Why Patriots shouldn’t play Drake Maye behind their offensive line
Why Patriots shouldn’t play Drake Maye behind their offensive line
05:18
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are on the road again in Week 4, and will head to San Francisco as heavy underdogs against the 49ers. While both teams are 1-2 heading into Sunday’s matchup, the Patriots are 10.5-point underdogs for the clash.
Look at the rosters and it’s obvious why the Pats have such a lopsided number next to their name. Even with the 49ers dealing with a slew of key injuries — which includes running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel, and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave — the talent discrepancy is massive. Brock Purdy still has some explosive weapons on offense, like receiver Jauan Jennings, who is coming off an 11-catch, three-touchdown afternoon against the Rams in Week 3. And while the San Francisco defense hasn’t been very good to start 2024, the unit is capable of turning it on any week.
This is just the fifth time since 2000 that the Patriots are double-digit underdogs. The last time came in Week 16 of last season, when the Patriots were 15.5-point underdogs in Buffalo. They covered that massive spread, but the Bills won, 27-21.
We’ll see if these Patriots can make that lopsided spread look silly as well, and potentially pull off a huge upset on Sunday afternoon. Here’s all you need to know about Week 4’s Patriots-49ers clash in San Francisco.
Patriots vs. 49ers
The 49ers hold a 9-5 edge overall against the Patriots, including 4-2 in home games. Sunday’s game is the first time that the Patriots and the 49ers will play since 2020. San Francisco won that game, 33-6, at Gillette Stadium. This week is the Patriots’ first visit to San Francisco since the 2016 season. Tom Brady and company beat the 49ers, 30-17, in the team’s last trip, which was New England’s first game at Levi Stadium.The Patriots are 2-4 in their visits to San Francisco, going 1-3 at Candlestick/3Com Park, 0-1 at Stanford Stadium, and 1-0 at Levi Stadium.Sunday’s game will be New England’s first in the state of California since the 2021 season, when the Patriots beat the L.A. Chargers, 27-24, on Halloween. Overall, New England is 22-21-1 when playing in California.The Patriots rank first and second all-time in NFL history for wins in a decade. New England’s 141 victories from 2010-19 tops the list, while the franchise’s 126 wins from 2000-09 sits second. The 49ers are third all-time with 122 wins from 1990-99.
Patriots-49ers Connections
Four Patriots players once played for San Francisco: receiver Kendrick Bourne (2017-20), running back JaMycal Hasty (2020-21), linebacker Christian Elliss (2021), and kicker Joey Slye (2021).Five members of the current New England coaching staff once worked for the 49ers: offensive line coach Scott Peters (2004), senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo (2005), QB coach T.C. McCartney (2015, 2017-18), tight ends coach Bob Bicknell (2016), and running backs coach Taylor Embree (2017-19)Three San Francisco coaches spent time in New England: offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi (2011-12, 2019-21), receivers coach Leonard Hankerson (2015), and assistant offensive line coach Cameron Clemmons (2017).
Other Patriots-49ers Week 4 fun facts
The New England pass attack has been non-existent through three games, ranking dead last in the NFL with an average of just 102 passing yards per game. The team’s 5.1 yards per pass attempt ranks 31st, with the Browns and their 4.8 yards per pass attempt the worst in the NFL.
The 49ers, meanwhile, tout the NFL’s second-ranked air attack, averaging 267.7 passing yards per game. The New England secondary has struggled to keep opposing quarterbacks in check. They’ve allowed 244.3 yards per game through the air, which ranks sixth-worst in the NFL. The Pats have surrendered an average of 289.5 passing yards over the last two games. The Patriots run defense has had success though, allowing just 83 yards per game and just 3.7 yards per rush attempt. Both are good for fifth-best in the NFL. That run D will have its hands full on Sunday though, even without McCaffrey on the field. Jordan Mason has filled in seamlessly, averaging a robust 4.8 yards per carry while racking up 324 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson could have a nice bounce-back effort on Sunday. While the San Francisco run defense is giving up just 104 rush yards per game — ranking 10th in the NFL — it’s surrendering 4.5 yards per carry. Stevenson has averaged 4.3 yards on his 52 rush attempts this season.New England punter Bryce Baringer has averaged 52.3 yards on his 16 punts this season, downing nine of his kicks inside the 20 to just one touchback.
The 49ers have punted just six times over the first three weeks.The Patriots have averaged just 13 points per game this season, which ranks 31st in the NFL. The 49ers are allowing 29.7 points per game though, which ranks 21st.
We’ll get you ready for Sunday’s Patriots-49ers game with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ and streaming online at CBS Boston. After the game, switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
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Matt Geagan
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