SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Blaine Gabbert threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes to Garrett Celek and the undermanned San Francisco 49ers held on to beat the Atlanta Falcons 17-16 on Sunday.
The 49ers (3-6) head into the bye on a winning note after a week of change.
Making his first start in more than two years, Gabbert didn't take a sack behind an offensive line that has faced heavy scrutiny all year.
Celek made TD catches of 1 and 11 yards to give him three on the year and San Francisco's stout defense flustered Matt Ryan despite the patchwork use of backups because of a rash of injuries.