The San Francisco 49ers had an amazing 20-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football in Week 7.
The Niners offense finally looked alive, especially the running game, which had been stagnant the first six weeks of the season. Dual-threat running back Christian McCaffrey gained 201 scrimmage yards to go with two rushing touchdowns.
However, that game wasn't without the injury bug, which has hit the team very hard this season.
Defensive end Bryce Huff, who had an amazing game that included a sack and a forced fumble, was reported to have injured his hamstring at the end of the game and wil miss at least two games.
Midway through the second quarter, the 49ers also lost long-time starting center Jake Brendel to injury. He also appears to have a hamstring injury, too, and will likely miss a couple of weeks.
However, Brendel's starting position may not be guaranteed upon his return. Matt Hennessy, the former Falcon, filled in for him at center and played excellently.
49ers may have an upgrade over Jake Brendel in Matt Hennessy
A flip also seemed to have switched when Hennessy entered the game. Up to that point, the Niners had gone without a score. They were held to one possession in the first quarter, which ended with a punt.
Their first possession of the second quarter ended with an interception. On the possession that Hennessy entered, the 49ers ended it with a touchdown to take the lead and never surrendered it.
Although one game might be too limited to really get a gauge on Hennessy, he earned a 74.4 pass-blocking grade from PFF -- a respectable number by any means.
If you compare that to the fact Brendel had a 54.2 pass-blocking grade from PFF on the season, then there might be some weight to the Hennessy claim.
We'll have a good dose of Hennessy at least for the next two weeks to see what the sixth-year pro is all about.
If his Week 8 and Week 9 performances are anything like Week 7, then he may just have solidified a starting spot on the offensive line.