One of Falcons head coach Mike Smith’s favorite preachings is that the next game on the schedule is the biggest one. He won’t be able to emphasize that enough in the wake of an absolutely huge 27-24 overtime win at New Orleans last Sunday.
While Atlanta’s victory over the Saints will continue to mean a lot regardless of this week’s outcome, the Falcons are ready to look ahead while leaving the past in the past. At the same time, they hope to build on the incredible momentum. “I think you can carry it with you in terms of moving forward, but it’s really not going to have any bearing on the next game,” Smith said during his press conference on Monday. “We’ve got to go out and compete against the next team up on the schedule.”
Up next for the Falcons is a trip from the undefeated (or should we say, previously-undefeated?) to the winless, as the 0-3 San Francisco 49ers are paying a visit to the Georgia Dome on Sunday. If the Falcons are flying high, the 49ers are wallowing at the other end of the momentum spectrum.
San Francisco showed some promise in a 25-22 home loss to New Orleans in the Week 2 Monday night game, but Mike Singletary’s squad has been positively dismal on the road. The 49ers kicked off their season by getting routed 31-6 at Seattle and they are coming off a 31-10 road thrashing at the hands of Kansas City last Sunday.
The passing game, as has been the case for many years, has been stagnant (quarterback Alex Smith has two touchdowns and five interceptions so far). Frank Gore has been the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield with defenses keying on talented tight end Vernon Davis. With opposing defenses also being able to gang up on the run, Gore has gained just 193 yards on 52 attempts (3.7 average).
Singletary’s 3-4 defense is what has been especially disappointing through three games. Expected to be the strength of the team behind CB Nate Clements and LB Patrick Willis, the ‘D’ is giving up 29 points per game despite having played just one highly-regarded offense.
Still, the Falcons know they will get San Francisco’s best shot. “They’re not going to catch us off guard or anything,” WR Roddy White told the AJC. “We’ll be ready. We’ll be back at home in the dome. They’re going to get everything that we’ve got, especially when we come home because that’s where we love to play. We get excited when we get in the dome. They better be ready.”
Recent meetings: Having crushed the 49ers 45-10 on the road last season, the Falcons have won three straight against San Francisco. However, the previous two victories came prior to the Mike Smith era. Atlanta pulled out a 21-19 road win in 2004 and scored a similarly close 20-16 home victory in 2007. The 49ers’ last win in the series was a 37-31 shootout at the Georgia Dome in 2001.
Said smith of the 35-point blowout in 2009: “Last year’s game will have no bearing on the outcome of the game this week,” Smith explained. “They’re a completely different football team. Anytime you go play a game records have no meaning. That’s how we approach it.”
Injuries: Aside from players who are no longer on the active roster (Atlanta has rookie WR Kerry Meier and RB Jerious Norwood on injured reserve), both the Falcons and the 49ers are in decent-shape injury-wise. Smith is hoping for the return of WR Michael Jenkins (shoulder) and S Erik Coleman (knee), although both are listed as questionable. Miami’s Ted Ginn Jr. has missed two straight games due to a sprained MCL and is questionable for Sunday.
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