Falcons force four turnovers and hand the 49ers their first loss, 29-20

The Atlanta Falcons scored 13 points off four San Francisco turnovers and beat the 49ers 29-20 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, handing San Francisco its first loss of the season. Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes, and rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels made the two plays that finished it.

Daniels intercepted Brock Purdy's pass for Jordan Watkins with 2:34 left, and Nick Folk turned it into a 31-yard field goal and a 29-20 lead. Daniels then recovered a George Kittle fumble with less than a minute to go. The 49ers had turned the ball over six times in their first six games, according to the Associated Press.

San Francisco started fast. Christian McCaffrey went over the pile from the 1 on fourth down for a 7-0 lead, and Kaelon Black ran 30 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to make it 14-3. McCaffrey left in the first half with a thigh injury and came back after halftime, but finished with seven carries for 39 yards to go with six catches for 61.

Atlanta chipped back. Penix hit tight end Nick Muse for a 1-yard touchdown, Folk missed the extra point, and Folk's 33-yard field goal on the last play of the half made it 14-12. Black's lost fumble at the Atlanta 29, recovered by Gervon Dexter Sr., set up that drive. Penix found Kyle Pitts Sr. from 5 yards for the lead in the third quarter, and after Jessie Bates III intercepted Purdy at the Atlanta 10, Penix threw 21 yards to Drake London on the first play of the fourth for a 26-14 lead.

The 49ers thought they had a 23-yard touchdown to Watkins, but a long replay review overturned it, and Za'Darius Smith sacked Purdy on the next snap, a fourth down. Purdy's 1-yard pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk with 5:05 left cut it to 26-20, and Eddy Pineiro missed the extra point wide left, his fourth miss of the season per the AP.

A shanked Jake Bailey punt gave San Francisco the ball at its own 47 with about four minutes left. That drive ended with Purdy's second interception, the one Daniels made.

Penix completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards with no interceptions. London caught seven passes for 66 yards, and Bijan Robinson ran 20 times for 63 yards and caught five for 59. Folk made all three field goals.

Purdy was 27 of 40 for 288 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Kittle caught eight passes for 88 yards, and Fred Warner made 13 tackles. San Francisco outgained Atlanta 400 to 295 and went 2 for 2 in the red zone, and the four giveaways still decided it. The 49ers played without receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel and safety Marques Sigle.

Atlanta (3-4) snapped a two-game skid and visits Tampa Bay next Sunday. The 49ers host Las Vegas on Nov. 8 after their bye.