Falcons, 49ers Struggle to 10-10 Tie : Teams Shut Out in Overtime After Atlanta Plays Catch-Up

The Atlanta Falcons had a better feeling about Sunday’s 10-10 tie than the San Francisco 49ers.

The Falcons, catching up with 1:33 left in regulation when Sylvester Stamps turned a short pass from David Archer into a 39-yard touchdown, remained in first place in the NFC West. Atlanta is 5-1-1, San Francisco 4-2-1.

“Considering how many opportunities we let get away and the direction the game was going, we were fortunate to come away with a tie,” Falcons’ Coach Dan Henning said. “It wasn’t a victory, but it was sure better than a loss.”

The Falcons, trailing since the opening minutes of the first quarter when the 49ers’ Roger Craig went airborne for a one-yard touchdown, were inside the San Francisco 12-yard line three times in the closing 17 minutes before Stamps’ touchdown.

The Falcons drove to the 49ers’ 39 after taking the overtime kickoff, but the period turned into a punting duel. Time expired after the 49ers completed a 19-yard pass to their own 46.

Both quarterbacks struggled. Archer completed 16 of 35 passes for 176 yards and had 3 passes intercepted. The 49ers’ Jeff Kemp was 13 of 29 for 146 yards with 2 interceptions.

San Francisco drove 42 yards in three plays for their touchdown, with Craig scoring after 2:53 had elapsed.

Atlanta scored on a 47-yard field goal by Mick Luckhurst with 3:02 left in the first quarter, and the 49ers countered with a 24-yarder by Ray Wersching with 7:07 left in the first half.

The tie was only the ninth in the NFL since the league went to its overtime format in 1974. The last tie was two years ago when Detroit and Philadelphia finished at 23-23.