Falcons vs. 49ers: Full San Francisco Game Preview

Whatever the perceived "rock bottom" of the 2015 San Francisco 49ers' season may be, the franchise must be right next to it as the 49ers prepare to host the visiting Atlanta Falcons in Week 9.

The 49ers are now 2-6 after dropping yet another uninspiring and woefully boring offensive performance against the St. Louis Rams a week ago. And, after the 20-6 defeat, the rocky San Francisco season endured yet more controversy as the team traded away its longest-tenured player and benched its starting quarterback.

Coming to town will be a 6-2 Falcons team that suffered a Week 8 home defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn has done wonders turning this franchise around. 

And the Falcons will look to regain their first-half momentum up against a 49ers team at, or near, the bottom of nearly every offensive category.

Few things are going well for San Francisco, and Sunday's contest will be another challenge for a 49ers team already dealing with more adversity than they can handle.

Location: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Time: 4:05 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Sunday's 27-6 loss to the Rams marked the fourth time this season in which the 49ers offense was held to seven or fewer points over the course of a single game.

San Francisco was handicapped without starting running back Carlos Hyde and wide receiver Anquan Boldin. And the stopgap options to bolster the offense certainly didn't work.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, again, struggled to find any sort of rhythm and finished the contest with a mere 162 yards, zero touchdowns and a passer rating of 59.2. And the 28-year-old missing an open wideout Torrey Smith while the offense was pressed up against the goal line didn't help the quarterback's perception as of late.

At one point, the 49ers had a 3-2 lead (yes, not a baseball score), but as soon as Rams running back Todd Gurley broke off a 71-yard touchdown run, the game was over—both in terms of its feel and in reality. That's all the Rams would need to ensure a win.

Adding to the sting of the loss were injuries suffered by safety L.J. McCray, cornerback Kenneth Acker and running backs Reggie Bush and Mike Davis only served to rub more salt in San Francisco's seemingly endless wounds.

Kaepernick Benched

San Francisco's Week 8 loss eventually led the way to head coach Jim Tomsula's decision to bench quarterback Colin Kaepernick in favor of backup QB Blaine Gabbert.

"I felt like this was the direction we needed to go," Tomsula stated via 49ers.com. "In no way is 2-6 all on Colin Kaepernick."

It isn't. 

Kaepernick is a part of the problem, but he isn't the reason behind all that is wrong in San Francisco. As the above B/R video points out, the 49ers' offensive line and play-calling is just as guilty for the team's offensive struggles.

San Francisco's O-line has a minus-12.7 grade on the season, per Pro Football Focus, and the right side of the line has been more than permeable.

All of this has combined to give Kaepernick less pocket time and the 49ers offense, in general, fewer options in which it can operate.

49ers Trade Vernon Davis

The 49ers were active leading up to the NFL trade deadline and sent off veteran tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos. The 49ers will swap picks in Round 6 and 7 of the 2016 NFL draft, and San Francisco will also acquire Denver's sixth rounder in 2017.

Davis was the 49ers' longest-tenured player ahead of left tackle Joe Staley. The 31-year-old last appeared in a Pro Bowl back in 2013 after an 850-yard campaign, but over the last year plus, he has been lackluster at best.

With rookie tight end Blake Bell seemingly in the 49ers' future plans, Davis' return to the organization in 2016 was distant at best. And continuous stories of Davis' recent clashes with Kaepernick certainly didn't help his chances of returning.

49ers Add Running Backs Pierre Thomas and Shaun Draughn

San Francisco ended up placing running back Jarryd Hayne on the practice squad and promoting running back Kendall Gaskins. But Week 8 cost the 49ers backs Reggie Bush and Mike Davis.

With No. 1 back Carlos Hyde nursing a foot injury, San Francisco was in need of some running back depth.

During the week, the 49ers elected to add free-agent running backs Shaun Draughn and Pierre Thomas to their roster in an attempt to shore up this suddenly thin position. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com, Thomas had worked out for San Francisco previously before injuries mandated the addition.

Hyde's return remains uncertain, so it's likely these two could see considerable time during San Francisco's upcoming matchup versus Atlanta.

San Francisco's Week 8 active roster, already minus wide receiver Anquan Boldin and running back Carlos Hyde, took even more blows in St. Louis.

