ATLANTA -- A 49ers defense that has been run over, run down and run off the field throughout the season grew even weaker before Sunday's game when starting inside linebacker Gerald Hodges was deactivated for violating team rules.
That left the 49ers with just two inside linebackers in uniform, begging the question: What happens if one gets hurt?
The 49ers didn't have to wait long for the answer when Nick Bellore went down with an elbow injury in the first quarter, one of five key players to leave the game with an injury. The result wasn't merely a 41-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons but a thrashing of historic proportions.