Patriots
The offensive line struggled, Jacoby Brissett made an egregious mistake, and the defense failed to contain the QB among other mistakes.
Jacoby Brissett tries to throw a pass while being tackled by 49ers’ Maliek Collins. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
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Many of the Patriots’ weaknesses reared their ugly heads during a 30-13 loss to San Francisco on Sunday.
The offensive line turned in another poor performance and suffered a pair of big injuries that could leave them even more limited.
A first-half Rhamondre Stevenson fumble deepened the deficit and put the offense in a really tough spot.
The defense failed to contain Brock Purdy who extended plays consistently and hit receivers while throwing on the run.
It was a messy loss against a talented opponent featuring many familiar mistakes. Here are five quick takeaways from the action.
The Patriots have a real issue keeping quarterbacks in the pocket
Brock Purdy made plays with his legs all day, escaping the pocket and finding receivers after plays broke down.
The Patriots’ lost containment on multiple occasions, allowing Purdy to scramble and create.
After Aaron Rodgers picked the Patriots apart last week, multiple New England coaches pointed out the issues keeping quarterbacks in the pocket. It’s a discipline issue, they said.
The discipline did not improve this week. Whether it was running for a first-down on 3rd-and-4 or buying extra time to take deep shots, Purdy was able to dodge the rush effectively.
Purdy was able to evade potential sacks even when he stayed in the pocket. Jabrill Peppers came in unblocked on blitz and Purdy was able to dip his shoulders and slip away as Peppers hurtled past him.
New England finished with one sack from Deatrich Wise.
Jacoby Brissett threw a horrible pick
Brissett threw his first interception of the season right over the middle of the field to San Francisco’s Fred Warner who returned the ball to the end zone for a diving touchdown.
It was just a bad read by Brissett. He lost track of Warner and threw it right to him.
Brissett has shown a lot of toughness this season. He’s been taking a beating behind this offensive line.
However, his job is to manage the game and make smart plays without turning the ball over.
Those kinds of plays are not acceptable from a veteran quarterback, especially one who has No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye waiting in the wings.
An already thin offensive line gets even thinner
The Patriots, who were already without Vederian Lowe and Michael Jordan, suffered more injuries in Sunday’s loss.
Center David Andrews left with a shoulder injury and rookie Caedan Wallace left with an ankle injury.
The Patriots, who are often overmatched on the offensive line even when healthy, started their fourth left-tackle in four weeks in Demontrey Jacobs.
New England did get Sidy Sow back. Sow missed the first three games with an ankle injury. He made his season debut on Sunday.
Other than Sow and Mike Onwenu, the Patriots were working with an offensive line comprised of a rookie (Layden Robinson) and reserves (Jacobs, Nick Leverett).
The shorthanded Patriots’ pass protection issues continued to intensify. They gave up four sacks by halftime and six total including a strip-sack at the end.
Jacoby Brissett did have his share of missed reads, with the pick-6 after he missed an open Ja’Lynn Polk coming to mind, but he was under duress on a consistent basis.
Stevenson’s fumbling is a pattern now
Stevenson, who is in his fourth season, had four career fumbles heading into this year.
He now has eight. He had the ball poked out in the fourth quarter. He has fumbled in all four games this season, solidifying a concerning new pattern.
His production has fallen off dramatically since his 120-yard performance against the Bengals in the season opener. He finished with 43 rushing yards, his second-lowest total of the season behind the Week 3 loss to the Jets.
There may be a number of factors contributing to the dip in production. Teams have plenty evidence that the Patriots can’t move the ball effectively with their passing game, so they can key in on the run. As mentioned above, the offensive line is incredibly banged up. Stevenson has also seen a drop in touches over the past two weeks, which may reflect the way the coaches are calling the game.
But, the fumbles are on him. He has to find a way to hang on to the football. Patriot coaches like to harp on ball security being job security, and the ball hasn’t been very secure with Stevenson. He has all but one of the team’s turnovers this season.
Joey Slye set a franchise record
The Patriots’ only score of the first-half was a 63-yard field-goal from Joey Slye.
The kick set a new franchise record, surpassing Stephen Gostkowski’s 62-yarder against the Raiders in Mexico City in 2017.
It’s also tied for the fourth-longest made field-goal in NFL history according to ESPN.
