SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy is out. Nick Bosa is out. Fred Warner is out.
But Christian McCaffrey? It turns out the 49ers’ star running back is still playing.
And boy, is he good.
It took seven games — and the right defense — for McCaffrey to find his vintage form, but it was a sight to behold.
And it carried the Niners to a fifth win in their first seven games. They’re now halfway to the playoffs.
Here were the studs and duds of a vintage 49ers performance.
STUDS
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Mykel Williams • DE
A one-man run-stopping crew, Williams might not have shown any flash Sunday, but he was outstanding on the edge all game.
Jordan Elliott • DT
A staple of the Duds category, Elliott was outstanding on Sunday. He dominated Atlanta center Ryan Neuzil from the opening snap of the game. His performance was a huge reason why the Falcons only ran for 3.1 yards per carry.
Tatum Bethune • LB
He’s no Fred Warner, but who is? Bethune had a really nice game at middle linebacker.
Dominick Puni • LG
The Niners found a variety of ways to put Puni in space Sunday, and it changed everything for the once stagnant San Francisco run game. The Puni Pull was the go-to play of the game.
Bryce Huff • DE
Boom. Huff had a strong all-around game, but his massive sack, strip-fumble of Penix in the final two minutes of the first half was the exclamation point. He added another forced fumble that would have ended the game, if it was, indeed, a forced fumble (the call on the field) and not just a run-of-the-mill pressured incomplete pass.
Christian McCaffrey • RB
Who is this guy, and what did he do with the CMC we’d seen all season? Because this looked like the MVP candidate from 2023, Christian McCaffrey, one of the sickest running backs we’ve ever seen in NFL history. He went for 129 on the ground — five-and-a-half yards a carry — with two touchdowns and led the Niners with 72 yards receiving. Elite-level play from the man who retained his crown as the finest running back in the land Sunday.
Robert Saleh • DC
Aggression was the name of the game, and it worked. Saleh didn’t have much of a choice but to blitz from all over the field against Atlanta, but it threw Michael Penix off his game early and often. No, the Niners didn’t have an interception Sunday, but they turned in their best defensive performance of the season.
DUDS
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Jauan Jennings • WR
When you complain about not getting the ball, make sure you actually catch it when you are thrown the ball. Yes, Jennings had a couple of nice third-down catches, but pair his bad early-game drop with some critically missed blocks and you had a dud performance.
Deommodore Lenoir • CB
More penalties drawn than plays made these days.
Darrell Luter • CB
It took a while for Atlanta to figure out that Luter was playing in the place of the injured Renardo Green, but once that happened, they didn’t stop picking on him.
Strangely, the Falcons didn’t pick on him more acutely — why wouldn’t you put your best receiver on him on every snap?
JiAyir Brown – S
The Niners are using four safeties for two spots. That’s less than ideal. But perhaps that rotation needs to be cut to three — it’s hard to justify Brown’s snaps after Sunday’s game. His woeful series on the Falcons’ first touchdown drive of the game will stand out on the film.
DeMarcus Robinson — WR
The 49ers waited all day to take a deep shot in the passing game. Finally, in the fourth quarter, Mac Jones let one rip downfield. The ball was a little underthrown, sure, but the 40-yard pass found Robinson underneath it, as he made a play on corner Mike Hughes. The ball, falling from its great heights, hit Robinson right in the No. 5 and then fell to the ground.
This, coming off another critical drop last week. Woof.
