Former San Francisco 49ers player Terrell Owens might have few issues with the current roster. For instance, Owens called out 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans for his route running and speed. However, not in his wildest dreams did Owens expect San Francisco to accept a loss at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. Still coping with the 29-20 defeat, Owens broke his silence.
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“There’s a couple of teams that went into this weekend undefeated; that’s no longer undefeated,” Owens shared on the Get To The Point podcast. “There’s only one team undefeated right now. That’s the Minnesota Vikings. And right now, I don’t really see anybody beating them. Like I said, they’ve been kind of flying under the radar, just handling business.
“But, as it pertains to this 49ers-Falcons game, I did not, man, I would have been, man, I’ve been out of a house and a home, a car, and everything because I would have bet my, I would have bet everything that they were going to come out undefeated this weekend.”
The 49ers were on a 6-0 heater before facing the Falcons in Week 7. But the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, away from home, turned out to be a loss. Talking about good moments? Kyle Shanahan’s squad tasted quite a few this season.
“The 49ers are 3-0 vs the Broncos, Seahawks and Rams this season,” posted CBS reporter Doug Clawson. “They are the 1st team since the 1981 Broncos with 3 wins thru 5 games vs the previous season’s Conf Champ teams.”
ESPN Analytics made a bold prediction before the 49ers’ matchup with the Falcons, projecting San Francisco to win out and become the first NFL team to finish a regular season at 17-0.
The NFL has yet to see an undefeated regular-season team since moving to a 17-game schedule in 2021. In the modern era, the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the 2007 New England Patriots are the only teams to win every game during the regular season. So, going by Owens’ take, he also bought into the hype, claiming he would have risked all his assets on San Francisco winning against Atlanta.
Thank God, he didn’t!
Even during the game, there have been some silver linings that fed into Owens’ confidence about his former team. Despite giving the ball away four times, San Francisco kept the contest close. But it’s the same turnovers that cost them dearly in the long run.
Brock Purdy’s two interceptions matched his season total entering the contest. San Francisco suffered another setback late in the second quarter when Black fumbled during a drive. George Kittle’s fourth-quarter fumble compounded the team’s mistakes and ended any realistic chance of a comeback.
“I think we were just disappointed about ourselves for having turnovers in the red zone,” Kittle said. “The turning point was probably the turnovers. I mean, we had four. I think everybody’s going to say about the same thing. Four turnovers. Hard to win football games (and) still had a chance at the end.”
It was shocking for everyone, like Owens, to witness the loss, given the mistakes that the 49ers made that helped the Falcons go home with a victory.
The 49ers’ discipline issues proved costly against Atlanta, as they recorded seven penalties for 55 yards. Three flags came during a key second-half possession, giving the Falcons multiple first downs and helping them sustain their drive. Michael Penix Jr. eventually found Drake London for a touchdown, increasing Atlanta’s advantage to 26-14 early in the fourth quarter.
San Francisco successfully kept Bijan Robinson from producing game-changing runs, but this strategy had an unintended consequence. Instead of relying on explosive plays, the Falcons put together lengthy drives that allowed them to maintain possession and wear down the 49ers’ defense.
That’s how the 49ers’ dream of being the undefeated team came to an end.