The record is 66 yards, set by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker in 2021. Dallas’s Brandon Aubrey hit a 65-yarder last week. Matt Prater connected from 64-yards out in 2013. Six players are tied with Slye: Tom Dempsey, Jason Elam, Sebastien Janikowski, David Akers, Graham Gano, and Brett Maher.
Slye entered the game 6-for-7 on the season and 20-for-32 on attempts of 50+ yards during his career. Slye, a journeyman kicker whose past stops include Carolina, Houston, San Francisco, and Washington, beat out Chad Ryland during for the job during training camp.
His kick was one of the few bright sports during an overall bleak performance.
7:08: Antonio Gibson breaks free for a 50-yard run, but the drive ends with a Jacoby Brissett strip-sack fumble. It’s the sixth sack of the day. It’s the most Brissett has been sacked all season.
7:01: The Patriots turn the ball over on downs and San Francisco gets just 14 yards on their drive. The 49ers settle for a field-goal and lead 30-13.
6:48: Jabrill Peppers picks off Purdy and the Patriots have just over 10 minutes to try to cut into this double-digit deficit.
6:41: After setting the franchise record with the 63-yarder at the end of the first-half Joey Slye follows up by drilling a 54-yarder in the fourth-quarter. San Francisco 27, New England 13.
6:28: The Patriots reached into their bag of trick plays with DeMario Douglas attempting a lateral to Rhamondre Stevenson but Tyquan Thornton was whistled for a block in the back and had to punt.
6:22: The Patriots get the ball back following a San Francisco punt.
6:10: Patriots punt. Brissett hit Ja”lynn Polk for a 21-yard catch but the Patriots went nowhere on the next three plays.
6:04: San Francisco answers quickly. Jordan Mason punches in a four -yard touchdown run. 49ers 27, Patriots 10.
6:01: Deebo Samuel gets behind Jonathan Jones and Brock Purdy hits him in stride for a 53-yard gain.
5:56: New England takes advantage of the turnover, getting their first touchdown on a short completion to Austin Hooper from Jacoby Brissett. It’s back to a two-possession game with plenty of time left on the clock. 49ers 20, Patriots 10.
5:53: Patriots recover a fumble on the opening kickoff and Rhamondre Stevenson begins the second-half with a big gain.
5:36: Joey Slye nails a 63-yard field-goal to send the Patriots into the locker room with a 20-3 halftime deficit.
Brissett has been sacked four times behind this patchwork offensive line. Patriots are averaging 3.3 yards on the ground.
Fred Warner is dominating with seven tackles and a pick-6. Brock Purdy is extending plays with his legs and further exposing the Patriots’ issues with keeping contain.
Slye’s field-goal was a bright-spot during a very bleak half.
5:30: San Francisco goes three-and-out, and the Patriots get the ball back with around 40 seconds remaining in the half.
5:27: Mason fumbles a handoff and falls on it. New England was not able to captialize on the miscue.
5:26: Patriots punt after Brissett is sacked on third-down and fumbles. Nick Leverett recovered the ball, but 4th-and-7 was too long for the Patriots to go for it.
5:12: George Kittle elevates and pulls down a 12-yard touchdown catch over THREE Patriots defenders. Jonathan Jones, Dell Petus, and Marcus Jones in coverage against the 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight-end. San Francisco 20, New England 0.
5:10: San Francisco has another touchdown wiped out after an illegal shift penalty. A scrambling Purdy found the fullback in the endzone for a score but the flag negates it.
5:08: Safety Kyle Dugger, who was named a captain earlier this week in place of the injured Ja’Whaun Bentley, is questionable to return with an ankle injury.
5:05: San Francisco’s Jordan Mason has a touchdown called back after tight-end George Kittle was whistled for holding while he blocked Jaylinn Hawkins. Kittle was furious about the call.
5:03: Rookie offensive lineman Caedan Wallace leaves the game and heads to the medical tent. Another injury for an already thin Patriots’ offensive line.
4:59: Patriots go for it on 4th-and-1. Warner, who had made the interception on the previous drive, stuffs Stevenson in the backfield and San Francisco gets the ball back.
4:52: Brissett finds Hunter Henry on third-and-short for a first down and JaMychal Hasty picks up nine more yards on the following carry. Offensive line opened up a big hole on that one.
4:50: Total protection breakdown from the Patriots’ offensive line. Brissett was hit by four San Francisco players on one play when he is sacked. Brissett held onto the ball for a while but there were red shirts in the backfield almost immediately.
