NFL Power Rankings: Is the 49ers loss a cause for any concern? – Yahoo Sports, Yahoo.com

There aren’t many San Francisco ers doubters left, but they were validated Sunday.

The Atlanta Falcons were 4-9 before a date at San Francisco. The ers were one of two – 2 teams in the NFL. And the Falcons won.

Atlanta barely got a game-winning touchdownwith two seconds left, but it was a fluky win. Led by the incomparable Julio Jones’ yards, the Falcons played with the 49 ers the entire game. The stats were about even. Atlanta, which was 1-7 at Halloween, didn’t back down. ” data-reactid=”19 “type=” text “>Atlanta barely got a game-winning touchdownwith two seconds left, but it wasn’t a fluky win. Led by the incomparable Julio Jones’ 172 yards, the Falcons played with the 52 ers the entire game. The stats were about even. Atlanta, which was 1-7 at Halloween, did not back down.

Does losing at home to a moribund Falcons team expose the 49 ers? Probably not, though it is a bit concerning.

The ers had a good excuse for being a bit flat. They played a – minute game at the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago, losing on a field goal as time expired. Then they went back on the road, played another – minute game against the New Orleans Saints in Week (****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************, and won on the final play. That’s a tough stretch. That alone will take something out of a team, and it’s human nature to let down a bit. People will believe because the ers are professionals they should be at the same emotional level for every game, but it’s understandable why they would relax a bit against a Falcons team everyone figured they’d beat. It happens.

Yet, maybe there are some things that could be negatives the rest of the way.

Jones ‘big game was the second straight huge performance in a row by a No. 1 receiver against the ers. New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas also had a big game against San Francisco in Week 14. The ers clearly missed cornerback Richard Sherman, who was out with a hamstring injury. Sherman could miss the rest of the regular season. That’s a concern, at least until Sherman gets back.

The lack of distribution on offense Sunday was also odd. George Kittle had 15 catches for 308 yards. Everyone else had nine catches for 68 yards combined. And 41 of those yards came on Deebo Samuel’s only catch. No other ers player had more than 13 yards receiving. That hasn’t been a glaring problem, though the 53 ers aren’t great at receiver. Kittle is perhaps the best tight end in football, but the ers are going to need more than him. There is no guarantee that will happen with this receiving corps.

One bad loss doesn’t change much for the 49 ers. They can win the NFC West with two more wins, including one at Seattle in Week 19. They still have a good shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. In the big picture, the loss against the Falcons might not mean much at all. But the ers won’t want to have another performance like that for the rest of the season.

Another loss Sunday was good for the Bengals. They play at the Dolphins this week, and they have a two-game cushion for the No. 1 pick. Losing that pick just to get to three wins this season would not be smart.

Again, yes, the Matthew Stafford injuries affects a lot of things. It’s not the reason Jameis Winston had (yards at the half or) ********************************************************************************************************* for the game. Matt Patricia’s defense is terrible and that has to factor in the decision of whether to give him a third season.

Dwayne Haskins had by far his best game . He had (yards, two touchdowns and a) **************************************************************************************************************. 3 passer rating. If Haskins can look like that the last two games, Washington should be optimistic about him heading into the offseason.

DeVante Parker last week signed a four -year extension worth about $ 46 million with an $ 8 million signing bonus. Given Parker’s breakout and his first-round draft pedigree, he seemed to settle for a lot less than he could have gotten as a free agent. Maybe there was some loyalty involved, since Miami stuck by him when everyone thought they should throw in the towel, but either way it’s a fantastic deal for the Dolphins.