49ers grades, analysis from injury-influenced Week 6 loss to Falcons

The shorthanded 49ers suffered an embarrassing 28-14 road defeat at the hands of the Falcons, so let’s dish out the positional grades for the contest.

So, as it turns out, the San Francisco 49ers don’t have quite enough depth to overcome a massive rash of injuries.

While the Niners entered their Week 6 contest against the Atlanta Falcons as favorites, they were still dealing with a laundry list of players who were either ruled out entirely or were questionable to go for what was the back end of a two-game East Coast road trip.

And while Atlanta certainly did everything in its power to take advantage, ultimately beating San Francisco 28-14 in what looked like a lopsided contest, the fact the 49ers were so shorthanded suggests that injuries are indeed becoming a problem.

If they weren’t already.

The Falcons set the tone early, getting out to a 14-0 lead. And while the Niners had the talent to come back and tie things up, it was all Atlanta after that. In nearly every statistical category, the Falcons dominated, overpowering what was the league’s No. 1 defense through the air and on the ground.

Had San Francisco been able to field the bulk of its players who were out with injuries, the game might have produced a different outcome.

But that wasn’t going to be the case, and the Week 6 game grades and analysis reflect it.

Let’s dive into those position grades for the 49ers with the hope of some reinforcements returning sooner than later.

49ers offensive grades vs. Falcons

Interestingly enough, the Niners actually outgained Atlanta from 346 yards to 289. Yet the Falcons engineered far more methodical drives, which was going to be their approach in an attempt to wear down San Francisco’s defense.

It worked, and the 49ers didn’t adequately respond enough on the offensive side of the ball to pick up the shorthanded defense.

Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo certainly wasn’t terrible in the outing, going 29-of-41 for 296 yards with two touchdowns against two interceptions for an 87.0 passer rating. And one of those interceptions was effectively a desperation throw with mere seconds remaining in the second half, so that’s forgivable.

However, the Niners are generally in trouble when Garoppolo is tasked with trying to throw more than 30 times in a game.

And while Garoppolo wasn’t overly aided by his receiving targets, who dropped some key passes in key moments, he still showed he doesn’t have the ability to carry the offense on his shoulders either.

Grade: C+

Running back

Jeff Wilson Jr. imposed his will against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5, amassing 120 yards in that game.

Atlanta completely held him in check, though.

In total, San Francisco’s offense managed only 50 yards on the ground, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. And Wilson’s first-quarter fumble, which the Falcons recovered, ended up turning into one of the oddest touchdowns the 49ers have allowed this season:

The Niners falling behind early didn’t aid head coach Kyle Shanahan in his attempt to get the ground game going, but it’s safe to say this element of the offense failed to make much of an impact.

Grade: D

Wide receiver

If there was a notable bright spot on offense, it was Brandon Aiyuk, who finally had one of those breakout-kind of games fans have been eagerly awaiting.

Aiyuk’s two-touchdown first half helped get San Francisco back into the game, and this game-tying route was exceptional:

Along with the scores, Aiyuk finished with eight catches for 83 yards and the two scores, while Deebo Samuel managed seven catches for 79 yards and added 11 yards on the ground.

However, Garoppolo was hindered by some key drops, including one by the speedy Ray-Ray McCloud, which could have gone for a much-needed touchdown had he held onto the ball.

Not a terrible outing for this group, but there’s still room for improvement.

Grade: B

Tight end

It’s nice seeing George Kittle getting back involved in the pass-catching game after a sluggish start after he missed time with a groin injury to begin the year.

He tied Aiyuk with 83 yards to lead the 49ers in that department, while No. 2 tight end Charlie Woerner dropped his only target.

Grade: B+

Offensive line

It’s becoming clear the Niners don’t have a starting-caliber center in Jake Brendel.

The fill-in option who ultimately replaced now-retired Alex Mack entering 2022 was flagged for multiple penalties, and upgrading this particular spot on the offensive line is going to be a need heading into the offseason.

