Patriots
Both the Patriots and 49ers entered Sunday's game at Levi's Stadium with a broken depth chart.
New England's already struggling squad took several hits on its porous offensive line. Vederian Lowe left for the second straight game, leaving Jerod Mayo to roll with waiver-wire pickup Demontrey Jacobs at left tackle.
A Patriots defense that had just given up 400 yards to the Jets in Week 3 was with no top edge setter in Anfernee Jennings – just per week faraway from losing defensive captain Ja'Whaun Bentley to a torn pectoral muscle this yr.
The 49ers were without star running back Christian McCaffrey, while several key offensive players equivalent to Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and George Kittle handled injuries throughout the week.
But unlike the Niners, the Patriots don't have the depth or great margin for error to beat the specter of injury – not with this current roster.
So Sunday saw a predictable result between the resurgent Patriots and the reigning NFC champions, with San Francisco handing New England a 30-13 loss.
Here are three reasons the Patriots fell to 1-3 in Santa Clara, Calif.:
Critical sales
Drake Maye can have the next ceiling than Jacoby Brissett, however the veteran stays at the highest of the depth chart because he has yet to make any plays which have directly hindered his team on offense.
That mood modified on Sunday, thanks largely to San Francisco's star linebacker Fred Warner.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Brissett made his first interception of the season – and it was an actual blast.
In a rare instance where Brissett had a clean pocket and time to throw, Brissett delivered a omit the center that was intercepted by Warner – with the linebacker returning the ball 45 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 Leading the Niners meant.
While New England's offense isn't expected to torch the defense through the air, the Patriots' ground game also left rather a lot to be desired.
Rhamondre Stevenson often is the most dynamic player in New England's largely hitless offense, but his ball security issues are hard to disregard.
For the fourth time this season, Stevenson fumbled a ball, and the Niners turned the running back's mistake into three points on a Jake Moody field goal just five plays later.
New England's offense is already in a tricky spot on account of its O-line issues. As long as this team's big men work at the highest in pass protection, the Patriots' offense will proceed to turn into a predictable, one-dimensional, and wildly ineffective unit.
Brissett's pick-six was big, but New England struggled to get anything through the air the remaining of the night. The Patriots finished the sport with just 168 yards rushing, with Antonio Gibson being the leading receiver with 67 yards.
Stevenson also struggled to give you dominant runs the remaining of the night, amassing just 43 rushing yards.
New England once more didn't have the firepower to maintain up with the Niners, with San Francisco holding a 431-216 edge in total yardage. But the Patriots won't win games if in addition they turn the ball over at critical moments.
Offensive line issues
It was clear for over per week that this was going to be a tricky game for New England.
After giving up seven sacks and 15 QB hits to the Jets in Week 3, New England lost waiver-wire pickup Demontrey Jacobs — who made his NFL debut against the Jets last week — because the team's starting left tackle.
The backup LT behind Jacobs? Rookie Caedan Wallace, who was shredded in his first start against the Jets after playing right tackle his entire college profession.
And on the opposite side of the sphere? Star pass rusher Nick Bosa – who averaged 14.8 sacks over the past three seasons.
In fact, the outcomes weren’t surprising.
Even with the Niners playing without impactful defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (torn triceps), San Francisco still celebrated against a Patriots O-line that allowed the very best pressure rate of any NFL team (48.5%) entering Week 4.
San Francisco finished the sport with six sacks and ten QB hits against New England, leading to a different painful day for Brissett and the New England offense.
Admittedly, Brissett didn't make it any easier for himself to avoid pressure and the aforementioned interception. But while Brissett was solid and crisp on all of his pass attempts, he once more had limited time to scan the sphere and throw downfield.
To make matters worse, the Patriots' offensive line was further decimated by injuries on Sunday – each Wallace (ankle) and starting center David Andrews (shoulder) were out for the sport.
As long as this offensive line continues to perform like this, New England's offense is doomed – especially when compounded by turnovers.
The defense is once more having problems within the passing game
No, McCaffrey? No problem for Brock Purdy and the Niners.
The Patriots' defense was expected to be one among the few strengths on this roster. But after giving up 400 yards to Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in Week 3, New England gave up 431 yards to Brock Purdy and San Francisco.
Similar to New England's lackluster performance against the Jets within the Meadowlands, the Patriots' defense struggled to contain the quarterback at Levi's Stadium, allowing Purdy to often roll out and either get first downs together with his legs or one among his multiple targets downfield to satisfy.
The Patriots must have strong personnel of their secondary with Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones. But several teams have picked New England apart through the air over the past three weeks, with 4 Niners averaging over 15 yards per catch in Sunday's game.
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