Injuries undoubtedly contributed to the defeat. The 49ers lacked several starters on defense, and the offense appeared to lack rhythm. Players didn't want to use injuries as an excuse, though. Tight end George Kittle felt that maybe the team lacked the intensity it prides itself on.
"I would disagree with that," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in response to Kittle's comments. "I mean, I like George saying that. That's, to me, how you feel, especially when a team kind of dominates the game in terms of how they ran the ball, with the amount of carries that they got compared to us, the time of possession, and stuff like that.
"But I didn't look at any of the guys lacking intensity or [not] going after it. That was a very physical team. That's how they've played every single team they've played. That's why they've been in pretty much every game they've played."
Next up for the struggling and battered 49ers are the Kansas City Chiefs.
Below is a sample of some of the more prominent power rankings around the web and where San Francisco currently stands within each.
USA Today
Current Ranking: 9
Previous rank: 6
"The injuries may have reached critical mass for a squad that surrendered 28 points in Atlanta, more than double the 12.2 points San Francisco had allowed on average over the first five weeks." — Nate Davis
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 9
Previous rank: 6
"Sunday was a tough spot for the 49ers, between back-to-back Eastern games and a lot of injuries. But you can't keep excusing them for losing. They're a .500 team and that's probably not going to be good enough. They need to get healthier, and soon." — Frank Schwab
Bleacher Report
Current Ranking: 11
Previous rank: 7
"Under head coach Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers have followed a fairly simple recipe for success. Run the football. Play defense. Avoid mistakes. Against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, the Niners did none of those things, and now, San Francisco finds itself part of a three-team 3-3 logjam in the NFC West. The struggles were at least partly unavoidable. The 49ers have been blasted by injuries on defense, with star edge-rusher Nick Bosa missing Sunday's loss. But injuries don't account for San Francisco's inability to run the ball on a mediocre Falcons defense or for three 49ers turnovers—one of which was returned for a touchdown." — NFL Staff
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 11
Previous rank: 4
"The 49ers are watching another season get turned upside down by injuries. This, from ESPN: By the end of Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Falcons, the Niners were down to four of 11 projected starters on their defense: linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and end Samson Ebukam. On Monday, Hufanga -- a breakout contributor this season -- was placed in the concussion protocol. It was obvious how attrition affected San Francisco's performance against a middling Falcons attack, and wins will remain scarce if Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense can't flip a switch. That didn't happen in Atlanta, where the visitors were shut out in the second half." — Dan Hanzus
ESPN
Current Ranking: 12
Previous rank: 6
"After investing in significant special teams resources in the offseason, we thought the unit would be vastly improved. The 49ers spent good money to bolster their coverage units and sign returner Ray-Ray McCloud. They even hired a new special teams coach in Brian Schneider to bring it all together. The results have been mixed as San Francisco still struggles on kickoff returns, has given up 23.2 yards per kick return (ninth worst in the NFL) and had two field goals blocked. The result is a unit with an expected points added of minus-3.5, which is 21st in the NFL. It's better than last year at this time but it's still not where the 49ers would like it to be." — Nick Wagoner
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 13
Previous rank: 7
"That was a bad showing against the Falcons. The schedule was tough with two straight in the Eastern time zone, but they are better than that." — Pete Prisco
Sports Illustrated
Current Ranking: 13
Previous rank: 10
"A team that beats the 49ers regularly is one that forces Jimmy Garoppolo into 40-plus attempts. This was a collective storm for the 49ers, who failed to get a run game going due to the fact that they were down 14 points almost immediately." — Conor Orr
Pro Football Talk
Current Ranking: 16
Previous rank: 7
"At least they didn't blow a 28-3 lead." — Mike Florio
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