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Falcons beat 49ers as Marcus Mariota gains confidence

AP photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota runs into the end zone for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Samuel Womack III trails during the first half of Sunday's game.
AP photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota runs into the end zone for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Samuel Womack III trails during the first half of Sunday's game. AP photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota runs into the end zone for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Samuel Womack III trails during the first half of Sunday's game.

By PAUL NEWBERRY / The Associated Press 5 min read

ATLANTA — Marcus Mariota doesn’t spend much time dwelling on the past, but this was a week the Atlanta Falcons quarterback couldn’t ignore.

Three years ago, at this very point in the NFL season, Mariota was benched by the Tennessee Titans.

“I knew I had to find my confidence to play at a high level,” he said. “When you get your confidence taken away from you, it’s tough as an athlete. That is truly the only mental weapon you have.”

His confidence growing with every game, Mariota appears to be getting his career back on track.

He threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another score against the NFL’s top-ranked defense Sunday, leading the Falcons to a 28-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers that left each team’s record at 3-3.