing. I’ve been impressed with the defense minus the pass rush. Mangin is a way better D coordinator than a TE coach for sure.
    I still don’t want to win though…..no point right now. We need Goff to sit for a year behind Gabbert and learn. Of course, with a new staff.

    1. No worries, BigP Goff got a whole seasons worth of sitting last night….courtesy of Unversity of Oregon…he ain’t the one…

    2. No worries, Big P

      Goff got a whole seasons worth of sitting last night…courtesy of the University of Oregon

  14. Kaepernick would have thrown that ball too late and the defender would have knocked it away.

    1. No, an in game adjustment on the oline, controversy and a new qb who’s a lot more accurate

  15. Does this team need Baalke to draft? They do a superior job of poaching practice squad players and others off their sofa.

    1. Why was Bowman on Jones on that play? Seems like Reid or Tartt should have been there. Recipe for disaster.

  16. Mangini has Bowman covering Jone 50 yards downfield and then Lynch on Freemen. Mangini is a large reason this defense is ranked 28th.

  17. I that QB7 breaking fast for the locker room? Probably getting an early start on his Lamaze breathing for the second half.

  18. I have no problem with this team looking for the best draft position in order to grab Goff or Paxton (I prefer Paxton) but if Mangini is still has a job with this team after this season, I’ll be shocked and disappointed (yet again)!

  19. Gabbert’s going to hit 300 yards. An offensive milestone. This type of offense makes the entire team better.

    1. That would be a career game for him. He has the potential to be a great come back story. Let’s see how he finishes the game first.

  20. Does not matter now. We have a bridge QB for new QB drafted. Gabbert is cheap and decent. Go number two

  21. Anyone else noticing Bowman’s agility looks the best it’s been since his injury? He is clearly improving physically, which was expected by everyone except Grant, who seems to be proven wrong every single time he tries to make a controversial statement.it’s a 2 year recovery for a knee injury as extensive as Bowman’s.

  22. If Gabbert gets a win today it will be in spite of his defense, special teams, wide receivers and offensive coordinator

    1. Ellington has given Gabbert decent field position a couple of times. Like last week the Defense has given up some big plays but limited the #5 offense in the NFL to 13 points and you’re complaining?

      1. Man have you ever seen anyone drop do many passes that hit him in the hands? That drop wasn’t on the QB.

    1. Wheeler nailed Gabbert and drilled him into the turf. It was the thing most people said, how long will Gabbert stay healthy.

  23. Vance McDonald catches like a girl (circa 1967, when girls didn’t play sports)

    The fact that he’s still going out for patterns for us is more evidence that Baalke has to go.

  24. That hit may trigger Gabbertt’s fears of being hit that he has been trying to overcome.

  25. Why on earth doesn’t pulling the QB off for a concussion evaluation necessitate an officials timeout!?

  26. If Kaepernick still does not understand
    why he was benched (to catch yr breath),
    advise him to look at the scoreboard:
    two touchdowns. Explain to him that the NFL
    awards six points for touchdowns. Draw
    a picture for him. Help him “understand.”
    Tell him to stuff his headphones
    “where the sun does not shine.”

    1. Wonder what he listens to on his headphones? Perhaps graduate level organic chemistry podcasts.

        1. True, but temper the excitement with reality. It makes the disappointment less when the sky falls in the near future.

            1. Never said he would. But as you always ask us to consider the competition in evaluating #7 its important to be objective and consider the same with any QB. BG played well. He did enough to win with a lame RB crew to boot. He deserves credit. Their pass rush and pass D is weak. He still won thought, good game by BG.

      1. No, he had no help. He doesn’t suck. You should see how many dropped passes he deals with, not to mention a line worse than ours……in respect to collegeof course. He can make all the throws, he’s no game manager.

  27. Best I’ve seen Navorrow look since his return. Really inspiring stuff. Seems to be stronger as this games rolls along, which is a very good sign. It will be interesting to see if Grant has anything to say about him. He has put himself in position to win comeback player of the year after this performance. How does that square with Grants narrative? Safe to say Grant knows very little about athletics in general, and even less about the game of Football!

  28. Atlanta’s defense stinks and their secondary was 26th against the pass before the game before losing their corners during the game

    1. Its good to point this out as well. Like ninernation said its likely that the improvement in the 49ers offense will mostly be because of the defense on the field. They also rank 31st in sacks. No pressure and weak secondary makes for a good day. Now not to take away from Gabbert. He’s done well and made good plays.

      1. They were the 13th defense in points allowed, so they are not a bad defense.
        Just not as good as the Rams. Or the Cards.

