By Jacob Bugarin
Welcome back to the series, Time Travel Matchups. Today, we have the 2016-2017 Atlanta Falcons with quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones, Vic Beasley—who led the league in sacks—on the defensive line, and a very young secondary led by Desmond Trufant, who was their best corner.
The 2019-2020 San Francisco 49ers had a dominant defense, including Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, with a high powered run game led by Jimmy Garoppolo.
We will be examining how each offense and defense matches up against each other, and who would win in the Super Bowl if matched.
2016-2017 Atlanta Falcons Offense vs 2019-2020 49ers Defense
At this point in time, the Atlanta Falcons had a lethal offense led by MVP Matt Ryan, who threw for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns. He led the league with the highest passing rating at 117.1 and was the only quarterback to throw touchdowns to 13 different players.
The offense had a great run game with leading rusher Devonta Freeman, who ran for 1,079 yards, with backup Tevin Coleman being a one two punch with Freeman. As for the passing game, no one would be able to guard a prime Julio Jones, who had 1,409 yards and received a first time all pro. For the other options, Mohamd Sanu and Taylor Gabriel can be reliable wide receivers. The offensive line had second team all-pro Alex Mack leading the running scheme for the Falcons. They weren’t a great passing blocking team, but they were able to give time to Matt Ryan.
The 49ers’ defense was considered one of the best defenses in the NFL. The defensive line has Dee Ford, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, and a rookie Nick Bosa giving trouble to opposing quarterbacks.
The linebackers, led by Fred Warner and rookie Dre Greenlaw, were covering and hitting opposing players that came their way. The secondary, led by Richard Sherman, was able to gain interceptions and didn’t need to cover for a long time due to the defensive line gaining 48 sacks that season.
This defense was arguably the best during the 2019-2020 season, with 12 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, and allowing 3.9 yards per carry in the run game.
Though the Falcons have a more explosive offense with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the 49ers’ defense would be able to shut down the run game, but also be able to gain pressure to make sure Matt Ryan doesn’t have time in the pocket. Even though the 49ers’ secondary wasn’t strong, that D-line would get to Matt Ryan at all times. Give me the 49ers.
2016-2017 Atlanta Falcons Defense vs 2019-2020 49ers Offense
The 49ers’ offense wasn’t really known for the passing game—it was the Kyle Shanahan run scheme led by Raheem Mosert, Tevin Coleman and Matt Bredia. They were able to average 144.1 rushing yards per game, which was second in the NFL and 29.9 points per game, which was also second. Leading the 49ers was Jimmy Garoppolo, and though he wasn’t a playmaker, he was able to manage the game to lead the 49ers to victory.
The offensive line led by left tackle Joe Staley was able to create gaps for the running back, but wasn’t a really good interior pass blocking team. The wide receivers were led by rookie Deebo Samuel, Emmanuel Sanders, who the 49ers traded for, and Kendrick Bourne, who was their Mr. Reliable on third down.
The notable best player on the offense was the people’s tight end, George Kittle. He had 1,053 yards with five touchdowns, but his ability to block defensive ends, linebackers, and more made him more impactful.
The Atlanta Falcons’ defense had a lot of contributors led by defensive coordinator Richard Smith. A notable person on the defensive line was outside linebacker Vic Beasley, who led the NFL with 15.5 sacks that year. Grady Jarret of the interior defensive line was disruptive in the run, being able to stuff the run.
The linebacking core had a bunch of speed that would benefit in the pass and run. Deion Jones, who was a second year linebacker, led the group who had three interceptions, and was one of the best coverage linebackers during the 2016-2017 season. The secondary had cornerback Desmond Trufant, who was one of the best shutdown corners when he played, and Keanu Neal, who played Strong Safety and was hitter, bringing the physicality to the defense.
The Falcons had a strong defense but lacked depth in certain areas. The defensive line, though, had someone who led the lead in sacks, lacked consistent pressure, and wasn’t good in stopping the run. The 49ers could exploit this and run the ball through the Falcons. The 49ers’ wideouts wouldn’t do too much for the Falcons’ secondary to take care of, but they would make plays when needed. Give me the 49ers’ offense.
If they matched up in the Super Bowl
The game would start out with a heavy run game from the 49ers, while the Falcons would balance runs to Devonta Freeman and passes to Julio Jones in the first two quarters. Though the Falcons’ defense couldn’t stop the run all day long, the 49ers would start running play action passes, getting receivers like Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders open. Though Vic Beasley would gain pressure, the defensive line isn’t going to be able to.
The Falcons’ offense would start passing but with pressure coming from the four defensive lineman. Matt Ryan would have to get the ball out quick and try to get to any receivers that are open. With the run game being stuffed, the Falcons would run out of options to score.
The 49ers would beat the Falcons and bring home the 6th Lombardi trophy back to San Francisco.
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