49ers vs. Falcons: Three Bold Predictions for Sunday Night’s Clash in San Francisco

It’ll be the 49ers and Falcons closing out Sunday's Week 7 action, with Atlanta heading to San Francisco for a prime-time matchup at Levi’s Stadium.

The Falcons come into this one red-hot, with two consecutive wins, including a 24–14 upset victory over the Bills last Monday. Michael Penix Jr. says his team’s legit.

The 49ers, meanwhile, are just 1–2 in their past three after a 3–0 start to the season, and continue to deal with an abundance of injuries on both sides of the football. They’ll get tight end George Kittle back this weekend, but are still without wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and quarterback Brock Purdy. Additionally, their top two defenders, Nick Bosa (knee) and Fred Warner (ankle), are out for the season.

This should still be a fun one. Here are three bold predictions for the matchup.

After two consecutive 300-yard performances, Mac Jones will be held to under 150

The Mac Jones-led 49ers have been dominant through the air since Jones took over for the injured Brock Purdy. While tallying a 3-1 record at the helm, Jones has thrown for 279-plus yards in all four starts and 340-plus in his past two.

This weekend, however, San Francisco faces off against a different beast.

The Falcons’ defense has been sensational against the pass this season, allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for only 139.4 yards per game—the lowest in the league—while holding all five they’ve faced to 180 or less.

I’m predicting Jones will throw for less than 150 yards on Sunday night.

Rookies Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr. will each notch a sack and two QB hits

Speaking of Atlanta’s dominant defense, its pass rush has been a top-half-of-the-league unit. Through five games, they’ve notched 14 sacks—tied for 11th in the NFL—and boast the fifth-highest quarterback pressure rate at 39.9%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

The Falcons added significant edge depth in the 2025 NFL draft, selecting both James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker in the first round. While the duo has been slow out of the gate, combining for just 1.5 sacks, I’m predicting this one to be their coming-out party. Watch for each player to notch a sack and two quarterback hits against the 49ers.

Bijan Robinson will rush for 200-plus yards for the first time in his NFL career

Given the limelight, his star power, and a matchup on the ground that favors the Falcons, I’m predicting running back Bijan Robinson will have a historic game on Sunday night.

The 23-year-old is currently third in the league this season with 484 rushing yards, while as a whole, Atlanta is the NFL’s top rushing team with 151.2 yards per game. The 49ers, meanwhile, are allowing 107.3 rushing yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry—both of which are below the league average.

Coming off a 170-yard, 8.9-yard-per-carry performance against the Bills last Monday night, look for Robinson to keep his momentum going against San Francisco. Call it, 200-plus yards to join Rico Dowdle as the only two backs to do so this year.