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49ers-Falcons preview: The coaching reunions and standout players that tie the franchises together
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Sports/The Apex Times/Oct 23, 3:33 PM EDT

49ers-Falcons preview: The coaching reunions and standout players that tie the franchises together

San Francisco’s undefeated start carries it back to Atlanta, where a familiar face leads the 49ers defense and several other legacy connections trace through decades of NFC history.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

When the San Francisco 49ers visit the Atlanta Falcons for Sunday’s game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the matchup is about more than a conference opponent. It is also about connections that have carried through the coaching ranks and notable player careers between the two franchises.

The most immediate thread is a coaching reunion. San Francisco defensive coordinator Raheem Morris served as Atlanta’s head coach in 2024 and 2025, and now brings that Falcons perspective to a 49ers defense that has helped San Francisco start the season 6-0.

Those ties run deeper on the offensive side as well. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spent two seasons as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016, a stop that led into his later rise in San Francisco. During the 2016 season in Atlanta, the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI, with Matt Ryan earning NFL MVP honors.

The Falcons and 49ers also share a postseason moment that still stands as a defining NFC memory. In the 2012 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but San Francisco shut down the Falcons in the second half. The 49ers eventually reached Super Bowl XLVII, aided by a key defensive break-up by NaVorro Bowman on a late fourth-down attempt.

Another franchise bridge comes through Deion Sanders. After spending his first five NFL seasons with Atlanta from 1989 to 1993, Sanders signed with San Francisco in 1994, then helped the 49ers secure Super Bowl XXIX while earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.

San Francisco enters the week after a 23-17 win over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football and now has a short turnaround before Sunday’s 10 a.m. PT kickoff against a Falcons team listed at 2-4. The all-time series still favors the 49ers, 49-33-1, and their most recent meeting in 2025 ended with a 20-10 San Francisco victory at Levi’s Stadium.

Why It Matters

  • A coaching reunion sets an extra layer of scheme familiarity, with Morris’s recent head-coach experience in Atlanta now informing the 49ers’ defensive approach.
  • Shanahan’s earlier Atlanta tenure connects the teams through organizational history, including the 2016 season that culminated in Super Bowl LI.
  • The matchup’s postseason memory includes the 2012 NFC Championship Game swing, a reminder of how quickly games have turned in this rivalry.
  • The 49ers’ 6-0 start raises the stakes early in the season, while the Falcons’ 2-4 record frames what a win would mean for Atlanta’s trajectory.

Sources

Key Facts

  • The 49ers are 6-0 and travel to Atlanta for Sunday’s game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
  • San Francisco enters after a 23-17 Monday Night Football win over the Washington Commanders.
  • The Falcons are 2-4 heading into the matchup.
  • Raheem Morris, San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, previously served as Atlanta’s head coach in 2024 and 2025.
  • Kyle Shanahan worked in Atlanta as offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016 and later became the 49ers head coach in February 2017.
  • The teams met in the 2012 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome, where San Francisco overcame a 17-0 deficit and advanced after a late NaVorro Bowman defensive play.
  • The 49ers lead the all-time series 49-33-1, and their last meeting in 2025 ended 20-10 in San Francisco’s favor.
49ers-Falcons preview: The coaching reunions and standout players that tie the franchises together | The Apex Times