Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers: 2004 Week 1 Recap

Game story

In Week 1 of the 2004 NFL season on 2004-09-12, the Atlanta Falcons took care of business against the San Francisco 49ers, pulling away with a 21–19 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

T. Rattay (San Francisco 49ers) paced the passing game, with -0.16 total EPA.

On the individual side, C. Wilson (San Francisco 49ers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +12.48 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-24.7% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when San Francisco 49ers changed the game: (9:48) 13-T.Rattay pass intended for 89-C.Conway INTERCEPTED by 37-A.Beasley at ATL 1. 37-A.Beasley to SF 14 for 85 yards (69-K.Kosier).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 C. Wilson · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +12.48 total EPA · 7 snaps · +1.78 EPA/play
2. 2 E. Johnson · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +8.73 total EPA · 8 snaps · +1.09 EPA/play
3. 3 A. Crumpler · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +6.07 total EPA · 6 snaps · +1.01 EPA/play
4. 4 P. Price · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +4.91 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.23 EPA/play
5. 5 P. Price · Atlanta Falcons · Rushing · +4.04 total EPA · 1 snaps · +4.04 EPA/play
6. 6 T. Jackson · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.77 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.92 EPA/play
7. 7 C. Conway · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.17 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.08 EPA/play
8. 8 B. Finneran · Atlanta Falcons · Receiving · +2.14 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.14 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Atlanta Falcons — A. Crumpler (M. Vick pass) (Q1 49:17)
• Atlanta Falcons — W. Dunn (Q2 36:30)
• Atlanta Falcons — W. Dunn (Q4 9:03)
• San Francisco 49ers — C. Wilson (T. Rattay pass) (Q4 6:24)
• San Francisco 49ers — E. Johnson (T. Rattay pass) (Q4 0:44)

Field goals

• San Francisco 49ers — T. Peterson (Q2 31:16)
• San Francisco 49ers — T. Peterson (Q3 22:11)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Atlanta Falcons won the period 7–0. Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the SF 15 (Q1 49:17) — (4:17) 7-M.Vick pass to 83-A.Crumpler for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Caught at SF17.; Atlanta Falcons added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q1 49:12) — 4-J.Feely extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Rackley, Holder-13-C.Mohr..

The second quarter: Atlanta Falcons won the period 7–3. Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the SF 2 (Q2 36:30) — (6:30) 28-W.Dunn up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Atlanta Falcons added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q2 36:17) — 4-J.Feely extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Rackley, Holder-13-C.Mohr.; San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the ATL 5 (Q2 31:16) — (1:16) 2-T.Peterson 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee..

The third quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 3–0. San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the ATL 15 (Q3 22:11) — (7:11) 2-T.Peterson 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee..

