The San Francisco 49ers lost 29-20 to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, ending their unbeaten start to the season at 6-1. The defense allowed the Falcons to take control in the second half. The running backs fumbled. The offensive line gave up pressure at the wrong times.
But when Brock Purdy stood at the podium after the game, he did not spread the blame around. He started with himself.
Purdy threw two interceptions in a game defined by turnovers. The 49ers committed four. Atlanta committed none. Both of Purdy’s picks came at moments when San Francisco was in position to score. After the game, he walked through each one.
The First Interception
The first came in the third quarter with the 49ers trailing 19-14 and driving into Atlanta territory. Purdy scrambled to his right and found himself caught between throwing it away and trying to make a play.
“I thought maybe Christian Kirk on the scramble was going to be there, but then towards the end, as I was getting ready to throw, I was like no it’s not,” Purdy said. “And so I just went to throw it away by the sideline and then Bates all of a sudden came across and made a good play and I was like, ‘You got to be kidding me.’”
Falcons safety Jessie Bates made an athletic play on a ball that Purdy intended to throw away. The decision to split the difference between a throwaway and a contested target gave Bates the window he needed. Purdy acknowledged after the game that the ball needed to go completely out of play.
The pick came deep in Falcons territory with a chance to tie or take the lead. Instead, Atlanta got the ball back and extended the margin.
The Second Interception
The second was the one that sealed it. Late in the fourth quarter, the 49ers had cut the deficit to 26-20 and forced a quick Falcons punt. San Francisco had the ball in plus territory with time and timeouts in hand.
On third down, Atlanta showed blitz and then dropped linebacker Kendal Daniels into coverage. Purdy did not see him.
“Linebacker was mugged up on the line of scrimmage, thought we had an alley outside to Jordan Watkins, and was going to throw, and it was there and thought it was going to be like a drive-by play,” Purdy said. “All of a sudden I threw the ball and he came from the backside and tipped it up to himself, didn’t see him or anything, so credit to him, he made a good play.”
It was a well-designed call by the Falcons. Daniels disguised his assignment, baited the throw, and turned it into the play that ended any chance of a comeback.
What the 49ers QB Took Away
Purdy did not make excuses for either turnover.
The 49ers played Sunday without Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, and Ricky Pearsall. Christian McCaffrey left with a thigh injury in the second quarter and missed nearly two full quarters before returning. The 49ers had four active receivers on the roster.
The circumstances were difficult. Purdy acknowledged that losing McCaffrey changed the game plan significantly. But he kept coming back to the turnovers.
“We’ve got to protect the ball through and through,” Purdy said. He added that the standard begins with him at quarterback and extends to everyone else on the field.
The 49ers head into the bye week at 6-1, still atop the NFC West.
Final Word for the 49ers
Purdy threw two interceptions. Both gave the Falcons possessions they turned into points or clock. That was the difference in a game decided by nine.
The bye week gives the 49ers time to heal. Evans, Samuel, Robinson, and Bosa could all be closer to returning by Week 9. The roster that takes the field after the break should look different from the one that lost in Atlanta.
49ers’ Brock Purdy Gives Blunt Assessment After Loss to Falcons