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SANTA CLARA — Here is how the 49ers (11-3) graded in Sunday’s 29-22 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons (5-9):
PASS OFFENSE: C+
George Kittle’s 13 catches (134 yards) matched Eric Johnson’s single-game franchise record for a tight end, and Kittle (2,780 yards) surpassed Mike Ditka’s NFL record for most yards among tight ends in their first three years. So don’t go blaming Kittle for fumbling short of the first-down marker and setting up fourth-and-1 on the 49ers’ final offensive series. Jimmy Garoppolo (22-of-34, 200 yards, one sack, no turnovers) couldn’t get comfortable or in a rhythm, and he arguably was too reliant on Kittle (17 of Garoppolo’s 33 targets). Weston Richburg’s absence surely had some impact as the 49ers transition to Ben Garland and his shotgun snaps as their new center.
RUN OFFENSE: C
Just when we start questioning starting running back Tevin Coleman’s worth, he rips off a 37-yard run; his other carries were for 2, minus-1 and 2 yards. Raheem Mostert (team-high 14 carries for 54 yards) had a 2-yard touchdown run to cap a 21-play drive, the most plays in any 49ers drive over the past 20 seasons and the NFL’s most since a 21-play drive by the 2011 Miami Dolphins. The offensive line fared well on that drive, not so well for the remainder. Good luck vs. the Rams’ Aaron Donald on Saturday night.
PASS DEFENSE: D
If not for a replay review, we’d be celebrating a goal-line stop that keeps the 49ers’ atop the NFC playoff picture. Instead, we wonder if this injury-ravaged unit is capable of finishing strong, not only in future fourth quarters but in the remaining games. Julio Jones had the same line as Kittle (13 catches, 134 yards) but he also scored the go-ahead touchdown, and he proved a tough cover for Emmanuel Moseley, Jimmie Ward and all others. The 49ers had no interceptions, and D.J. Reed broke up one that Fred Warner nearly had.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Ross Dwelley forced a fumble on a fourth-quarter punt return that loomed as a titanic takeaway, seeing how the 49ers converted it into a Kyle Juszczyk touchdown catch two snaps later. Robbie Gould was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts, yet fickle fans will scorn him for missing a point-after kick for the first time this season. Raheem Mostert had two special-teams tackles and hopefully that helps him land a Pro Bowl invitation Tuesday.
COACHING: C-
Loss No. 3 looked a lot like Nos. 1 and 2, as Robert Saleh’s defense caved in the closing seconds. Kyle Shanahan’s offense paled in comparison to last Sunday’s shootout in New Orleans. Shanahan gave credit to his former boss, Falcons coach Dan Quinn, and so did Juszczyk, who said: “They came out and they gave us something different that they haven’t shown all season. They came out with five bigs, three linebackers and took a DB out, so it was just something we had to adjust to. I felt like at times we did a good job, but could have done a little bit better.”
With three losses in the past six games, the 49ers need to correct things fast and finish strong against division rivals Los Angeles (Saturday night, home) and Seattle (Dec. 29, away).
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