It’s Miller Time as Atlanta Beats 49ers : No Longer a Raw Rookie, He Leads Falcons’ Surprising 34-17 Win

The second time around, Chris Miller knew what he was doing.

The second-year quarterback passed for 175 yards and ran for a touchdown Sunday while leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 34-17 upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

“There was no comparison with last year’s game,” Miller said. “We came in this time and beat them, after they won their first two games. We didn’t just slip by them, either.”

Miller led the Falcons (1-2) to 21 points in the second quarter, and Atlanta had a 24-3 lead before the 49ers (2-1) really got going.

Last December, Miller made his first pro start against San Francisco and the 49ers intercepted four of his passes while rolling to a 35-7 victory.

“In that game, I didn’t even think about what the guys on the other side of the line were doing,” Miller said. “That was the first week I’d practiced with our first unit. I didn’t know where my protection was coming from, and I had trouble remembering our receivers routes.

“Going to training camp (he held out and missed camp as a rookie) has made all the difference in the world for me.”

Miller completed 12 of 24 passes, but threw only once in the second half as Atlanta went with its ground game after Gerald Riggs ran 3 yards for a touchdown, James Primus scored on a 29-yard run and Miller went over from the 1 to build a 21-3 halftime lead.

Riggs, who was questionable for the game because of a pulled hip muscle, ran 17 times for 115 yards.

“We had a lot of respect for Atlanta going into the game,” 49er Coach Bill Walsh said. “We needed more,” San Francisco coach Bill Walsh said.

San Francisco gained 128 yards in the first quarter but had only a 3-0 lead when Atlanta cornerback Scott Case made a diving catch of Joe Montana’s pass in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter.

Atlanta rallied with ball-control offense and a hard-hitting defense. San Francisco’s offense was on the field for just 11 plays the entire quarter. Rookie defensive end Aundray Bruce, the NFL’s top draft choice from Auburn, ignited the defense by recording a sack, breaking up a pass and was in on several tackles.

The 49ers had only one first down in the second quarter. They had another taken away by the replay official, who ruled that Roger Craig’s knee hit the ground one yard short of the first-down marker on a third-down running play.

Montana passed for 343 yards but threw 3 interceptions, the final one to Robert Moore, who applied the clincher with a 47-yard return for a touchdown.

“We got a little too far behind to come back,” Montana said. “That first interception hurt the most, I think. It meant a 10-point turnaround.”

The Falcons also sacked Montana three times as they beat the 49ers for the first time since 1983 and won for the first time with Miller in their starting lineup.

Greg Davis kicked a 47-yard field goal early in the third period to make the score 24-3 and hit a 41-yarder in the closing minutes of the game.

The 49ers got their first touchdown late in the third quarter when Montana hit Guy McIntyre, an offensive guard lined up as a tight end, on a 17-yard pass play. Montana passed 13 yards to Mike Wilson for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Mike Cofer kicked a 38-yard field goal to give the 49ers an early lead.

San Francisco’s Jerry Rice caught 8 passes for 163 yards and ran 20 yards on 2 reverses. He also threw a pass on a reverse play, but it was intercepted by Bret Clarke, who made a 21-yard return to set up the first field goal by Davis.

Craig caught 10 passes for 61 yards and rushed for 57 yards.