  29. If Tomsula pulls this out I want to see coach at the presser smiling wearing a fedora with a peacocked feather. Post-winning with class. I wonder if Jed will pop out of his hole for a look see.

      1. Not going for the TD and kicking a field goal. He gave away his teams best opportunity to win the game.

        1. Absolutely. Even if they got stuffed, they’d have the 49ers pinned back into their own end zone.

      2. Seriously, it was such a bad decision I had to open my laptop. I was enjoing the games and had no thoughts of typing anything and Dan Quinn goes ahead and loses the game for the falcons. This 49er team is even bad at being bad.

  30. people on this blog complain,complain complain.cant just enjoy a game we finally are playing in

    1. So you celebrate interceptions by our QB and 40yd completions by the other team? We are all celebrating the game, good and bad.

  31. I’m surprised Blaine played with composure. He didn’t look too rusty. He made some nice throws. Can’t tell if some of those back shoulder passes were planned.

    He was decisive and gave receivers a chance to make plays. He looks good enough to be a stop-gap. Who knows. He didn’t look any worse then a lot of QBs in the league right now.

    1. Thought the same. The balls today looked a little floaty on those deeper passes. But the weather was a little cold and damp. Thought for sure he would hit smith in stride but it was caught so that’s all that mattered. Good for the underdog

  32. Good for Blane Gabbert. Was drug through the media ringer early this week. Came out and maned up. Won a game. Hats off young man. Good team win for the Niners today. Traffic should be Ok this week. Lol

  33. If there ever was a win that hurt us more then helped us this was it. Winning point less games like this is brutal. How in the world do you kick a FG down 4 with 3 min to go is beyond me. Falcons coach is as bad as Tomsula.

    1. Wins like this can help a struggling team for the future. There is no qb worth losing coming out. If Gabbert can improve week to week that’s good for a young qb coming in to sit back and learn. Throwing another young qb behind this o-line and coaching staff will be another smith and Gabbert disaster.
      O-line and D-line should be the FIRST thing on SF’ minds in April! Period!

      1. “Wins like this can help a struggling team for the future.”

        Exactly how I feel about it md. Young team. Good for these guys to get some wins under their belts.

        One way to look at it is – if the team gets destroyed and went 2-14 on the season, and you are looking at the roster without hope. Get some wins over the remaining games this season, play some decent football, then some of the young guys are likely playing well and giving some hope for the future. Its the difference between needing a complete roster rebuild and having building blocks for the future.

      2. MD,
        Do you think that the OL did a better job in pass-blocking today or did BG make quicker decisions and releases on his passes?

        Also, the one pass that CK threw to VMac was slightly high but catchable (if you’re not Vince McDonald).

  34. Great game and some really encouraging signs for the first time in a long time. It looks like on defense, we have CBs, Safeties, OLB’s, and a line that will all be serviceable for next year. Probably need another MLB to compliment Bowman who is clearly best suited for run stopping duty.

    Obviously on offense, we may have a serviceable QB. The line, WR’s, and TE’s are another story entirely and should be a draft focus.

    A nice goodbye to Vernon Davis. In the immortal word’s of Singletary, “Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can’t do it.”

  35. Tis better to…

    A) Have the 10th pick of the draft and a function quarterback?

    B) Have the 5th pick of the draft and be desperate at quarterback?

    1. It depends on what you are trading the pick for. There is no QB in college worth a top 5 pick when you don’t have a line that will protect him. IT would be better to trade down and take 2 linemen in the first rather than a QB. Given good protection, just about any struggling NFL QB can be good.
      Of course colleges are going to a spread scheme and the linemen are not being developed as well. It could be argued that a lineman isn’t worth a 1st round selection either.

      1. Not really talking about trading. More about the change in franchise needs and draft position of BG plays average or better QB the remaining 8 games.

        I’d draft QB top 5 if I thought he’d bee great. I might not play him the first year or two, but I’d draft him.

  36. I’ll be having crow for my dinner. I’ve been a complete pessimist about BG, but he did a fine job today. Not just unsucky, but good. He was calm. He had a quick release and accuracy. He stood in.
    When he got whacked he had a fight-back vibe. He gave up that 2nd pick and shrugged it off. Kudos.
    MattM just said he thinks it’s BG next week for sure.
    Good D. We needed more pressure in 4Q, but pretty good.

    1. I think this was a good warm up game for him. Next week the team won’t be 31st in sacks and 26th in passing on D. He has a much better chance to succeed with a solid performance this week. Starting against Seattle or Arizona would be cruel.

      1. I fear for Blaine’s safety in Seattle. That D-line has the advantage at home. He does get the ball out though, so that’s nice.

