McCaffrey Carries Short-Handed 49ers Past Falcons in Gritty 20–10 Win
October 21, 2025
In a game that promised grit more than glamor, the San Francisco 49ers leaned on toughness, discipline, and a healthy dose of Christian McCaffrey to grind out a 20–10 win over the visiting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium. With injuries continuing to test their depth, and a resurgent Falcons team trying to prove last week’s upset over the Bills wasn’t a fluke, the 49ers delivered the kind of no-frills, physical football performance that’s come to define the Kyle Shanahan era. The story coming in was all about who wasn’t playing. Brock Purdy remained sidelined with a toe injury. Nick Bosa and Fred Warner were both out. That left the spotlight on Mac Jones, and for the second straight week, the former Patriot did exactly what he needed to do: protect the football, manage the offense, and let his weapons do the heavy lifting.
Jones wasn’t spectacular, but he was steady, finishing 17 of 26 for 152 yards and no turnovers. He played within himself, didn’t try to be a hero, and leaned hard on McCaffrey, who continues to put together one of the most impressive seasons of his career. McCaffrey finished the night with 129 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, racking up 201 total yards from scrimmage, a classic CMC performance. His fingerprints were on nearly every scoring drive, including the 49ers’ opening touchdown late in the second quarter. With the Niners trailing 3–0 after a quiet first half, McCaffrey capped a methodical 12-play, 78-yard drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone, giving San Francisco a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. But Atlanta wasn’t going quietly.
Coming off their emotional win over Buffalo, the Falcons arrived in Santa Clara with something to prove, and early on, they showed flashes of the team that had just stunned one of the AFC’s top contenders. Bijan Robinson remained the centerpiece of the offense, but the 49ers bottled him up for most of the night, limiting him to 40 yards rushing. He did add 52 yards through the air, including a 10-yard touchdown reception from Michael Penix Jr. in the third quarter that briefly cut the 49ers’ lead to 13–10. That would be Atlanta’s final score of the night.
From that point on, San Francisco’s defense, short-handed but still aggressive, shut the door. Linebacker Tatum Bethune stepped up in Warner’s absence, flying sideline to sideline, while newly-acquired edge rusher Bryce Huff delivered a momentum-shifting strip sack of Penix just before halftime that led to a 55-yard Eddy Piñeiro field goal. The Falcons, trailing by just three entering the fourth, had a chance to tie or take the lead, but critical mistakes doomed them. The most costly came with under three minutes left, on a third-and-13 from their own 21-yard line. Only 10 defenders were on the field. Mac Jones took full advantage, hitting McCaffrey on a simple swing pass that turned into a 17-yard gain down to the 4. On the very next play, McCaffrey ran it in for his second score of the night, icing the game at 20–10.
After the game, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called the miscue “absolutely embarrassing.” And he wasn’t wrong, it was the kind of avoidable mental error that defined a frustrating night for Atlanta, who fell to 3–3 with the loss. Penix, for all his poise and arm talent, finished with 241 passing yards but couldn’t get into a rhythm against a 49ers defense that disguised coverages and mixed pressure with well-timed zone drops. For the 49ers, now 5–2, the win was less about style and more about survival, surviving injuries, surviving missed opportunities, and surviving a Falcons team that’s clearly better than its record. But when you’ve got Christian McCaffrey and a defense that refuses to break, sometimes survival is all you need.
Ben, Author
Communication major and junior from Ohio. I played college ball at the D2 level for Lake Erie College as a defensive end…so I know a thing or two about grit (and laundry day after turf stains). I’m a proud fan of the Steelers, Michigan, and Red Sox, and when I’m not watching or debating sports, you’ll probably catch me at a Steelers game.
The Goal Line Grind 