Running back Reggie Bush slipped awkwardly running out of bounds on a concrete side track and ended up tearing his ACL. He's done for the season. Later on, fellow back Mike Davis suffered a fractured hand and was removed from the contest.

Additionally, other notable players like cornerback Kenneth Acker and special teams ace L.J. McCray both left the game with injuries.

The 49ers' depth is being tested right now so, at least, some of the younger and less-experienced players will have a chance to see some snaps with the team's season going nowhere fast.

49ers Pass Rush vs. Matt Ryan

The Falcons boast the sixth-best offense in the NFL with 213 points scored, and quarterback Matt Ryan is a big reason why Atlanta is riding a 6-2 record on the season.

Applying pressure on the 30-year-old signal-caller will be essential in slowing down the dynamic Atlanta aerial assault. But the Falcons' offensive line has allowed just 15 sacks on the season and, as a unit, ranks out with a minus-9.3 PFF grade—not great, but respectable enough to allow Ryan to do what he does best.

San Francisco was unable to sack Rams quarterback Nick Foles last week, which opened up the door for an anemic Rams passing offense to actually do damage to the 49ers secondary.

Nonetheless, getting to Ryan will be a critical component if the 49ers want to stand a chance.

49ers Front Seven vs. Devonta Freeman

Falcons No. 1 running back Devonta Freeman is having a phenomenal season with 709 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. With an average of 4.7 yards per attempt, Freeman is just as integral to Atlanta's offense as Ryan.

Aside from a handful of huge gains given up to Rams running back Todd Gurley, San Francisco did an amicable job of shutting down St. Louis' ground game. Unfortunately, those gains turned out to be too much for the 49ers to handle.

San Francisco's run defense will have to be mistake free in Week 9, and bottling up Freeman is atop the priority list.

49ers Secondary vs. Julio Jones

It shouldn't be much of a surprise to see Falcons wideout Julio Jones closing in on 1,000 yards receiving on the season. He already has 892 yards on 70 receptions through eight weeks and continues to cement himself as Ryan's favorite target.

As pointed out by safety Eric Reid on KNBR 680 Wednesday, Jones has to be considered the primary threat Atlanta has on offense and prompts the attention of every 49ers defender.

Jones will frequently match up against 49ers' No. 1 cornerback Tramaine Brock during the contest, but San Francisco will need to get some added help from its safety tandem of Reid and rookie Jaquiski Tartt.

49ers X-Factors of the Week: The Offense

None of the previously mentioned matchups included 49ers offensive players or units. And given the offense's struggles this season, why would they be considered "matchups to watch?"

Instead, San Francisco's far-inferior offense will be the Week 9 X-factor.

Why? It's simple, really. The 49ers won't stand a chance at winning unless the offense can find some, any sort of rhythm.

This shouldn't be expected in all reality even for the most optimistic of Blaine Gabbert fans. Yes, the new starting quarterback will have a chance to show his 2015 preseason campaign was an indication of where he is right now.

But even if Gabbert, somehow, wowed critics, it's impossible to fathom San Francisco's last-place offense finding some sort of headway here.

Still, the outcome of the game will hinge on whether or not the offense can discover any sort of positive momentum. But it doesn't look good.

At all.

None of the statistical numbers add up to a 49ers victory in Week 9.

San Francisco is dead last in both total points (109) and all-purpose yards (2,258), while Atlanta is ranked No. 6 and No. 4, respectively, in each category.

True, the Falcons defense isn't exactly stellar. Their pass defense is No. 24 in the league with 2,096 yards allowed through the air. But it doesn't matter much if the 49ers are incapable of establishing any sort of passing attack.

This will likely be the story of the game: Frequent 3-and-outs for the 49ers offense mixed in with the occasional promising drive capped by a Phil Dawson field goal.

Defensively, the 49ers may look promising enough for the first quarter or so. But, given the offense's ineptitude, San Francisco's defense will wind up being on the field for far too long and will eventually give way to a Falcons offense vastly superior to the one trying to keep pace.

San Francisco could lose ugly once more in this home contest, which would add just another reminder of how poor the 2015 season is going for this once-proud franchise.

Prediction: Falcons 30, 49ers 9

All statistics, injury reports, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.

Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist covering the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report. Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.