  37. I see the 49ers cashed in that Jarryd Hayne favor for some very fortunate calls today. That being said, a win is a win. Gabbert did exactly as most of us predicted. He slowed the pass rush with quick decisions. He looked like a guy who had some rust, but he made decisions and beat an undefeated team. He earned 2 INTs. One was a drop and the other wasn’t. He still recorded 2 INTs and 2 TDs. Not bad for week 1 after 8 weeks off.
    One could point out the drops and the poor play by the receivers. I think that helps Kaepernick save a little face. The 49er receivers truly are bad. This leads me to believe that Kaepernick isn’t as bad as many would believe.
    Moving forward, Gabbert earned the respect of his team today. I for one am happy for his success. He isn’t out beating women, drinking and driving, or whipping children. He is a standup guy who was never given a chance to succeed in the NFL. Playing is his dream and I am happy he succeeded today.
    Maybe Wes wants to give up on playing for a contender and help Gabbert after the bye…Of Course Green Bay and Carolina could show some interest in signing him too. Wishful thinking that does nothing but push back that first round pick to 9 or 10.

      1. Jarryd Hayne was not NFL caliber at the end of the preseason. Many beat riders predicted he would be in the last round of cuts and be on the practice squad. Where he is now. Instead, it was in the best interest of the NFL to expand its market by having SF sign Hayne and start him week 1. It allowed the NFL to target Australia’s market and the headlines sold tv time. It was a money making event. Don’t ever forget the NFL is a business. Think of it like professional wrestling. They want to script the outcome as much as possible, not to determine a winner, but keep the games close and high scoring. I.E. the catch that isn’t, the PI calls and non-calls, the power failures against Pitts and in the Super Bowl. Broadcasts are mostly scripted as it stands. The NFL makes money off of entertainment. The billionaires owning teams aren’t about to stick their heads in the sand and hope to count money when the dust settles. They are going to make deals and try to generate outcomes from those deals. It’s a business. You hear it all the time. It is hidden right in front of your eyes.

        1. Well said. And true. Name a top corporation that hasn’t cut throats or lied and cheated to get where they are now. When they cut the salary cap it was the beginning of the end of “true sports” as we knew it.

          1. So you believe the games are scripted?

            And yet you spend time in a blog arguing the results, the quality of play, the roster, the coaches, etc.?

            Gotta agree: that’s insane.

            1. I think you have misread what was written. “They want to script the outcome as much as possible, not to determine a winner, but keep the games close and high scoring.” I said the games are scripted but the outcomes are left to determine themselves.
              Seattle made it to the SuperBowl on a non-call that Bowman wears the scar for. Seattle repaid that non-call by losing at home against Arizona. That week you’ll remember, a win made all week 17 games irrelevant. Instead, Seattle lost for the first time at home since Dec 24, 2011 against SF. Palmer had 4 INTs that game. The winning pass came against Byron Maxwell who has literally shut down Michael Floyd for 57 minutes. He had defended 4 passes. Then, he gives up 3 completions and a TD? Ok…
              The referees finalized the win making week 17 relevant by calling an obvious incomplete pass an interception. The ball clearly hit the ground before deflecting off Baldwin and being “intercepted” by Dansby. The referee had to explain to reporters that there wasn’t clear evidence in his view…
              There is a scoreboard the league holds over organizations. Everyone must pay to play. Did you find it odd Kraft didn’t appeal the draft pick losses or the million dollar fine when a 9th grade science student could explain the deflation issues?
              The referees make calls and non calls each game that can swing the momentum of a game. It is still left to the players to determine the ultimate outcome, but the NFL has a hand in 90% of the wins.
              This is about money.

              1. Your whole argument is flawed in that the drive that Bowman got injured on Seattle ended up fumbling it away on 4th at the goal…so it had no impact on the game…in fact, it was a poorly thrown Kaep ball that ended the game. But thanks for playing “Who want’s to debate a nutcase”.

                You do a disservice to the name Matt

  38. Grant are you ready to say you were wrong about Bowmans career being over. I know you hate admitting when you are wrong but I believe if there has ever been a time that it would be appropriate this is it.

    1. Well he is wrong more than he’s right. He claimed the 49ers would be having a fire sale trading bowman, Staley, boldin, and others. He also claimed sf would lose, etc etc.

    2. Grant doesn’t give anyone the satisfaction of recanting his claims. He just flops to the other side and pretends he’s always been there. See his article last week that mentioned JH being the second best coach next to Belichick.

