49ers are looking mortal after sloppy loss to Falcons

Black, however, on the next drive put the ball on the turf inside the Atlanta 30, turning the tide of the game.

The Falcons scored 10 straight points before San Francisco could touch the ball again and it seemed like no harm, no foul until another drive ended in Falcons territory thanks to this impressive interception by Jesse Bates III.

“I thought ... Christian Kirk on the scramble was going to be there, but ... as I was getting ready to throw, I was like no it’s not," Purdy said in the postgame news conference. "So I just went to throw it away by the sideline and then Bates all of a sudden came across and made a good play and I was like ‘You got to be kidding me.’”

The pick led to another Falcons touchdown, followed by another 49ers drive that stalled deep in Atlanta territory, despite flashes of brilliance from Jordan Watkins, who did his best to be the Niners' missing piece at WR in the second half.

San Francisco had hope late. It scored on its next drive, but Eddy Pineiro, almost on cue, missed his fourth extra point of the season. Still, it didn't matter, the Niners got the ball back and could still muster a game-winning drive, until they didn't.

The 49ers had a chance to win, until they didn't. They had an effective gameplan that was working, until it didn't. They had an unstoppable offense, until they didn't. They had an efficient defense, until they didn't.

For five of their last six quarters, the Niners have been beating themselves and their opponents have been taking advantage of it. The Falcons defense created multiple takeaways for the first time this season and found ways to adapt and limit San Francisco's initial gameplan.

Former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, now the defensive coordinator for the Niners, got no pressure from his line, something that was bound to happen sooner rather than later, and allowed Michael Penix (25 of 34, 213 yards, three touchdowns) to dink and dunk his way down the field at will.

Luckily for the Niners, this could just be a speed bump and not a sign of things to come with their bye week coming at the best time possible. They get extra time to heal players up, clean up everything, make some trades before the Nov. 10 (4 p.m. ET) trade deadline and get those new acquisitions settled in before hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 8.