NFL game summary for 12/16/1979:
Atlanta took the lead for good when Steve Bartkowski hit Jim Mitchell with a seven-yard scoring strike with 9:19 left in the game. William Andrews rushed for 63 yards to give him a season total of 1,023 to make him the twelfth rookie in NFL history to top the 1,000-yard mark. Steve DeBerg ended the season with NFL records for completions (347) and passing attempts (572).
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 121.7 (20) | 219.9 (3) | 341.6 (8) | 36 |
| DEFENSE | 140.1 (17) | 201.9 (23) | 342.0 (21) | 32 | |
 | OFFENSE | 139.3 (16) | 171.8 (16) | 311.1 (16) | 41 |
| DEFENSE | 137.1 (15) | 216.9 (26) | 354.0 (24) | 33 |
Line: Falcons by 3½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers (2-14-0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Atlanta Falcons (6-10-0) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
( 0- 3) ATL Tim Mazzetti 22 yard field goal
( 7- 3) SF Ken MacAfee 11 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick)
( 7-10) ATL Haskel Stanback 1 yard rush (Tim Mazzetti kick)
(14-10) SF Paul Hofer 6 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick)
(14-17) ATL Haskel Stanback 6 yard rush (Tim Mazzetti kick)
(21-17) SF Paul Hofer 35 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick)
(21-24) ATL Jim Mitchell 7 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick)
(21-31) ATL Robert Pennywell 39 yard interception return (Tim Mazzetti kick)
SF ATL
First Downs: 28 20
Rushes-yards: 29-106 31-111
Yards/rush: 3.7 3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 29-54-345-1 18-28-187-2
Sacked-yards: 1-2 5-35
Net pass yards: 343 152
Net yards/pass: 6.2 4.6
Total net yards: 449 263
Total plays: 84 (34% run) 64 (48% run)
Yards/play: 5.3 4.1
Fumbles-lost: 3-2 2-0
Turnovers: 3 2
Penalties-yards: 7-66 9-53
Attendance: 37,211
Passing:
SF: Steve DeBerg, 29 of 54 for 345 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) ATL: Steve Bartkowski, 18 of 28 for 187 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
SF: Paul Hofer, 14 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Wilbur Jackson, 5 for 14 yards; Steve DeBerg, 4 for 3 yards; O.J. Simpson, 2 for 12 yards; Phil Francis, 2 for 0 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 9 yards; Bob Bruer, 1 for -9 yards ATL: William Andrews, 19 for 63 yards; Haskel Stanback, 6 for 19 yards and 2 TDs; James Mayberry, 3 for 10 yards; Bubba Bean, 2 for 19 yards; Steve Bartkowski, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SF: Paul Hofer, 9 for 130 yards and 1 TD; Dwight Clark, 5 for 69 yards; Mike Shumann, 4 for 47 yards; Wilbur Jackson, 4 for 34 yards; Ken MacAfee, 3 for 33 yards and 1 TD; Freddie Solomon, 1 for 16 yards; Phil Francis, 1 for 8 yards; Bob Bruer, 1 for 6 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 2 yards ATL: William Andrews, 4 for 50 yards; Jim Mitchell, 4 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Alfred Jenkins, 3 for 48 yards; Wallace Francis, 3 for 28 yards; Haskel Stanback, 2 for 9 yards; Russ Mikeska, 1 for 14 yards; James Mayberry, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
SF: James Owens, 6 for 103 yards ATL: Ray Strong, 2 for 50 yards; Haskel Stanback, 1 for 17 yards; James Mayberry, 1 for 12 yards
Punt returns:
SF: Tony Dungy, 1 for 6 yards ATL: Billy Ryckman, 2 for 13 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Charles Cornelius, 1 for 54 yards; Dwight Hicks, 1 for 7 yards ATL: Robert Pennywell, 1 for 39 yards and 1 TD
Punting:
SF: Dan Melville, 4 for 131 yards ATL: John James, 6 for 239 yards
Field Goals:
ATL: Tim Mazzetti, 1/1
SF: Steve DeBerg, 29 of 54 for 345 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) ATL: Steve Bartkowski, 18 of 28 for 187 yards and 1 TD (2 int)
Rushing:
SF: Paul Hofer, 14 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Wilbur Jackson, 5 for 14 yards; Steve DeBerg, 4 for 3 yards; O.J. Simpson, 2 for 12 yards; Phil Francis, 2 for 0 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 9 yards; Bob Bruer, 1 for -9 yards ATL: William Andrews, 19 for 63 yards; Haskel Stanback, 6 for 19 yards and 2 TDs; James Mayberry, 3 for 10 yards; Bubba Bean, 2 for 19 yards; Steve Bartkowski, 1 for 0 yards
Receiving:
SF: Paul Hofer, 9 for 130 yards and 1 TD; Dwight Clark, 5 for 69 yards; Mike Shumann, 4 for 47 yards; Wilbur Jackson, 4 for 34 yards; Ken MacAfee, 3 for 33 yards and 1 TD; Freddie Solomon, 1 for 16 yards; Phil Francis, 1 for 8 yards; Bob Bruer, 1 for 6 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 1 for 2 yards ATL: William Andrews, 4 for 50 yards; Jim Mitchell, 4 for 31 yards and 1 TD; Alfred Jenkins, 3 for 48 yards; Wallace Francis, 3 for 28 yards; Haskel Stanback, 2 for 9 yards; Russ Mikeska, 1 for 14 yards; James Mayberry, 1 for 7 yards
Kick returns:
SF: James Owens, 6 for 103 yards ATL: Ray Strong, 2 for 50 yards; Haskel Stanback, 1 for 17 yards; James Mayberry, 1 for 12 yards
Punt returns:
SF: Tony Dungy, 1 for 6 yards ATL: Billy Ryckman, 2 for 13 yards
Interceptions:
SF: Charles Cornelius, 1 for 54 yards; Dwight Hicks, 1 for 7 yards ATL: Robert Pennywell, 1 for 39 yards and 1 TD
Punting:
SF: Dan Melville, 4 for 131 yards ATL: John James, 6 for 239 yards
Field Goals:
ATL: Tim Mazzetti, 1/1