Temperature Checks for the 49ers after their Week 7 Win vs. Atlanta
Who's hot, who's cold?
Sunday Night Football featured the 49ers hosting the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium in the post-Fred Warner era of 2025. Emerging with a 20-10 victory, let’s take a look to see who’s hot, who’s cold, and who’s bank accounts were affected in the process.
Hot
Christian McCaffrey
It should come as no surprise that McCaffrey’s most productive outing of this season coincidentally featured the return of George Kittle to the starting lineup. With his most eager blocker in toe, CMC ran the ball 24 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. He would also account for seven receptions for 72 yards through the air while looking like he had stepped straight out of the 2023 season.
Tatum Bethune
Bethune had his first start of the season at Mike linebacker, having to fill the shoes of perennial All-Pro Fred Warner in front of a national television audience. Would the moment be too big? Nope! Bethune’s performance stood out as he would lead the team with 10 tackles, and would pace the young defense that would harass Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. all night long.
Chase Lucas
Lucas would make arguably the most critical play of the night while stepping in for an injured Upton Stout. With the 49ers holding on to a three point lead and the Falcons driving in 49ers territory, Lucas would get a pass break up against Drake London on 4th and 1 to give the offense the ball back. Lucas would also have a massive QB pressure earlier in the game that would rattle the Falcons offense.
Heating Up
Interior Offensive Line
Who had Connor Colby as the first rookie to get a pass reception on the year on their bingo card? Colby’s heads up play came when Mac Jones was hit while throwing and Colby was able to secure what was initially thought to be a fumble.
Matt Hennessy entered the game at center for an injured Jake Brendel and performed admirably, as the line’s performance once he entered was very consistent. The push, perhaps an illegal pull, on the second McCaffrey touchdown saw CMC stopped several yards short of the goal line with Hennessy, Puni, and Colby all getting in on the scrum and getting McCaffrey across the goal line.
Pass Rush
Robert Saleh found ways for his defensive line to harass Penix all night long. Bryce Huff found his way into the backfield throughout the night. Sam Okuayinonu would also get a late pressure that would force Penix into an incomplete pass to stop a drive. Exotic blitzes were a part of the gameplan as Lucas and Bethune would find themselves in the backfield as well.
Cold (Hard Cash!)
Mac Jones
When Jones signed with the 49ers in March, nobody thought he would have to start five games this early in the season. By securing his fourth victory of the season, Jones triggered a clause in his contract that would pay him $400K in incentives. Jones is now in line for an additional $100K any additional victory he starts throughout the season.
Cold
Catching the ball
While the passing game was not the focal point of the offense Mac Jones lone interception was a result of Jauan Jennings letting a ball bounce off of his hands and directly to a Falcons defender. Late in the game, Jones would take a deep shot to Demarcus Robinson that would hit him right in the numbers before falling to the ground. Several drops from the receiving cops over the past few weeks are becoming concerning and will certainly make the returns of Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk from injury much more valuable.
Jake Brendel
Prior to his hamstring injury, the offensive line looked leaky to say the least. Brendel would exit the game and almost immediately be ruled out. Matt Hennessy would enter the game and the line seemed to shore up. Will Brendel get “Wally Pipp’ed”? Time will tell, but early indications show an improved line once Brendel exited the game.
Punt Returns
By now, we all realize that special teams is the red-headed step child to the coaching staff, but fielding punts deep in your own territory is something that must be corrected and quickly. Even after this habit effectively causing a safety against Arizona, it continues to happen in almost every game since and is seemingly not a coaching point throughout the week.