3 ways 49ers ensure Falcons don’t upset them in Week 15

No. 3: 49ers can’t let Cordarrelle Patterson beat them

Yes, Falcons rookie tight end Kyle Pitts is a massive threat and leads his team with 54 catches and 770 receiving yards. However, the tandem of 49ers linebackers and safeties has been a prime reason why the Niners have allowed only 403 pass yards to tight ends this season, second lowest in the NFL entering Week 15.

While Pitts is a threat, the No. 1 offensive player San Francisco should worry about is someone who has shown a similar skill set to its own, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and that’s the hybrid offensive weapon that is wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.

Like Samuel, Atlanta uses Patterson in a variety of different ways. To date, he has 547 rush yards and five touchdowns on 122 attempts, leading the Falcons in those categories, while also boasting 519 receiving yards and another five touchdowns through the air, the yardage second only to Pitts on an otherwise underperforming Atlanta offense.

Patterson is the lone Falcons player who could truly emerge as an X-factor against the 49ers defense, which has surprisingly held its own as of late against both the run and the pass, giving up just 4.3 and 6.1 yards per attempt, respectively, which is right in the middle of the pack.

If Patterson takes over on offense, though, it might be the one way the Niners end up falling behind and losing.