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Falcons fly to stun 49ers, McCarthy's new era begins
Sebastian Tan, AAP •  October 26th, 2026 3:39 pm
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes in Atlanta's win | Photo: AP
A "sloppy" San Francisco 49ers outfit suffered a shock 29-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that ended their perfect start to the NFL season.
The 49ers emerged as Super Bowl contenders after a rousing 27-7 season-opening win over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, followed by five straight wins.
But on Sunday (Monday NZT) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, San Francisco's (6-1) injury-riddled offence caught up to them as they coughed up four turnovers, off which the Falcons scored 13 points.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is under an injury cloud | Photo: AP
In contrast, the Niners had conceded just six turnovers in their opening six games.
"Any time you have four turnovers like that, and you get zero, it's real tough to win," coach Kyle Shanahan said.
"(We were) too sloppy to win."
To make matters worse, the team will also be sweating on star running back Christian McCaffrey, who missed much of the first half with a thigh injury and didn't assume his normal workload when he returned after the main break.
Atlanta (3-4) quarterback Michael Penix Jr threw three touchdown passes and passed for 213 yards, while Brock Purdy had 288 yards but was picked off twice.
Elsewhere, J.J. McCarthy got his New York Giants tenure off to a sparkling start by helping his new team to a 27-21 overtime victory over the Houston Texans.
Former Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was impressive for the New York Giants | Photo: AP
The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback had a weight of expectation on him after struggling to hit top gear last year before being traded to the Giants.
With their No. 1 quarterback Jaxson Dart out with a season-ending knee injury, McCarthy made his opportunity count, throwing 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards.
The game was sent into overtime when Houston's Xavier Hutchinson secured a three-yard grab with just under a minute to go to level the score at 21-21.
But running back Devin Singletary went on a blistering 30-yard run to score a touchdown and improve New York's record to 4-2-1.
In Minneapolis, the Vikings (6-0) continued their unbeaten start to the season as their typically rigid defence dazzled once again to help them to a 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Miami Dolphins (1-5) ended their winless streak, overcoming the New York Jets 28-25 at MetLife Stadium.
Detroit Lions (4-2) kicker Jake Bates slotted a 22-yard field goal as time expired to power his team to a 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers (4-3).
It was heartache for Green Bay rookie Trey Smack, who missed two field goals, including a crucial fourth-quarter 35-yard attempt when defensive end D.J. Wonnum got a finger on his kick.
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