The Atlanta Falcons have cooled off since their 5-0 start -- dropping two of their last three games -- but have a good opportunity to get back on the winning track this Sunday against a San Francisco 49ers team that is entrenched in a complete freefall.
Falcons vs. 49ers picks and predictions: Atlanta is a lock to beat San Francisco
The Falcons should have no trouble beating a 49ers team that is simply trying to avoid earning the top pick in next year’s draft.
It is never easy to go on the road for a cross-country trip and there have been times this season when the Falcons have played down to their competition, but you have to like Atlanta’s chances in San Francisco.
The 49ers might be not be the worst team in the NFL according to wins and losses, but it’s hard to find any other statistic that doesn’t paint them as the league’s cellar dweller. They’ve been both outscored (-12.3 points per game) and outgained (-121.5 yards per game) by a larger margin than any other team this season, and are dead last in Football Outsiders overall team efficiency ratings.
And that was before they benched their starting quarterback and handed the reigns of the offense over to fifth-year signal caller Blaine Gabbert, who is making his first start in more than two years. Since his rookie year in 2011, Gabbert owns the lowest passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt among quarterbacks with at least 500 throws in that span. There is little historical evidence that Gabbert will be an upgrade over Colin Kaepernick or that he'll able to spark this dreadful 49ers offense.
The Falcons recent downturn can be traced to a rash of turnovers that has caused their offense to sputter over the past few weeks. Atlanta put up 32 points per game and turned the ball over just five times during its five-game win streak to start the season. During its recent 1-2 slide, however, it is scoring just 17 points per game and has nine turnovers in those three games. The good news is that the Falcons are still moving the ball well, averaging 429 yards in their last three games, which is actually a slight uptick compared to their first five games (406).
The experts are convinced that the Falcons should have no problem beating the 49ers. It’s a clean sweep for Atlanta among all the guys picking this game at CBS Sports, ESPN and SB Nation.
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