With the San Francisco 49ers coming off an ugly loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, a defeat that saw the Niners posted their worst rushing effort of the season and also included the season-ending injury to defensive leader Fred Warner, it was hard to know what to expect from Kyle Shanahan's squad in its Week 7 prime-time matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons.
But in what can only be described as an inspired showing, the Niners put forth a fantastic all-around effort, as every unit contributed to a 20-10 victory that will keep San Francisco atop the NFC West for at least another week.
It was difficult to find many losers in this contest, as there were so many positive performances that stood out, but there were a couple worth noting.
So, before we get to the winners, let's kick things off with those who didn't fare so well on Sunday night.
Loser: Jauan Jennings
lf Jauan Jennings wants that big contract he so desperately seeks, or if the 49ers are hoping to get anything of value for him in a trade, he's going to have step things up.
Yes, he's been playing hurt, and he does deserve some credit for fighting through the pain just to be on the field. But he just doesn't have it right now, and that was on display against Atlanta. Sure, he caught four passes for 31 yards. But he also had a ball that he easily should have caught go right through his hands for an interception in the second quarter, which thankfully didn't end up mattering, as the San Francisco defense forced the Falcons to punt on the ensuing possession.
Jennings also couldn't get his feet down on a third-down would-be catch when it appeared he could have, which may have prompted Shanahan to go for it on fourth down instead of settling for a field goal.
With Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall out and Mac Jones confusingly not looking much at Kendrick Bourne on Sunday, Jennings had his best chance to prove some value and simply didn't.
Loser: Jason Pinnock
If the 49ers' defense had any losers on Sunday night, it would have to be safety Jason Pinnock, who earned the worst overall PFF defensive grade of any San Francisco defender who took more than 20 defensive snaps at a dismal 46.7.
The fifth-year safety allowed a reception on every pass thrown in his direction, thus allowing nearly 40 yards of offense in that regard, and also missed two tackles.
He did record a pair of stops, but from an overall standpoint, he was the weakest link on the defensive side of the ball.
Winner: Christian McCaffrey
The 49ers' run game has been dreadful for the vast majority of the season, but Shanahan went in with a game plan to stuff Christian McCaffrey down the Falcons' throat, and it worked beautifully, as the three-time Pro Bowler averaged 5.4 yards per carry en route to a season-high 129 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, also adding a team-high 72 receiving yards on seven receptions.
McCaffrey is now just the third player in the last decade to record 100 total yards from scrimmage in his team's first seven games, joining David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals, 2016) and Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs, 2017).
Winner: George Kittle
George Kittle may not have caught a single pass in his first game back since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1, but the fact that he was on the field at all is obviously a win.
But even with zero receptions, Kittle, who has long been arguably the best blocking tight end in the league, undoubtedly made his presence felt in the running game, lining up in several different spots throughout the game to help McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr. break through the line for gains.
Not including the five rushing attempts from Mac Jones, the Niners ran the ball 34 times. Of those 34, Kittle was on the field for 28, with San Francisco gaining 151 yards, which averages out to just under 5.4 yards per carry. On the six he wasn't, the Niners gained 12 yards, averaging only 2 yards per carry.
Yeah, he makes a difference.
Winner: Matt Hennessy
Kittle obviously wasn't the only one blocking, and the entire San Francisco offensive line deserves credit for its overall performance. Connor Colby even recorded a reception, for goodness' sake, albeit an accidental one.
And let's get real. It was lovely to see Trent Williams finally look like Trent Williams.
But we want to give extra props to Matt Hennessy, who stepped in at center when Jake Brendel went down with a hamstring injury and performed admirably. That's obviously not the easiest position to play coming off the bench, but he certainly deserves his flowers for filling in and keeping the offense flowing.
Winner: Tatum Bethune
No Warner. No problem.
Okay, so that's undoubtedly a little much, but Tatum Bethune deserves all the credit in the world for the performance he put on against Atlanta, recording a team-high 10 total tackles and playing a big part in helping to keep Bijan Robinson at bay.
While Bethune's lone pressure may show up in a box score, what doesn't is him running over Robinson to get to Michael Penix Jr. to force an errant pass.
Nobody's expecting him to be Warner, but if Bethune continues to play the way he did Sunday night, the 49ers can breathe a little easier.
Winner: Chase Lucas
Another nice surprise for the Niners was the stellar play of cornerback Chase Lucas, who'd only taken 24 defensive snaps this season before Sunday night.
The 28-year-old took 35 against the Falcons, and one of his last turned out to be the defensive play of the game, as he undercut Drake London on a fourth-down play midway through the fourth quarter to break up a pass, thus forcing a turnover on downs.
The Niners' offense then took nearly six minutes off the clock on the ensuing possession, which resulted in the 4-yard McCaffrey touchdown run that ultimately gave San Francisco a 20-10 lead. None of that happens without Lucas, and it'll be interesting to see how his snap counts are affected once Upton Stout returns.
Winner: Bryce Huff
Bryce Huff continues to make the 49ers look like geniuses for trading for him, as the sixth-year edge rusher recorded five pressures, a pair of QB hits, and a sack against an Atlanta offensive line that had only surrendered seven sacks all season.
Huff ultimately earned an 81.9 overall PFF grade for his efforts, the highest mark of any San Francisco defender.
Winner: Eddy Pineiro
Last but certainly not least, we come to kicker Eddy Pineiro, who, after missing his very first kick in a 49ers uniform in Week 2, hasn't missed since.
Pineiro was a perfect 4-4 on Sunday night, connecting on a pair of extra-point attempts (the first one was a little shaky but still bounced in off the upright) and hitting field goals of 55 and 43 yards.