49ers vs. Falcons: 4 X-factors that could lead to a Niners loss in Week 6

49ers vs. Falcons X-factor No. 1: Jimmy Garoppolo flounders

In back-to-back weeks, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has effectively handled the offense and avoided turning the ball over, although there were a few instances of “close calls” against both the Los Angeles Rams and Panthers in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively.

If Garoppolo plays as he did against Carolina, there’s little reason to assume the Niners won’t get their offense going up what’s truly a bad Falcons defense that’s allowing an average of 6.7 yards per pass play and has only mustered eight sacks on the year, just two more than Nick Bosa this season for an entire team.

All told, though, one doesn’t have to dig too deep into the archives of Garoppolo’s performances to know he can be prone to turning the ball over.

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Merely one bad throw in a surprisingly close game could be the play that spoils things for San Francisco in Week 6.

Atlanta has a middle-of-the-pack defense with regard to generating takeaways, boasting seven in total with four interceptions.

Garoppolo hopes to keep that number the same on Sunday while increasing his streak of games without an interception thrown.

The 49ers and Falcons kick off on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. ET.