The good news coming out of Sunday is the 49ers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013. The bad news is that with their loss against the Falcons, the 49ers dropped to the No. 5 seed in the NFC, going from home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a first-round bye, to a road game in the wild card round.
The 49ers were missing several key pieces on defense and it showed, especially late in the game. Here are the studs and duds from their upset 29-22 loss to Atlanta:
Stud: TE George Kittle
Kittle followed his game-winning play last week with a monster performance. He posted a career-high 13 receptions for 134 yards. The 134 receiving yards accounted for 67 percent of Jimmy Garoppolo’s 200 passing yards. Garoppolo also targeted the tight end on 17 of his 34 throws. Kittle was the largest part of the 49ers’ offense on Sunday, and without him the game would have been nowhere near as close as it was. The 49ers are used to Kittle being an important piece, but he can’t continue as their lone receiving threat if they’re going to make a run in the postseason.
Dud: The receiving corps
While Kittle finished with 13 receptions for 134 yards, Emmanuel Sanders, Kendrick Bourne, and Deebo Samuel finished with a combined four receptions for 49 yards. The 49ers receivers have been somewhat up-and-down this season, but that group has been solid since Sanders’ arrival in Week 8. Sunday was the worst game from the position since the trade, and in a game where the offense could only muster 22 points, the struggles stand out even more.
Stud: RB Raheem Mostert
While Mostert’s production wasn’t prolific – 14 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown – the offense flows better when he’s on the field and involved. The 49ers had six drives Sunday where Mostert didn’t touch the ball. Those drives ended with three punts, a fumble, a field goal and a touchdown. On the four drives he did touch the ball the 49ers had a touchdown, two field goals, and a punt. Mostert has to be more integral in the 49ers’ offense moving forward.
Dud: RB Matt Breida
Breida had four carries on Sunday, and two of those carries resulted in fumbles on the same drive. The first fumble followed a Kittle 21-yard reception, but harmlessly rolled out of bounds. The second fumble came in Atlanta territory and was recovered by the Falcons. While the defense forced a punt on the ensuing drive, the fumble came late in the third quarter with the 49ers only up three points, and ended a drive where the 49ers were gaining yards in chunks.
Stud: S Marcell Harris
Harris’ performance Sunday following his rough game in New Orleans was encouraging. The safety finished with six tackles and two pass breakups. He started the game with a solid tackle on Barner that limited a potential big play to a four-yard gain, and his two pass breakups came in big moments late in the fourth quarter. The first pass breakup was on a shot to the end zone to Austin Hooper. The second came on the second-to-last play of the game, once again against Hooper in the end zone. Harris got just enough of the ball to force an incomplete pass. In a game where the secondary lacked depth, Harris came up with a strong showing.
Dud: CB Emmanuel Moseley
It feels slightly unfair to give a dud to Moseley who was covering Julio Jones most the game, but the corner really struggled. Jones finished with 13 receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Of the 13 receptions, four came while Moseley was in one-on-one coverage against him for 51 yards and a touchdown. Moseley was targeted heavily on the drive that resulted in Jones’ first touchdown when he allowed receptions of 28, 10, and 5 yards. The shortest of those three was the touchdown. Jones is a tough matchup for any cornerback, but Moseley didn’t step up to the challenge Sunday.
Dud: The pass rush
This was a huge mismatch on paper. The 49ers entered Sunday third in the league in sacks, while Atlanta entered with the seventh-most sacks allowed. The 49ers finished with just two sacks and six quarterback hits. That’s not the production expected from this pass rush, especially against a team that struggles to keep their quarterback clean. Sheldon Day and Nick Bosa were the only two that could sack Ryan, and DeForest Buckner was called for a couple of penalties. Arik Armstead couldn’t get to the quarterback either, although he did have a good game against the run. The 49ers need to figure out how to effect quarterbacks down the stretch or they’re going to have trouble stopping anyone.
