Another week equals another loss for the San Francisco 49ers and it wasn’t just a loss on the scoreboard. The 49ers lost five players throughout the course of the game.
- WR Quinton Patton (foot)
- LB Nick Bellore (elbow)
- TE Blake Bell (shoulder)
- CB Jimmie Ward (shoulder)
- C Marcus Martin (ankle)
With Gerald Hodges inactive as a result of an undisclosed team rules violation, only one inside linebacker remained on the roster, Michael Wilhoite. A few players rotated in and out of the ILB spot including Ahmad Brooks and Antoine Bethea.
The team was also operating without WR Torrey Smith (concussion) and T Joe Staley (hamstring) who were both inactive facing the Falcons as well as recent additions to IR Daniel Kilgore and Vance McDonald so there was quite a bit of rotation on the offensive side of the ball as well.
Winners:
Zane Beadles
Beadles who has never played center in a live game did a good job adjusting to the conditions, not botching the exchange or miscuing the offense. Head coach Chip Kelly and QB Colin Kaepernick were very complimentary of his performance on the field. He practiced playing center as well as left tackle and left guard and was named the “emergency center”for this exact situation.
Atlanta fantasy football owners
Most of the Falcons players put up a ton of points but if you had DeVonta Freeman you are a winner with his 139 yards from scrimmage and three touchdown performance. Aldrick Robinson was the top receiver with four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Good luck to those of you that are in the playoffs!
Losers:
The defense
The 49ers allowed 550 yards of total offense by the Falcons and an 11th 100 yard rusher of the season. The 49ers were obviously soft in the middle with Michael Wilhoite as the only active ILB for most of the game but the numbers are pretty staggering. The Falcons averaged 8.3 yards per play with 6.0 yards per play average on the ground and 16.8 average yards per reception.
The offense in the second half
It was another groundhogs day performance by the offense in the second half. They, again, couldn’t reach the 100 yard mark in the second half. They were only able to amass 58 yards on the ground and 27 yards in the air (40 yards gross) bringing the grand total for the second half up to 85 yards. In the first half the 49ers total offense gained 187 yards, 49 on the ground and 138 in the air.
The team’s health
As mentioned above, the team continued to lose players to injury at an alarming rate. The 49ers have a short week and another game on the road on Saturday in Los Angeles. With the IR total already being at 13, losing five players in a game means you’re playing third string players at many positions. The only people it bodes well for are the members of the training staff who currently have a lot of work and thus, job security.