The San Francisco 49ers are back in the win column just a week after a devastating injury to Fred Warner.
San Francisco at home ran past the Atlanta Falcons 20-10 with Christian McCaffrey reminding everyone what he can do when he’s healthy and feeling it.
Mac Jones didn’t have to sling it as much as he has lately, while George Kittle’s return played a key role in McCaffrey and Co. running well.
For the Falcons, Michael Penix Jr. never really looked comfortable as San Francisco dialed up the pass rush, while Bijan Robinson was quieted in the ground game despite Warner’s absence.
The result pushes San Francisco to 5-2, while Atlanta dropped to 3-3 a week after an instrumental home win over the Buffalo Bills.
Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:
WINNER: Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
It was vintage McCaffrey under the lights. He enjoyed his best game of the season, rushing for 129 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns while catching seven passes on eight targets for 72 yards.
The 100-plus rushing yards and 70-plus receiving yards is the seventh time McCaffrey has recorded such numbers, breaking a tie with Marshall Faulk and Priest Holmes for the most in league history.
Christian McCaffrey has 100+ rushing yards and 70+ receiving yards for the 7th time in his career, breaking a tie with HOF Marshall Faulk and Priest Holmes for the most such games in NFL history@CMC_22 | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/rdQUzC43Tr
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) October 20, 2025
Jones, who threw just 152 yards with 17 completions, used McCaffrey as his safety valve throughout the night against Atlanta’s pressure.
LOSER: Falcons’ ground game
Robinson fared well in the passing game for Atlanta, taking advantage of short throws in open space that allowed him to better utilize his elusive nature. But that didn’t work out on the ground against a Robert Saleh-led defense.
The star running back recorded just 40 yards on the ground on 14 attempts, a 2.9 average. Tyler Allgeier got just four carries for 16 yards.
With Penix Jr. throwing for 241 yards on 21 of 38 completions, not having the usual running success limited Atlanta’s momentum.
WINNER: Tatum Bethune, 49ers
In Warner’s absence, the middle linebacker role went to second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune. The 2024 seventh-round pick out of Florida State showed promise in his first start, tying a game-high 10 tackles with four solo.
He also had a tackle for loss and put solid pressure on Penix Jr. in the pass rush. Learning from Saleh — along with advice from Warner — could go a long way for the young defender who could use the opportunity to become a real player for San Francisco as it continues its playoff chase.
LOSER: Falcons miss on field goal opportunities
Atlanta could’ve kept this game closer had it taken advantage on two opportunities to score field goals.
The first came at the end of the first half. In field goal range and working a drive, Penix Jr. was forced to throw out of bounds as pressure mounted. Due to there being no receivers in the area, an intentional grounding penalty was issued. On top of that, the Falcons had just burnt their last timeout. With exactly 10 seconds to go, the game went straight to halftime due to a 10-second runoff that occurs if teams don’t want to either use or have a timeout to save the penalty.
The second came at the 8:20 part of the fourth quarter. Down 13-10, the Falcons stayed aggressive and went for a 4th-and-1 at the SF 35. Penix Jr.’s pass to Drake London was just put off by Chase Lucas, resulting in the 49ers scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive to seal the deal.
WINNER: Mentality
With all the injuries San Francisco is dealing with, the team could’ve easily phoned it in after losing yet another star in Warner. But that was not the case against Atlanta, as Kyle Shanahan’s team is still three games above .500 and very well in the playoff conversation in what’s an open NFL field at the moment.
Up next are the Houston Texans and New York Giants in consecutive road games. If the 49ers can string together two more wins, they’d be a promising 7-2 ahead of hosting the Los Angeles Rams.
The 49ers may be down a plethora of key talent, but staying in the hunt and slowly getting players back could be imperative.
Here are five things to know about San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey.
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