Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- New England looks to bounce back from an embarrassing Thursday night loss to the Jets in Week 3.
- Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brisset is in danger of losing his job to rookie Drake Maye if things don’t improve soon.
- San Francisco lost consecutive games for the first time since the middle of last season, a stretch that was also marred by injuries.
- The Patriots defense continues to operate as a “pass funnel” unit that prioritizes stopping the run.
- San Francisco is once again likely to be without the services of stars Deebo Samuel and George Kittle this week.
How new england Will Try To Win ::
The Patriots rank near the bottom of the league in pass rate and are trying to win games by controlling the ball and clock while allowing their opponents to beat themselves. The philosophy is not that different from what Bill Belichick has done in recent years, as the focus is on execution and consistency. The Patriots lone victory in 2024 was Week 1 over the Bengals in an ugly, low scoring game where the Bengals had key players missing or limited and New England simply wore them down by not giving them anything easy. That is the recipe that the Patriots are chasing on a weekly basis, and this week, they travel cross country to face a 49ers team that is dealing with a litany of injuries.
The Boston media and fans are clamoring for rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who the Patriots selected 3rd overall in April. It would not be surprising to see a switch made in the coming weeks, perhaps even mid-game at some point. My guess would be that after the 10-day layoff following last Thursday night, the Patriots will give Brissett another shot here, but if they lay another dud as they did against the Jets, his time will be done in favor of the young guy. The Patriots are going to rely on their running game, and the 49ers defense is coming off a game in which they knew all the Rams had was Kyren Williams, yet they still let him beat them. Rhamondre Stevenson was benched following a fumble in Week 3 and replaced by Antonio Gibson. You could make a case that the Patriots best QB and RB are both backups at the moment. We should expect Gibson and Stevenson to both be focal points early in this game as the Patriots try to control the ball. They simply can’t be giving their opponents short fields, and their first two games, which had both teams score 20 or fewer points in regulation, is their blueprint. When New England throws the ball, expect Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry to be busy as they work the short to intermediate areas of the field and seem to get open most consistently. We could also see higher involvement for highly touted rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, who has seen his playing time increase throughout the year and who will eventually need to be a big part of this offense for them to succeed and for the Patriots to know what they are working with for the long-term.
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