What happened: San Francisco enters Sunday's scheduled road matchup in Atlanta aiming to move to 7-0 in the 2026 regular season. Receiver Mike Evans (Achilles), linebacker Luke Gifford (groin), safety Marques Sigle (ankle) and third quarterback Kurtis Rourke join Samuel (hamstring) and Bosa (calf) on the pregame inactives list. Atlanta counters by activating cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. from injured reserve following a groin injury.

Why it matters: Holding the conference's top seed entering late October gives San Francisco early cushion despite heavy injury attrition on both sides of the ball. Activating Kirk from injured reserve provides an immediate receiving option to help offset the simultaneous absences of Evans and Samuel.

What to watch: San Francisco and Atlanta kick off Sunday with Kirk making his team debut and Terrell returning to the Falcons' secondary.