Niners Nation
Sunday night’s 20-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons for the San Francisco 49ers was a masterclass performance from both Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh.
With both sides of the ball dealing with plenty of injuries, the 49ers put together their best performance of the 2025 season thanks to a solid game plan from Shanahan and Saleh.
On the offensive side of the ball, the constant commitment to the run game finally paid off, with the 49ers having their best game on the ground in quite some time. On the other side, it was about keeping Atlanta’s offensive weapons at bay, and that was done with ease behind Saleh and how often he kept Atlanta’s young quarterback on his toes.
It was an impressive showing from the 49ers. But what did we learn?
The running game has a pulse
After six subpar games from the 49ers’ run offense compared to what 49ers fans have grown used to, the run game finally made its first appearance of the 2025 season.
It was a perfect combination of things with the return of George Kittle adding the 49ers’ best run blocker back to the offense, Atlanta’s run defense having its fair share of struggles, and the Falcons being without Jalon Walker and losing Dvine Deablo during Sunday night’s game. With all of that, the 49ers’ run game dominated, averaging 4.5 yards per attempt on 39 attempts, good for 174 rushing yards on the night.
The run game was obviously supported by Christian McCaffrey’s big night. Entering Week 7, his best rushing performance came back in Week 1 (maybe not coincidentally also the last time Kitttle played) when he ran for 69 yards in the win over Seattle. McCaffrey almost doubled that with his performance against the Falcons, rushing for 129 yards on a season-high 24 rushing attempts with a pair of touchdowns.
The gaps seemed to be wider on Sunday night for McCaffrey, and he gladly took advantage. Through the first six games, McCaffrey had seven runs that gained more than ten yards. The loss of explosiveness from McCaffrey might have been the biggest factor in the running struggles. The explosiveness was back on Sunday night, where McCaffrey gained ten yards or more on seven of his 24 attempts.
Brian Robinson even had a productive day, just to show how dominant the 49ers were on the ground. Robinson saw his most rushing attempts since Week 1 with nine attempts for a season-high 36 yards.
Maybe it’s just a blip in an otherwise uneventful season for the 49ers running attack, but with the circumstances around Sunday night’s win, it’s a welcome sight. For the first time in 2025, the 49ers have some momentum in the run game. Let’s see if that can continue in Week 8 and beyond.
The pass rush has a pulse
Just like the running game, the pass rush has been a group that usually excels but has had its fair share of struggles this season. The reason is more clear-cut than...
