The San Francisco 49ers' 2025 campaign has already been more than memorable, albeit not exactly for the right reasons.
Aside from losing star defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to season-ending injuries already, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad has been denied plenty of other key players for the bulk of the year, including quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, who've missed significant time with injuries.
While the injury factor has certainly been the main theme for the Niners to date, another aspect is one Shanahan and Co. would rather have avoided, too.
Interceptions.
Well, more specifically, the defense's inability to generate them.
Dating back to last season, San Francisco has now gone 13 consecutive games without picking off the opposing quarterback, an NFL modern-era record, which has to have coordinator Robert Saleh seeing red.
And, with the 49ers hosting quarterback Michael Penix and a red-hot Atlanta Falcons offense in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football, it certainly doesn't appear as if the lowly and infamous streak will finally end.
Michael Penix, Falcons poised to continue 49ers' dreadful no-INT streak
The second-year signal-caller out of Washington has found his groove as of late, helping Atlanta knock off two playoff-hopeful teams, the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills, in back-to-back games that propelled his squad to a 3-2 record entering Sunday's showdown at Levi's Stadium.
A key component to Penix's game has been not turning the ball over, too, relying on quick passes to both wide receiver Drake London and the uber-versatile running back, Bijan Robinson. With an average of 2.67 seconds to throw, according to Next Gen Stats, Penix is within the top eight of quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly.
This, and the combination of play-calling schemes by offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, have led to Penix tossing a mere three interceptions over his five starts, and his 1.9 interception percentage on 157 pass attempts suggests the Niners aren't exactly going to change the trajectory.
Both Warner and Bosa being out for the year makes the prospects for San Francisco's first pick even more difficult, too, as the former hasn't been a stranger to opportune takeaways, while Bosa's pass-rush prowess has often forced opposing quarterbacks into bad decisions.
With those two stars gone, the 49ers may have to find ways to get Penix into uncomfortable situations, yet that suggestion raises even more problems in light of Robinson's own presence.
Of course, it would be fitting if the Niners' first interception in, well... forever, comes off the hand of a quarterback who doesn't typically throw them.
It just doesn't seem likely.