4:43: Jacoby Brissett throws his first interception of the season right to Fred Warner in the middle of the field. Warner rumbles 45 yards and dives into the endzone for a touchdown. Back-to-back brutal turnovers. Patriots are down 13-0.
4:36: Jabrill Peppers almost had a sack but Purdy ducked at the right moment and shook away. Purdy throws up a prayer that falls incomplete. 49ers hit another field-goal. The score is 6-0 in favor of San Francisco, and it does not quite reflect how poorly the Patriots have played so far. They are fortunate the defense has bailed them out twice in the red zone.
4:33: Turnover. Rhamondre Stevenson fumbles for the fourth game in a row. A defensive lineman poked the ball out. Both Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt said Stevenson’s fumbling issues have made him a target. San Francisco takes advantage of a disturbing new pattern.
4:31: Nick Leverett subs in for David Andrews at center. Andrews is questionable to return with a shoulder injury. Leverett has played a number of positions for the Patriots this season including center, guard, and goal line fullback.
4:28: Patriots hold San Francisco to a field-goal after Christian Gonzalez stops Deebo Samuel short of the goal line and Brock Purdy overthrows Jauan Jennings with Marcus Jones in coverage. 15-plays, 90 yards on the opening drive for San Fran. 49ers 3, Patriots 0.
4:26: Purdy escapes the pocket again and finds George Kittle for his first catch of the day on a broken play. The pass rush was a touch late getting to Purdy, and he made them pay. San Francisco has 1st-and-goal.
4:23: Brock Purdy scrambles for a first-down on 3rd-and-4. The Patriots have had issues keeping quarterbacks inside the pocket this season, and Purdy has already rushed for a pair of first-downs.
4:20: Brock Purdy, with plenty of time to throw on a play-action pass, hits Brandon Ayiuk on a post for a big gain that takes San Francisco past midfield.
4:19: Patriots center David Andrews leaves the field and heads to the locker room with an apparent injury.
4:12: Patriots stay on the field on 4th-and-3, but get called for a delay of game penalty before the ball is snapped. A Bryce Baringer punt gives the 49ers the ball on their own 7.
4:09: Patriots start with the ball, and Jacoby Brissett hits DeMario Douglas for a first down.
3:45: With Anfernee Jennings out, Josh Uche is warming up with the starters according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels. Uche has shown promise as a situational speed-rusher, but at 6-foot-1 and 240-pounds is undersized and could leave the Patriots more vulnerable than usual against the run.
3:34: Another starting left tackle for the Patriots? According to the Globe’s Christopher Price, Demontrey Jacobs warmed up with the starters.
If he starts the game, he’ll be the fourth different starter at the position in four weeks.
Chukwuma Okorafor left the team and both Vederian Lowe and Caedan Wallace are dealing with injuries. There’s been no continuity at arguably the most important position on the offensive line for the Patriots this year.
Meanwhile, the 49ers have Nick Bosa whom offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called a “nightmare” and a “generational player” looking to take advantage and wreak havoc.
If this holds for the game, Jacobs would be fourth different LT the Patriots have had over the first four games of the season. https://t.co/BMrMlYu5Sh
— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) September 29, 2024
3:20: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is at the game, the Globe’s Ben Volin reports.
3:13: A bit of good news as Rapoport reports that the Patriots plan to have Kendrick Bourne begin practicing next week. Bourne has been out nearly a year with an ACL injury and could help bolster a struggling receiving corps. Bourne also traveled with the team to San Francisco for the game against his former team.
3:08: Ouch, Tom Brady just roasted Baker Mayfield. Mayfield said it was stressful playing with Brady, and Brady responded by saying he thought not having Super Bowl rings would be more stressful.
“This isn’t daycare…If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland with my kids,” Brady said.
Tom Brady responds to claims from Baker Mayfield that Buccaneers players “weren’t having fun” playing alongside him.
“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland with my kids.”pic.twitter.com/G86fUGYfAE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 29, 2024
2:35: Patriots inactives are LB Anfernee Jennings, DE Jamree Kromah, OT Vederian Lowe, OG Michael Jordan, and tight-end Jaheim Bell. QB Joe Milton is the emergency third quarterback.
49ers inactives are QB Joshua Dobbs, WR Ronnie Bell, CB Darrell Luter, SS Talanoa Hufanga, and OG Ben Bartch.
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