49ers halftime report: Deebo Samuel touchdown run makes lead 17-10 over Falcons

SANTA CLARA — Here are the highs and lows as the 49ers (7-6) take a 17-10 lead into halftime against the visiting Atlanta Falcons (6-7):

DEEBO DOES IT AGAIN

Deebo Samuel’s seventh rushing touchdown this season pushed the 49ers back ahead, 17-10, 33 seconds before halftime.

Samuel’s 10-yard scoring run came as he dashed around the left edge. As 49ers icon John Taylor told me before the game about Samuel: “He’s got such great speed, and if he ever gets the corner, you know what’s about to happen.”

That scoring drive opened with a 30-yard completion to Samuel, and it kept going once Brandon Aiyuk attracted a third-down, pass-interference penalty on Fabian Moreau out of the 2-minute warning.

Earlier in the quarter, Samuel attempted his first career pass, and it didn’t succeed. About 10 minutes before halftime, Samuel took a swing pass (lateral) from Jimmy Garoppolo, raced forward a few yards, and then tried targeting Aiyuk in the end zone. Samuel’s pass instead hit cornerback A.J. Terrell in the back.

Samuel had two earlier carries for 5 yards. He entered with 1,028 receiving yards.

QUESTIONABLE CALL

The 49ers led 10-3 and looked in firm control once Arden Key sacked Matt Ryan on third down (for a second time in the second quarter). However, officials ruled that Key landing on Ryan constituted a roughing-the-passer penalty. The Falcons cashed in with a 20-yard, game-tying touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Russell Gage, who was being held by rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas and Gage still made the catch with 4 minutes until halftime.

Key kept the drive alive earlier by committing a neutral-zone infraction on third-and-5 for a Falcons’ conversion.

AIYUK ENCORE

After scoring the 49ers’ walk-off touchdown in last Sunday’s win at Cincinnati, Aiyuk’s first reception this game came on a beautiful pitch and catch between him and Jimmy Garoppolo, for 36 yards to the Falcons’ 36-yard line. That took the sting off an Aiyuk false-start penalty to open the second-quarter drive, which ended with a Kyle Juszczyk touchdown run for a 10-3 lead.

MORE KICKOFF WOES

JaMycal Hasty fumbled away the opening kickoff, then he botched his next attempt out of bounds to pin the 49ers at their 9-yard line.

The Falcons recovered Hasty’s opening fumble at the 12. But then came a goal-line stand, courtesy of a replay reversal after an apparent Cordarrelle Patterson, 1-yard touchdown run. Sandwiched between Matt Ryan incompletions was a third-down stop by Arik Armstead of Patterson at the 1. Jaquiski Tartt successfully defended the fourth-and-goal pass.

Hasty joined Trenton Cannon (Oct. 3, vs. Seahawks) and Travis Benjamin (Dec. 5, at Seahawks) to fumble away kickoff returns. The 49ers’ scariest moment this season saw Cannon hospitalized after being hit on kickoff coverage to open that loss at Seattle.

DEFENSIVE SUCCESS

Aside from the goal-line stand on the game’s opening series to keep the Falcons from scoring, the 49ers defense continued to impress throughout the first half. Key’s earlier, third-down sack (that counted) came when Matt Ryan stopped in his tracks upon seeing Nick Bosa in his path. It was Key’s fifth sack this season.

INJURY WATCH

Safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee) was listed in the second quarter as questionable to return. He’s rotated into the secondary with and without Jaquiski Tartt the past month or so.

Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. overcame a scare. The goal-line stand sparked an understandable celebration among the 49ers, one of whom barrel-rolled into Wilson as he came onto the field for the 49ers’ first possession. It apparently tweaked Wilson’s right leg or knee, but he shook it off and remained in the game.

SCORING PLAYS

Falcons 3, 49ers 0: Younghoe Koo’s 48-yard field goal gave the Falcons an early lead, albeit a series after their first drive failed to net points. Keeping this scoring drive alive was former 49ers’ running back Mike Davis’ 7-yard run on third-and-6.

49ers 3, Falcons 3: Robbie Gould’s 30-yard field goal tied the score and capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive. After Hasty’s muffed kick return put them at the 9, the 49ers saw George Kittle make a 24-yard catch to spring them, and his 28-yarder to the Falcons’ 17 set up Gould’s kick.

49ers 10, Falcons 3: Kyle Juszczyk’s 6-yard touchdown run up the middle finished an eight-play, 77-yard drive 9:14 before halftime. Garoppolo completions to Aiyuk (36 yards), Jauan Jennings (15 yards) and Kittle (9 yards) set up Juszczyk’s first rushing touchdown this season (and his first score since a touchdown catch late in an eventual loss to the Green Bay Packers).

49ers 10, Falcons 10: Russell Gage’s 20-yard touchdown catch, despite being held by Ambry Thomas, tied the score 4 minutes before halftime. It capped a drive that stayed alive thanks to two penalties against Arden Key on third down, the latter of which nullified a sack because of a roughing-the-Ryan call.

49ers 17, Falcons 10: Samuel’s 10-yard touchdown run marked his sixth touchdown run in the past four games he’s played.