Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers Matchup Preview (12/19/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers Matchup Preview (12/19/21)

The 6-7 Atlanta Falcons are headed to the west coast to take on the 7-6 San Francisco 49ers in an attempt to get to .500 on the season and differentiate themselves from other playoff contenders. The Falcons are one of just five teams in the NFC that sit at 6-7 in the playoff race. They beat the Panthers last week, further proving their ability to win on the road where they are 6-2 this season. The 49ers beat the Bengals last week in a tight overtime game that put them at 7-6 on the season. That win gave them the cushion they needed to separate themselves from those five 6-7 NFC teams but both teams still have their work cut out for them this season if they want to secure a spot in the postseason.

Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Odds

The 49ers are the 8.5-point favored team in this game and the over/under is 45.5. Despite their commendable win against the Panthers last week, the Falcons just don’t have enough threats on both sides of the ball to beat this talented 49ers team, most likely. The 49ers are averaging 25.3 points per game right now, and the Falcons defense allows that and then some, so top scorers like Deebo Samuel should have fun in this game. Both teams are 6-7 against the spread this year but Atlanta has shown tremendous ability on the road this year – while the 49ers are 1-4 on covering as the home favorite, the Falcons have covered 71.4% of the time as the away team. The problem is, they have failed to cover against any top-caliber team, and San Francisco is definitely that. 

If the Falcons had any sort of a defense, I’d pick them to cover in this game, but against an offense like this, it will be tough.

My Prediction: 49ers win 30-14, 49ers cover, over 45.5

TV Schedule

Date: 12/19/21
Time: 4:05 PM ET
Location: Levis Stadium – Santa Clara, CA
TV Coverage: FOX

Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers Live Stream

Where can you watch Falcons vs. 49ers online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Falcons vs. 49ers Free Online Now.

Atlanta Falcons Analysis

Last week, Atlanta pulled off another road win that brought them up to speed for the playoff race. They are now 6-2 away and 0-5 at home. Playing in San Francisco this week is actually an advantage for them. They took down the Panthers 29-21 without a super stat-heavy performance but they took advantage of Carolina’s mistakes that included a Cam Newton interception that was returned for a touchdown. 

Cordarelle Patterson continues to prove that he is their biggest threat. He has an all-purpose offensive weapon who has a serious impact on this team’s offense. Not only is he leading the team in rushing and receiving touchdowns, but in the six quarters that he has not played in this year, Atlanta didn’t score a single point. Against a strong pass defense like San Francisco, they’re best bet is to keep the ball on the ground with Patterson and exploit a mediocre rush defense that allows 123.9 rushing yards per game. Kyle Pitts is their other offensive threat, but has struggled to get into the endzone this year, tallying just one touchdown. In fact this offense in general has struggled to get into the endzone this year outside of Patterson, and they are averaging just 18.8 points per game. 

Defensively they lost starter Erik Harris last week who will be out for the remainder of the season. Considering how effective he’s been for this struggling defense, the secondary will likely be exploitable for San Francisco receivers this week. This defense allows 364 yards per game and the 49ers offense averages the exact same, so they definitely have their work cut out for them. Their running defense will struggle to contain a hot Elijah Mitchell,if he plays. He is battling an injury and his status is questionable for this game. 

This defense also has the third-most receiving touchdowns against them in the league so Deebo Samuel and George Kittle could cause problems for them, especially with no Harris. They allow over 27 points per game.

Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart

QB: Matt Ryan
RB1: Cordarrelle Patterson 
RB2: Mike Davis
WR1: Tajae Sharpe
WR2: Russell Gage
WR3: Olamide Zaccheaus
TE1: Kyle Pitts

San Francisco 49ers Analysis

The 49ers won by a narrow margin last week, topping the Bengals in overtime with a last minute Brandon Aiyuk touchdown. They did allow the Bengals to bounce back from a 6-20 deficit and went scoreless in the fourth quarter doing so. But at the hands of George Kittle and crucial Cincinnati mistakes, they pulled off a win to advance in the postseason race. 

Kittle has obviously found his stride lately, combining for 332 receiving yards over 22 receptions and three touchdowns in the last two games. He has scored six touchdowns in the last six games and is probably the biggest reason why the 49ers made it back over the .500 bump. Deebo Samuel is big for this offense as well but defenses have found a way to shut down the deep threat and force him to run the ball – he’s been targeted in the air only seven times, recorded just three catches with less than 50 total receiving yards and zero receiving touchdowns in the last three games. Samuel does just fine on the ground though, tallying 182 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns over those last three games. Elijah Mitchell was out last week which gave Samuel more room to run, and Mitchell’s status is questionable for return so we may see more of that this week. Regardless, this offense could be lethal against a weak Falcons defense.

Defensively, they can also cause problems for the Falcons as they allow just 213.2 passing yards per game. Their run defense however is exploitable and with Cordarelle Patterson on the other side of the ball, it could be trouble in San Francisco. Jimmie Ward and Nick Bosa have been big for this defense as Bosa has tallied 14 sacks and Ward has tallied sixty tackles and two interceptions. This 49ers defense concedes 23.2 points per game and 325.4 total yards while the Falcons offense averages just 18.8 points per game and 331.3 yards per game.

San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
RB1: Elijah Mitchell
RB2: Jeff Wilson Jr.
WR1: Deebo Samuel
WR2: Brandon Aiyuk
WR3: Jauan Jennings
TE1: George Kittle
TE2: Ross Dwelley

Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers Daily Fantasy Picks

If George Kittle keeps his streak up, he is a no-brainer for this week and I’d play him over any tight end in the league. He has emerged as not only one of the best tight ends in the league, but one of the biggest offensive weapons and went off against a better Bengals defense last week, so he should pull some points this week against this defense. 

Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo has a 100% extra-point completion rate and a 90.5% field goal completion rate which makes him a solid choice for your kicker this week. He’s been consistent despite having only 21 field goal attempts this year.