49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan came off exasperated when discussing the third down play on both sides of the ball between his 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons. San Francisco finished the game 3-for-8 on third down, while the Falcons converted nine of their 14 conversions.
It didn’t help that Atlanta gained 37 yards on 3rd & 2, converted a 3rd & 12, and scored from the seven-yard line on 3rd & 3. Nevertheless, DeMeco Ryans’ bunch remains a top-10 unit in preventing third-down conversions.
But for as good as this team has been defensively, third down has been their Achilles heel.