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49ers at Falcons preview

Sports · Heat 4.7 / 10 · 6 shows · 1h 8m airtime

The San Francisco 49ers played the Atlanta Falcons in an NFL Week 7 game on October 25, 2026, and Atlanta won, handing the previously undefeated 49ers their first loss. Michael Penix threw four touchdown passes and is 3-2 as a starter under Stefanski with a 109 passer rating, nine touchdowns and one interception. He threw 18 passes under 2.5 seconds, a career high, and 27 under 10 air yards, completing 24 for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while Atlanta allowed a 9 percent pressure rate, its lowest in four years. The open question is whether that quick game answers his 23 percent pressure-to-sack rate, up from 12.4 percent over the previous two seasons.

How 6 podcasts covered it

  1. The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL, 2026-10-23 (50:54 to 56:32)
    Previews Penix under pressure and the blitz
    Previews 49ers-Falcons through the pressure matchup: Penix's EPA per dropback under pressure is near the bottom of the league, his pressure-to-sack rate has doubled to 23 percent, and teams are blitzing him on 46.7 percent of dropbacks. Notes San Francisco blitzes over 30 percent of the time and could borrow Dennis Allen's seven-man plan.
    New angle: Penix's pressure-to-sack rate is 23 percent this year, up from 12.4 percent over the previous two years.
  2. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-23 (24:46 to 30:15)
    Argues the 49ers are in a tough spot in Atlanta
    Picks the 49ers-Falcons game in the Sunday 4-Box and argues San Francisco is in a tough spot: a Monday night game, a cross-country trip, and a receiving corps down to Brandon Cooks and practice-squad names. Stays with the matchup and the Penix pressure question rather than adding to it.
  3. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-23 (18:30 to 21:56)
    Previews the Falcons trip through the injury list
    Previews the Falcons trip through the injury list and the line: 15 players on the injured list, San Francisco under a field goal favorite, and Evans likely out. Plays Shanahan's radio comments on urgency and calls Atlanta the sharp side.
    New angle: The 49ers have 15 players on the injured list, and the line is under a field goal.
  4. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-24 (27:32 to 33:07)
    Picks Atlanta plus the points over the traveling 49ers
    Previews 49ers at Falcons as a tough spot for San Francisco: west-to-east travel on a short week, Evans and Deebo out, and a Kittle-McCaffrey offense. Picks Atlanta plus the points. Stays inside the matchup read already on the record.
  5. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-25 (17:33 to 20:39)
    Reports pro money moving the Falcons line
    Turns to the 49ers-Falcons line and reports a move the card did not have: Atlanta went from plus 3.5 to plus 2.5 on pro money against a public lean on San Francisco. Reads it as a letdown spot for a 6-0 team traveling east for a 1 p.m. start, with Mike Evans out.
    New angle: The Falcons line moved from plus 3.5 to plus 2.5 on pro money, with the public on San Francisco.
  6. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-26 (0:16 to 6:10)
    Argues Penix is a franchise quarterback
    Opens on Atlanta's 29-20 win over San Francisco: the two Purdy interceptions, Kittle's fumble, McCaffrey's mid-game injury and the fifteen players already on the injured list. Turns to Penix's 3-2 record and 109 passer rating under Stefanski and argues he is a franchise quarterback who needs a real backup.
    New angle: Penix is 3-2 as a starter under Stefanski with a 109 passer rating, nine touchdowns and one interception.
  7. Nightcap, 2026-10-26 (14:27 to 18:24)
    Recaps the Falcons' upset of the 49ers
    Recaps the Falcons' 29-20 upset of the previously unbeaten 49ers, crediting Atlanta's defense for four turnovers and Purdy's two interceptions and praising Penix's play since returning. Stays inside the result and the injury-depleted receiver room.
  8. Pardon My Take, 2026-10-26 (36:24 to 43:25)
    Recaps four 49ers turnovers in the loss
    Recaps the Falcons' 29-20 win over the 49ers: four San Francisco turnovers, Purdy's inaccuracy, Pinheiro's missed extra point and Penix's efficient day. Stays inside the result and the box score, with a Jesse Bates stat as the one flourish.
  9. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-26 (3:57 to 5:30)
    Reacts to the Falcons' four-turnover upset
    Reaction to the Falcons' 29-20 upset of the 49ers: four turnovers, Purdy not looking like an MVP, Atlanta playing with fire. Fournette calls it an ugly loss but keeps San Francisco playoff bound. Stays inside the result already on the record.
  10. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-26 (11:27 to 13:40)
    Blames Shanahan's personnel pull for injuries
    Reaction to the Falcons' 29-20 win over San Francisco, framed around Shanahan's preference for older players and his personnel influence as the cause of the team's October injuries. Stays inside the result and the turnovers already on the record.
  11. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-26 (57:39 to 1:08:10)
    Breaks down Penix's quick throws
    Tice's film breakdown of Atlanta's win: Penix threw 18 passes under 2.5 seconds, a career high, and 27 throws under 10 air yards, 24 of them complete for 192 yards and two touchdowns, as the Falcons attacked Jack Jones' communication on flat routes.
    New angle: Penix threw 18 passes under 2.5 seconds, a career high, and 27 under 10 air yards, completing 24 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
  12. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-26 (3:25 to 8:15)
    Frames the 49ers' first loss as an off day
    Post-game reaction to the 49ers' first loss: walks the second-half possession log (interception, turnover on downs, touchdown, interception, fumble) and notes Penix threw four touchdowns. Frames it as an off day rather than a problem, with the division still the expectation.
    New angle: Michael Penix threw four touchdown passes in the Falcons' win over the previously undefeated 49ers.
  13. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-26 (8:50 to 10:54)
    Breaks down Atlanta's 9 percent pressure rate
    Picks through the Falcons' defensive tape from the win over the 49ers: a 9 percent pressure rate allowed, their lowest in four years, and a rookie, Kendall Daniels, with a pick and a fumble recovery. Adds the Daniels first-since-2003 note and the pressure figure to the game's file.
    New angle: Atlanta allowed a 9 percent pressure rate against the 49ers, its lowest in any game in four years.
  14. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-28 (1:06:45 to 1:09:30)
    Recaps the 49ers' trap-game loss in Atlanta
    Recaps the 49ers' loss in Atlanta as a trap-game pick that hit, blaming the depleted receiving corps for Purdy coming back to earth, then runs through the Buccaneers' rout of Carolina and the wide-open NFC South. Stays inside the results already on the record.
  15. Nightcap, 2026-10-28 (24:50 to 25:52)
    Recaps the Falcons' 29-20 upset
    Recaps the Falcons' 29-20 upset of the 49ers - Purdy's 27-of-40 for 288 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and four San Francisco turnovers on the road. Stays inside the result and the injury-driven next-man-up framing.
  16. Nightcap, 2026-10-28 (26:50 to 30:13)
    Recaps Penix's three touchdowns and 49ers injuries
    Recaps the Falcons' win over the 49ers: Penix's three touchdowns and back-to-back multi-touchdown games, then the San Francisco side - four turnovers on the road, four starters missing, replacements now getting hurt too. Stays inside the result and the injury list.
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