San Francisco 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons Box Score on Dec 18, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 18, 2016

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons kept up their pace as the highest-scoring team in the NFL despite playing the past two games without leading receiver Julio Jones.

Devonta Freeman rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons broke the team record for points in a season while handing the San Francisco 49ers a 13th straight loss with 41-13 victory on Sunday.

Atlanta (9-5) is up to 469 points with two regular-season games to go, bettering the 442 points set in 1998 when the team made its lone trip to the Super Bowl.

Freeman, who carried 20 times, had a 34-yard touchdown run in the third quarter after scoring from 5- and 9-yards out in the first half. The three scores boosted his season total to 12 touchdowns.

Matt Ryan, compiling a 144.5 quarterback rating, completed 17 of 23 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns before backup Matt Schaub took over in the fourth quarter to finish the game.

The Falcons finished with 29 first downs and 550 total yards, including 248 on the ground, against the 49ers (1-13).

Reserve wide receiver Aldrick Robinson had four catches for 111 yards as nine Falcons caught passes in the absence of Jones, sidelined by a sprained toe.

The Falcons, who defeated Los Angeles 42-14 last week, registered 319 yards while taking a 28-13 halftime lead. Only a fumble by Freeman at the 1-yard line in the second quarter kept Atlanta from five touchdowns in as many possessions.

Atlanta led 21-0 after the first quarter, just like it had against the Rams. Freeman scored on a 5-yard run and Ryan then threw 9-yard TD passes to Taylor Gabriel and Austin Hooper.

Freeman's second TD, from 9 yards out, came between second-quarter touchdowns passes by San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick of 16 yards to Garrett Celek and 5 yards to Rod Streater. Phil Dawson's missed PAT attempt after the 49ers TD just before halftime made it a 28-13 gap at the break.

Ryan completed 12 of 14 passes for 192 yards in the first half, compiling a 158.3 quarterback rating, and Freeman gained 77 yards on 11 carries.

Freeman's 34-yard TD run in the third quarter followed a 50-yard field goal by Matt Bryant and left no double about the outcome. Bryant added a 41-yard kick in the fourth quarter.

Kaepernick completed 20 of 33 for 183 yards and the two 49ers touchdowns.

NOTES: Falcons rookie LB De'Vondre Campbell suffered a head injury in the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game with a concussion. ... The 49ers, already without LT Joe Staley (hamstring) and WR Torrey Smith (concussion), lost LB Nick Bellore (elbow), WR Quinton Patton (foot), CB Jimmie Ward (shoulder) and TE Blake Bell (ankle) during the game. ... 49ers LB Gerald Hodges didn't play because of a violation of team rules. ... WR Julio Jones (toe) missed his second straight game for the Falcons, but WR Mohamed Sanu (groin) returned after sitting out last week. ... TE Austin Hooper (knee) was hurt in the second half. ... Missing from the Falcons' defense were CB Jalen Collins (knee) and DE Adrian Clayborn (knee). ... It was the 49ers' first trip to Atlanta since rallying from a 17-0 deficit in the 2012 NFC Championship Game and then holding on for a 28-24 victory to reach Super Bowl XLVII. ... The 49ers won regular-season games over Atlanta at San Francisco in 2013 and 2015. ... The Falcons wore throwback black jerseys and black helmets for the second time this season.