The 49ers’ first loss exposed how thin they are

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The 49ers’ first loss exposed how thin they are

Originally posted on Lindy's Sports | By Eman Zahra | Last updated Oct 26, 2026 3:03 PM ET

The score matters less than how it happened. As Fox Sports’ Greg Auman wrote, San Francisco’s toughest opponent right now is its own injury report.

Mike Evans, the 33-year-old who has carried the passing game, sat out with an Achilles injury. Deebo Samuel was inactive with a hamstring problem.

Ricky Pearsall, rookie De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson are all on injured reserve.

That left Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing, who had five career catches apiece coming in. Each caught three passes Sunday.

That’s respectable under the circumstances, but it isn’t what a contender wants from its top targets.

Christian McCaffrey’s exit swung the first half

McCaffrey touched the ball on San Francisco’s first four plays and piled up 68 yards, including a one-yard touchdown.

Then he left with a thigh injury on the first snap of the next drive and missed nearly two quarters, though he did come back.

Rookie Kaelon Black ran 30 yards for a score and a 14-3 lead, then fumbled on the following possession.

Atlanta trimmed it to 14-12 by halftime. Black finished the second half with negative yards.

Brock Purdy threw two interceptions, matching what he’d thrown in the first six games combined.Todd Kirkland / Getty Images

Brock Purdy threw two interceptions, matching what he’d thrown in the first six games combined. George Kittle’s late fumble ended the last real comeback try.

Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes for the Falcons. Fox’s research found road teams at minus-4 in turnover margin or worse went 1-32 over the last six seasons.

San Francisco was in that spot and still had a shot in the fourth quarter.

The bye week arrives with real questions attached

The Niners entered the day with a three-game lead in the division. After Seattle’s win over Kansas City, that cushion is two games, with the Seahawks at 4-3 and the Niners at 6-1. San Francisco now sits 13 days from its next game, which gives the core group time to heal but also time to stew.

Kittle, for his part, wasn’t panicking. “It’s the NFL. Injuries happen,” he said, and he framed the real issue as depth: how many veterans can stay healthy and keep the standard up.

That’s the thing to track when practice resumes. If Evans, Samuel and McCaffrey are all back on the field, the 49ers look like the team that started 6-0. If any of them are still sidelined, Sunday looks like a preview of December.

This article first appeared on Lindy's Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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