FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons are rekindling an old division rivalry inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium when they welcome the San Francisco 49ers for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday.
The two teams played twice yearly from 1967-69 as part of the NFL Coastal Division and then from 1970-2001 as part of the NFC West. When the NFC South was formed in 2002 as part of the league’s realignment, the Falcons no longer made annual trips to the West Coast to face the 49ers.
San Francisco holds a 49-33-1 lead in the all-time series between these two teams, which includes a pair of postseason games. However, Atlanta has been on a bit of a hot streak when hosting the 49ers, with an 8-2 record at home dating back to 1998.
Atlanta will need to play well to keep that streak going this season. The 49ers are one of the league’s three remaining undefeated teams, and they’ve earned that perfect record so far this season.
“Playing a very, very good San Francisco team,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “They’re undefeated for a reason. Very well coached. Very good players. So, awesome challenge for this football team. We have to play our best. That’s the truth. We’ve got to play our best on Sunday, so we’ll work very hard this week to get ready for that challenge.”
Offensively, the 49ers average the third-most yards per play and have the league’s best conversion rate on third downs and in the red zone. Defensively, they are allowing the fourth-fewest points and the fifth-fewest yards per game.
The Falcons are seeking their first win at home this season and hope to bounce back from a two-game skid. The last time these two teams met in Atlanta during the 2022 season, the Falcons won 28-14.
For those who won’t be in the stadium on Sunday, here’s how you can catch all the action between the Falcons and 49ers.