  39. Few thoughts.
    1. Gabbert deserves to keep starting.
    2. Gabby’ effectiveness will improve as he gets Hyde and Boldin back.
    3. Bowman easily had has best game since coming back from injury.
    4. A.Lynch played a good game although it did not show on stat sheet.
    5. Our front 7 was dynamic in stopping Freeman!
    6. M.Cromartie may have earned himself a starting job.
    7. D.Johnson and J.Tartt had good games today.

    The Falcons looked sluggish and disinterested in the game. Ryan was off on some passes and their offense and defense had no fire.

    B.Gabbert seemed to bring some energy to the entire team today. He made some good anticipation throws, showed a quick release, and I especially like his fire in shaking off a hard shot and coming back into the game.
    It would be a sin (by coaching staff) if Gabby does not get another chance at starting.

    1. “It would be a sin (by coaching staff) if Gabby does not get another chance at starting.”

      I agree. He should be starting the next game in Seattle, and I hope we’re having the same conversation after that game.

        1. That’s expecting a bit too much.
          But hey, I’ll root for them no matter what.
          Maybe…who knows…

          1. Allen,
            Those are lofty expectations, but the seahags aren’t the world-beaters of a couple of years ago.
            If we get Hyde and Boldin back and start to involve Celek who knows.

            Our defense played an exceptional game today. If duplicate that effort against in a couple of weeks, as you say; “who knows?”

  40. So are the people complimenting the recent additions and call ups (dbs, etc) going to credit Baalke for this or not

    1. MJ,
      Don’t know if Baalke had any other choice with so many injured players. To me the biggest surprise player of the game was Marcus Cromartie. If Baalke had known MC was capable of playing like that from the start of the season I’m sure he would have played more often.

  41. And the Broncos lose their first game of the season with Vernon on the roster. The dots are all there, you just have to connect them.

  42. Biggest surprise was Draughn. He was in the right spot on swing passes and blitzes. Ran like he knew the scheme well. No wonder Rathman got the game ball.

    1. Draughn stated in the post-game interview that the protection scheme is new to him. He apparently enough for the Falcon’s defense.

  43. Quentin Dial put out a great effort today. His pursuit range was literally sideline to sideline. I’m impressed. He and Ian Williams were stout.

    1. The interrior d-line was great, holding the Falcon’s to 17 net rushing yards.

      Armstead had a nice chasedown of a ball carrier down field.

      On that note, the announcer called the 49ers “Carolina” and Armstead “Armstrong” several times.

  44. Gabbert gets an A for today’s game. Wasn’t statistically pretty, but should have been and he made that one horrible throw, but did the key thing ck can’t do, quick and decisive throws. That in SF these days deserves an A! Sad but true.

    1. One pick was a WR drop. Also many dropped passes. BG looked really good. In fact, I think the 49ers would have won bigger of they called more first down play action.

  45. Very good defense today. That over the hill bum Bowman was on top of the hill. The defensive backs were great against the run, and pretty good against the pass. A clear win for the defense and just enough offense to give them the win.

    The network guys complimented our defense as Carolina’s defense and complimented Jimmie Ward twice at playing good for just coming off the practice squad.

    We may win three or four more games which puts us in the mediocre middle of the draft. Hammer may have hit the nail on it’s pointy head.

      1. Actually I think Ronde Barber was the moron that made all of those announcing gaffs. Too many to count, he should be embarrassed in his performance.

  46. Observations: Draughn was in the right spot on blitz pick-ups and swing passes. Purcells and Trenton Brown played. Trenton is a big, big man. Bowman looked fast. The young DBs gave up some plays, but hit hard and played with confidence. TE is finally a weapon. With a functioning running game, play action’s an option again. BG is more athletic than I thought. The interior D-line dominated. Way too many dropped passes. DB’s missed some tackles, but overall tackled better than they’ve been.

  47. Very happy with the game today.
    That was good effort.

    The offense had Gabbert starting after 2 years, so rusty and chemistry expected. And he was without the leading rusher (and all the other RBs), the leading receiver (Boldin), the #1 TE (Vernon), and behind the same crappy Oline.

    And even though the offense was functional.
    Against a defense that had no great pass rush but has been average to above-average.

    And the defense lost their starting CBs, facde a top-5 offense, a top-5 WR, and a RB averaging over a 100 yards from scrimmage per game.

    And they held them to just one TD and 3 FGs.

    So all things considered, really impressive effort today.

  48. Before we get too excited of the new era in 49ers football realize we had a tough time moving the ball in the second half. Our receiver core still is very shaky and the decisions by the QB are not always sound. Additionally, the holes for the RBs were not opening up.

    On a positive side the defense played better though too often there were receivers wide open and special teams play was still very uneven.

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