Looking at the biggest takeaways from the New England Patriots’ Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The New England Patriots wrapped up the first month of their 2024 schedule on Sunday, on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. Coming into the season this Niners game was viewed by many as one of if not the toughest tests for the Patriots this year. It certainly lived up to that billing, as the Patriots fell 30-13 to drop to 1-3 on the season.
After coming out flat in their Week 3 game against the Jets, the Patriots fell behind big early once again. Offensively they managed just five first downs in the first half (contained to just two of their six drives), and turned the ball over twice. That allowed the Niners to jump out to a 20-0 lead.
In the second half the Pats had some brief flashes, forcing a couple of turnovers. Big picture though they were outmatched against a better team – with weaknesses on the offensive and defensive lines in particular getting exposed.
Before we get to that though, there’s sure to be plenty of conversation about the state of the quarterback situation coming away from this game. We’ll start there in this week’s takeaways…
Tough day for Jacoby Brissett
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Over the first three weeks of the season it did seem like despite the struggles Jacoby Brissett was doing the best he could in a bad situation. Sunday in San Francisco though, some of the biggest criticisms of his game were on display.
Brissett’s biggest issue was holding the ball too long in the pocket. Even before the line started to break down at the end of the game (more on that in a bit), Brissett created pressure on his own, taking over three seconds to throw. Given the Patriots’ coaching staff talked this week about needing to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly, that came as a surprise.
One issue that may have led to that was the Patriots progressions in the passing game. At times it looks like Brissett was reading the field high-to-low (deep receivers to short receivers), instead of looking for a quick outlet. Some of that is the design of the play as well, which is where offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt comes into play (we’ll get to him more in a bit as well).
On top of the pressure, Brissett also threw his first interception of the year. He tried hitting a receiver on a medium crosser but didn’t put enough air under the ball, allowing lurking linebacker Fred Warner to make a play that turned into a pick-six.
Late in the game Brissett turned the ball over yet again. This time he was strip sacked, albeit on a quick pressure.
Between it all, Brissett completed 19-of-32 passes for 168 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was hit 10 times, and sacked six.
With all the pressure he’s taken this year, Brissett is starting to look sped up and his pocket presence isn’t what it was at the beginning of the season. Despite that, it seems like the team is ready to stick with him – a report earlier on Sunday said Drake Maye is “a ways away” from taking over as the Patriots’ starter, and Jerod Mayo said after the game there was no consideration to putting Maye in the game late against the Niners.
More issues for the offensive line
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the New England Patriots throws a pass in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
In this game the Patriots used their fourth different offensive line combination in as many weeks. Sidy Sow returned at left guard but the more notable change was Demontrey Jacobs – a post-roster cuts waiver claim – getting the start at left tackle in his first NFL start.
There were some rough moments for Jacobs late in the game, especially when the 49ers started lining Nick Bosa up opposite him. There were times – including the Jacoby Brissett strip sack – where he got left one-on-one with Bosa.
Jacobs wasn’t the only Patriots lineman to struggle in pass protection. Rookie Layden Robinson got blown by a couple of times, as his rough start to the season continued.
The line also failed to get a push in the run game. Coming into this one the 49ers were allowing 4.5 yards per carry, which ranked 21st in the NFL. The Patriots ran for just 3.0 yards per carry, totaling 73 yards on 24 rushes.
Things could get worse for the offensive line moving forwards too. Center David Andrews and tackle Caedan Wallace both left the game early due to injuries (Wallace was seen in the locker room postgame with a boot and crutches).
Andrews, in particular, would be a major loss if he misses time. Not only is he the Patriots’ most experienced lineman and a team captain, but he also plays a crucial role in this Patriots offensive system setting protections. Plus, backup center was a major issue for the Patriots this summer, and the team didn’t exactly have a clear-cut option heading out of camp. Nick Leverett finished the game on Sunday. The team also has Bryan Hudson on the practice squad.
Meanwhile, if Wallace misses time and Vederian Lowe remains out, the Patriots would be without any of the primary tackles they had on their roster when they broke camp. The only other true tackle was Chuks Okorafor, who left the team after Week 1. Mike Onwenu is playing tackle now but spent a good portion of the summer at guard.
Rhamondre Stevenson fumbles again
Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Sam Okuayinonu (91) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Four games, and four fumbles for running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Sunday’s fumble was also the second that he’s lost this season, ending the Patriots’ second drive after just one play.
The coaching staff did seem to react to the fumble, as Antonio Gibson got the next series at running back and JaMycal Hasty played more than usual as well. However Stevenson did still factor in throughout the game, so he wasn’t benched entirely. He finished the game as the Patriots’ leading rusher with 43 yards on 13 carries. He also led the team with four catches for 19 yards.
