Falcons stun unbeaten 49ers 29-20 in Atlanta to end NFL's last perfect start
Atlanta handed San Francisco its first defeat of the 2026 season, forcing four turnovers in a 29-20 Week 7 upset at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Atlanta Falcons handed the San Francisco 49ers their first defeat of the 2026 NFL season, winning 29-20 in Week 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday and ending San Francisco’s 6-0 start, NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
San Francisco, the NFL’s last unbeaten team, fell to 6-1 while Atlanta improved to 3-4. The 49ers committed four turnovers — two fumbles and two interceptions — and seven penalties for 55 yards, including four penalties for first downs on an Atlanta scoring drive that put the Falcons up 26-14 early in the fourth quarter, per NBC.
Brock Purdy finished 27-of-40 passing for 288 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Christian McCaffrey missed a large part of the game with a first-half thigh injury before returning in the second half, rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and catching six passes for 61 yards. Rookie Kaelon Black scored his first career touchdown and ran for 63 yards on 12 carries, according to NBC.
Atlanta sealed the upset late: Falcons linebacker Kendal Daniels intercepted Purdy on third-and-9 with under three minutes remaining, and after Kyle Juszczyk’s one-yard touchdown cut the lead to 26-20 — Eddy Pineiro missed the extra point — George Kittle fumbled at the Atlanta 20-yard line with 1:26 left, San Francisco’s fourth turnover. Atlanta added a late field goal to reach 29-20 and knelt out the clock, Niners Nation reports.
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