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The Atlanta Falcons will take on the San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. San Francisco should still be riding high after a big victory, while the Falcons will be looking to right the ship.
Atlanta didn't finish too far behind, but the team still lost 21-15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Atlanta was down 21 to nothing at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. A silver lining for them was the play of QB Marcus Mariota, who passed for one TD and 147 yards on 25 attempts in addition to picking up 61 yards on the ground. Mariota ended up with a passer rating of 118.60.
Meanwhile, San Francisco made easy work of the Carolina Panthers last week and carried off a 37-15 win. Among those leading the charge for San Francisco was RB Jeff Wilson, who rushed for one TD and 120 yards on 17 carries. That nimble footwork stands out as the first time Wilson has hit the 100-yard rushing mark this season.
The Falcons are expected to lose this next one by 5.5. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread, however, as they are currently on a five-game streak of ATS wins.
Atlanta is now 2-3 while the 49ers sit at a mirror-image 3-2. A couple numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Atlanta comes into the game boasting the fourth most rushing yards per game in the league at 164.6. But San Francisco ranks first in the NFL when it comes to rushing yards allowed per game, with only 71.4 on average. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.