The fourth quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 13–7. Atlanta Falcons found the end zone from the SF 9 (Q4 9:03) — (9:03) 28-W.Dunn right end for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Atlanta Falcons added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q4 8:57) — 4-J.Feely extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Rackley, Holder-13-C.Mohr.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the ATL 8 (Q4 6:24) — (6:24) 13-T.Rattay pass to 84-C.Wilson for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Play Challenged by ATL and Upheld. (Timeout #2 by ATL at 06:14.); San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the ATL 2 (Q4 6:14) — 2-T.Peterson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the ATL 16 (Q4 0:44) — (:44) 13-T.Rattay pass to 82-E.Johnson for 16 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Caught at ATL1..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q4 9:48) — (9:48) 13-T.Rattay pass intended for 89-C.Conway INTERCEPTED by 37-A.Beasley at ATL 1. 37-A.Beasley to SF 14 for 85 yards (69-K.Kosier). [WPA -24.7% · EPA -9.20]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q4 0:40) — TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. 13-T.Rattay pass to 85-B.Lloyd is incomplete. ATTEMPT FAILS. R.Coleman batted down pass attempt. [WPA -18.5% · EPA -0.95]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 57:22) — (12:22) 32-K.Barlow up the middle to ATL 16 for 4 yards (36-J.Webster). FUMBLES (36-J.Webster), RECOVERED by ATL-27-C.Hall at ATL 13. 27-C.Hall to ATL 13 for no gain (69-K.Kosier). [WPA -13.3% · EPA -4.02]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q1 50:25) — (5:25) 81-P.Price left end pushed ob at SF 23 for 16 yards (33-T.Parrish). [WPA +12.6% · EPA +4.04]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q3 23:07) — (8:07) 7-M.Vick pass intended for 81-P.Price INTERCEPTED by 53-J.Ulbrich (91-A.Adams) at ATL 34. 53-J.Ulbrich to ATL 15 for 19 yards (33-J.Griffith). [WPA -12.1% · EPA -5.09]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q4 9:48) — (9:48) 13-T.Rattay pass intended for 89-C.Conway INTERCEPTED by 37-A.Beasley at ATL 1. 37-A.Beasley to SF 14 for 85 yards (69-K.Kosier). [WPA -24.7% · EPA -9.20]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q3 23:07) — (8:07) 7-M.Vick pass intended for 81-P.Price INTERCEPTED by 53-J.Ulbrich (91-A.Adams) at ATL 34. 53-J.Ulbrich to ATL 15 for 19 yards (33-J.Griffith). [WPA -12.1% · EPA -5.09]
• Atlanta Falcons (Q1 50:25) — (5:25) 81-P.Price left end pushed ob at SF 23 for 16 yards (33-T.Parrish). [WPA +12.6% · EPA +4.04]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 57:22) — (12:22) 32-K.Barlow up the middle to ATL 16 for 4 yards (36-J.Webster). FUMBLES (36-J.Webster), RECOVERED by ATL-27-C.Hall at ATL 13. 27-C.Hall to ATL 13 for no gain (69-K.Kosier). [WPA -13.3% · EPA -4.02]

Quarterback report card

T.Rattay led all passers in efficiency for San Francisco 49ers, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• T.Rattay (San Francisco 49ers) · 35 dropbacks · 51.4% completion · -0.00 EPA/play · -0.16 total EPA
• M.Vick (Atlanta Falcons) · 27 dropbacks · 48.1% completion · -0.22 EPA/play · -5.84 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (Atlanta Falcons -0.03, San Francisco 49ers -0.07) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Atlanta Falcons: 13 drives, -2.01 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 12 drives, -6.65 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Atlanta Falcons leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• C. Wilson (San Francisco 49ers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q1 49:17 · SF 15 · Score 6-0
   (4:17) 7-M.Vick pass to 83-A.Crumpler for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Caught at SF17.
2. Atlanta Falcons XP (+1) — Q1 49:12 · SF 2 · Score 7-0
   4-J.Feely extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Rackley, Holder-13-C.Mohr.
3. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q2 36:30 · SF 2 · Score 13-0
   (6:30) 28-W.Dunn up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Atlanta Falcons XP (+1) — Q2 36:17 · SF 2 · Score 14-0
   4-J.Feely extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Rackley, Holder-13-C.Mohr.
5. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q2 31:16 · ATL 5 · Score 14-3
   (1:16) 2-T.Peterson 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
6. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q3 22:11 · ATL 15 · Score 14-6
   (7:11) 2-T.Peterson 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
7. Atlanta Falcons TD (+6) — Q4 9:03 · SF 9 · Score 20-6
   (9:03) 28-W.Dunn right end for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. Atlanta Falcons XP (+1) — Q4 8:57 · SF 2 · Score 21-6
   4-J.Feely extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Rackley, Holder-13-C.Mohr.
9. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 6:24 · ATL 8 · Score 21-12
   (6:24) 13-T.Rattay pass to 84-C.Wilson for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Play Challenged by ATL and Upheld. (Timeout #2 by ATL at 06:14.)
10. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 6:14 · ATL 2 · Score 21-13
    2-T.Peterson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
11. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 0:44 · ATL 16 · Score 21-19
    (:44) 13-T.Rattay pass to 82-E.Johnson for 16 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Caught at ATL1.