Stevenson’s fumble issues put the coaching staff in a tough spot. As Jerod mentioned after the game, they’re not the kind of team that can overcome turnovers. At the same time Stevenson is one of the few explosive playmakers they have on offense, so taking him off the field limits that unit as a whole.
Key in-game coaching decisions
Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo looks on during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
As for coaching decisions when it comes to game flow, there are two spots that stand out. We’ll start with the first, which came on the first drive of the game.
After going 29 yards on nine plays, the Patriots had the ball at the San Francisco 41-yard line on 4th & 3. Despite being underdogs on the road and moving the ball well on that drive, the Patriots didn’t go for it. They bluffed like they were, but couldn’t get the Niners to jump and took the delay. Off the ensuing punt the Niners drove 90 yards in 15 plays. Although they ended up with just a field goal, the massive drive (which took 7:45 off the clock) gave San Francisco a significant momentum boost early.
The second key decision came midway through the second quarter, with the Patriots trailing 14-0. Again, the team was deep in 49ers territory, at the 20-yard line. Facing a 4th & 1 (a long 1) the Patriots lined up for a tush push, but again didn’t snap the ball. This time, they called a timeout instead of taking the delay.
Lined back up after the timeout the Patriots tried running Rhamondre Stevenson up the middle and were stopped short. Noticeably, the Patriots used an unbalanced line with Caedan Wallace as an extra tackle, but ran away from him on the right side towards two tight ends on the left side. This is the second time Alex Van Pelt has done something like that in a key situation, running to the weak side of an unbalanced line on a 3rd & 1 against the Seahawks in overtime in Week 2.
Discipline on the edge
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball in the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Against the Jets, the Patriots got burned repeatedly by allowing Aaron Rodgers to get outside of the pocket and extend plays with his legs. Fixing that was a point of emphasis for the Patriots leading up to this game, but that didn’t translate.
Early in the game especially, Brock Purdy was able to break contain and buy time for players to get open down field, burning the Patriots on multiple occasions. The Patriots also struggled to set the edge in the run game, as Jordan Mason ran for 123 yards on 24 carries.
An already thin edge unit for the Patriots got a blow before the game with Anfernee Jennings being ruled out. That left Joshua Uche playing a more involved role that he typically does as a pass rush specialist. As has been the case this year Uche was over aggressive at times on the outside, opening opportunities for San Francisco’s offense.
Unable to swing momentum
Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) catches a pass for the first down against the New England Patriots during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
At the start of the second half it looked like the Patriots were starting to flip the momentum. Christian Elliss forced and recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the third quarter, and the Patriots promptly turned that field position into their lone touchdown of the game, with Jacoby Brissett hitting Austin Hooper for the score.
However, the Patriots gave the momentum right back. On the first play of the next drive Brock Purdy hit Deebo Samuel deep over the middle for 53 yards – the longest gain of the day for either team.
Why did it happen? It’s impossible to know for sure without seeing the play call, but usually those kinds of plays involve the deep safety. Jaylinn Hawkins was in that role on that snap, and stepped up to try to undercut an in route rather than track Samuel back, leaving him one-on-one with Jonathan Jones.
It was a key Bill Belichick coaching point for deep safeties to make their first priority not allowing any receivers to get behind them. That didn’t happen on that play.
Special teams does its part
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Joey Slye #13 of the New England Patriots kicks a field goal in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
We’ll close with a couple of high points in an otherwise rough game. The first was the entire special teams unit, which was excellent throughout the day.
Joey Slye was the star of the unit. He hit a 63-yard field goal at the end of the half, which is the longest field goal in Patriots history and tied for the fourth-longest in NFL history. Slye also hit a 54-yarder late. According to Pro Football Reference, Slye is just the fourth-kicker since 1994 to hit a 50-plus and 60-plus yard field goal in the same game.
Bryce Baringer punted four times, with all four being downed inside the 20. He averaged 45 net yards per punt. Unlike the last two games there were no coverage busts. Two of his punts were returned but the tackles were made quickly, including a strong chase down tackle by Christian Elliss, who also forced the fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half.
If the Patriots are going to turn things around, they’ll need to be strong on the margins. Sunday’s special teams performance was exactly that.
Rookie receiver continues to show promise
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Ja’Lynn Polk #1 of the New England Patriots warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It was a rough day for the Patriots’ offense overall, but one player did stand out. Rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk gave the unit something to be encouraged about.
Polk caught three passes for 30 yards, including a couple of contested catches. He also made a strong play on a deep ball up the sideline in double coverage late in the game, but was ruled out of bounds because his second foot landed on another player’s foot rather than touching the ground.
Obviously there’s room for improvement there, but looking at the long-term picture it was an encouraging sign for the Patriots’ second-round pick. Polk’s overall production is capped by what the offense as a whole can do, but so far this year he’s made the most of the opportunities he’s gotten – as far and few between as they may be.
