Two Things Falcons Must Do to Have Chance to Pull Upset Against 49ers This Week

The Atlanta Falcons are headed into one of their biggest challenges of the season this weekend and will try to pick up their first home win of the season with one of the best teams in football coming to town.

Atlanta has struggled over the last two weeks en route to dropping right back two games below .500 after looking like they had turned it around in Weeks 3 and 4. Unfortunately, the issues from the first two weeks of the season reared their ugly heads once more, and now the Falcons sit at 2-4 with the San Francisco 49ers arriving to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Atlanta knows what a significant challenge this is as San Francisco has been elite on both sides of the ball, and if they are going to have any chance at pulling the upset and avoiding falling further behind in the NFC South, they will have to be at their best.

One thing that is an absolute must in order to pull an upset in a spot like this is winning the turnover battle, and frankly, it's a non-negotiable. After coughing it up three times last week against the Chicago Bears, it was not something the Falcons were able to overcome, and against a team like this, the chances of losing the turnover battle and winning are slim to none.

Whether it be forcing a Brock Purdy mistake or finding a way to punch a ball out, Atlanta needs to create some havoc on defense to have a chance while also protecting the football themselves given what they have done the last two weeks.

Beyond just the obvious of creating a turnover or two though and holding onto the football, the Falcons need to play to their strengths. In their two victories, Atlanta was borderline elite when it comes to both running the ball as well as stopping the run, but in the last two games, that has unfortunately gone away.

If the Falcons cannot get back to their bread and butter, they do not stand a chance to defeat one of the best teams in all of football. Should they be able to figure it out though, they could have a realistic chance at winning this football game and being able to get the season right back on track.

The goal should be clear for Atlanta, and as tough as the challenge is, there's no reason they cannot be in this game.