The 49ers offense has been on somewhat of a hot streak, scoring 24 points or more in six of their last seven games. Of those seven games, the offense has put up 35 or more four times, including 48 last week in New Orleans.
The offense looks to continue their good form against a beat up Atlanta defense Sunday. Here are the six players to watch:
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
Last Sunday may have been Garoppolo’s best game of the season when he torched the Saints with four touchdowns and 346 yards on 26-of-35 passing. He’s been hot in the second half of the season and will be facing an Atlanta defense in the bottom half of the league against the pass. With just three games left in the season and the No. 1 seed in reach, Garoppolo will need to continue his hot streak against this struggling Falcons defense.
WR Emmanuel Sanders
Sanders has been given a lot of credit for Garoppolo’s elevated play over the last seven weeks. Garoppolo leads the league in touchdown passes since the 49ers acquired the receiver from Denver. Sanders has given the 49ers a pretty good No. 1 option and has solidified the passing attack. Another big day for him means another big day for the 49ers’ offense.
TE George Kittle
Kittle proved why he’s the 49ers’ best offensive weapon last week with his clutch play, literally carrying the Saints defense, and putting the 49ers in position for the game-winning field goal. Kittle has the talent to be appointment television where every time he’s playing. With the poor Atlanta defense, Kittle should have plenty of open-field opportunities and help carry the 49ers offense.
RB Raheem Mostert
Mostert will likely assume the No. 1 running back spot thanks to his performances the past few weeks. He’s shown versatility as well with his 146 rushing yard game against Baltimore and 109 scrimmage yards against New Orleans. Atlanta allows 108 rushing yards per game so look for Kyle Shanahan to utilize Mostert in both the pass and run game.
WR Deebo Samuel
Garoppolo hasn’t been the only player to flourish with the addition of Sanders. Since the Sanders trade, Samuel has average 4.6 receptions per game for 67.4 yards and two touchdowns which was a substantial increase from the pre-Sanders games. Sanders has been drawing attention away from the rookie and Samuel has been proving his abilities as an NFL-quality receiver. With his effectiveness growing in all three levels of the passing game, he’s quickly becoming one of Garoppolo’s favorite targets.
C Ben Garland
The injury bug that hit the ends of the offensive line has now hit the interior. With Weston Richburg out for the season, Garland will step into the starting center spot. The 49ers have had success with their offensive line depth and hope that success continues with Garland. While he struggled against the Seahawks in limited action, Garland didn’t have any noticeable hiccups against the Saints.