The Niners also watched right tackle Mike McGlinchey exit with a calf injury, although it’s good they have the versatile reserve in Daniel Brunskill.

Overall, Garoppolo was kept clean in the pocket, but San Francisco wasn’t able to garner much effort on the ground.

Grade: C+

49ers defensive grades vs. Falcons

It might not have been too big a shock to see Atlanta outperform the 49ers on offense, but what was a bit shocking was to see the Falcons play much better on the defensive side of the ball, too.

Granted, the Niners were missing six defensive starters for Week 6: Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Jimmie Ward, Azeez Al-Shaair and Emmanuel Moseley, the latter being out for the year after tearing his ACL last week.

Needless to say, the depth was going to be tested, and it was.

Defensive line

San Francisco’s lone starter on the defensive line was Samson Ebukam, and even he had to exit the game periodically to deal with injuries.

With Bosa out, the D-line struggled to contain the edge, which allowed the Falcons to rush for a whopping 168 yards, and one would have to go back to Week 13 of the 2021 season to find the last time the 49ers surrendered more than 100 yards in a game.

Sure, reserve linemen like Hassan Ridgeway, Kevin Givens and Charles Omenihu have been nice stories this season, the Niners aren’t going to be able to rely on them as a starting-caliber crop.

At least Omenihu and rookie Drake Jackson recorded a sack apiece, though.

Grade: C+

Linebacker

Knowing Atlanta was going to focus on the run a lot in the game, San Francisco’s shorthanded linebacker corps had to be on its game.

Fred Warner was his usual All-Pro self, leading the 49ers with tackles, while Dre Greenlaw had six.

Still, that second-level tackling had to be on point and not far beyond the line of scrimmage.

The fact the Falcons were able to average 4.2 yards per rush suggests this group wasn’t quite equal to that task over all four quarters.

Grade: B-

Secondary

It was going to be interesting to see how the Niners mitigated the loss of Moseley, and Deommodore Lenoir got the start on the boundary.

As such, Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota didn’t hesitate to target both him and rookie corner Samuel Womack, the latter being responsible for the touchdown allowed to tight end Kyle Pitts.

Making things worse, safety Talanoa Hufanga exited the game for a brief time in the first quarter, leading to his temporary replacement, George Odum, giving up Mariota’s first passing touchdown of the game, too.

Still worse, No. 1 cornerback Charvarius Ward had to exit with a leg injury.

Atlanta isn’t a passing team. But, the fact Mariota didn’t register his first incompletion until near the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter and the fact the Falcons had an average of 7.6 yards per pass play isn’t a sign of confidence for this group.

Grade: F

49ers special teams, coaching grades vs. Falcons

Whatever the game plan for Kyle Shanahan was for Week 6, it didn’t work. And with the understanding that San Francisco’s defense was going to be so shorthanded, Shanahan needed to make sure his offense was going to perform at a solid level against an Atlanta defense that wasn’t exactly known for being potent entering the game.

Special teams

Fortunately, special teams didn’t prove to be much of an X-factor for either team, although Atlanta’s deep punt late in the fourth quarter ensured the 49ers would struggle to get back into contention.

After all, 99-yard drives are tough.

Mitch Wishnowsky averaged 52.7 yards per punt, yet the Falcons averaged 24 yards per return.

Ray-Ray McCloud, meanwhile, had an exciting 35-yard punt return, too.

Grade: C

Coaching

Shanahan generally lacked the desperation needed to overcome that 14-point fourth-quarter deficit.

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Calling a handoff at one point with that deficit was surely interesting, especially with the clock churning down toward zero in the final frame.

That might not have been the worst gaffe, though, as Shanahan’s overall game plan of frequent “run, run, pass” sets weren’t particularly effective either. It’ll be interesting to see how many drives started that way, but the fact the Niners went 3-and-out on both their opening first- and third-quarter drives isn’t convincing.

Shanahan was outcoached by Falcons head coach Arthur Smith in a game where San Francisco’s offense needed to carry the day.

Grade: D