Okay so last week’s loss was tough. But let’s look at it realistically:
- It was a battle to the end. Came down to the very last play.
- The Seahawks are one of the three best teams in the NFL aside from New England
- #noinjuries (except maybe Gronk but I’m deciding he’s officially fine lalalala)
So now, the team has a chance to right the ship, and historically, Belichick is great after his team loses.
Here’s everything you need to know about the San Francisco 49ers, aka “The NFL’s Punching Bag”
Week 10 at San Francisco 49ers
Sunday November 20
4:25 pm EST, CBS
High 50’s, 80% chance of rain, 7mph winds
Opponent/Patriots Stats
49ers: 1-8
Notable Games: The 9ers lone win of the season came Week 1 when they put up 28 points on the Rams defense and blanked them on offense. Their least ugly loss (they’re not in good shape) was last week against the Cardinals with a final score of 23-20.
Common Opponents: Arizona Cardinals (Pats won, 49ers lost both contests), Seattle Seahawks (both teams lost), Buffalo Bills (49ers lost, Pats won 2nd time, lost 1st match up).
History vs. Pats: Tom Brady never played at the famed Candlestick Park, his hometown field, before it was torn down to make the current Levi’s Stadium. The Patriots have only played the 49ers 3 times in the TFB/BB Era with a 2-1 record. The last time the teams met was in 2012 with a win by the Kaepernick led 49ers.
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Notable Players
Colin Kaepernick QB: (in 5 games this year) 70/132 comp (53%), 938 yds, 6 total TDs, 2 INTs, 4 fumbles, 32 carries, 228 yds (7.1 avg)
Carlos Hyde RB: 122 carries, 443 yds (3.6 avg), 6 TDs, 1 fumble, 13 catches, 66 yds
Torrey Smith WR: 17 catches, 243 yds (14.3 avg), 2 TDs
Jeremy Kerley WR: 40 catches, 424 yds (10.6 avg), 3 TDs, 1 fumble
Injury Alerts
Patriots:
Rob Gronkowski suffered a chest injury on a hit from Earl Thomas that was originally thought to be a punctured lung that he played through. It is now believed to be a less significant injury. However, he still had to cancel an EA Sports Event yesterday because he was advised not to fly with his injury. Look for him on the injury report this week and his availability in practice.
Dion Lewis is officially on the active roster and if last weekend were a must win, we might have seen Lewis active. This might be a good game to ease him back into the offense with limited snaps.
Woodrow Hamilton was once again inactive against Seattle but NE is pretty healthy (KNOCK ON WOOD, EVERYONE DO IT) all things considered at this time in the season. Getting him back would be a nice boost to the DL rotation.
49ers:
Aaron Lynch is dealing with an ankle injury which kept the 6’6″ 270 lbs LB out against the Cardinals last week and New Orleans the following week. An obviously physical and imposing player, he would have an impact on the run game for sure if he got a hold of Blount or, even worse, White.
Torrey Smith was questionable last week with a knee injury, only having limited participation in practice, but was active for the game. Smith had 2 catches for 26 yards last week as the 49ers only legitimate receiving threat worth worrying about. It seems likely he’ll be playing this week.
Carlos Hyde is one of the most important offensive players for the 49ers and he was limited this past week with a shoulder injury but was active and played against the Cardinals. He has played for the 49ers in seven games this season. Look for him to be active again this week.
Key Matchups:
Patriots:
vs. WR1: 16th—– vs. Malcolm Butler vs. Torrey Smith
vs. WR2: 18th—– Logan Ryan vs. Quinton Patton
vs. other WR: 13th—– Cyrus Jones (please?) vs. Jeremy Kerley
vs. RB: 16th—– Pat Chung vs. Carlos Hyde
49ers:
vs. WR1: 32nd —– Julian Edelman vs. Tramline Brock
vs. WR2: 12th —– Chris Hogan vs. Jimmie Ward
vs. TE: 8th —– Martellus Bennett vs. Eric Reid
vs. RB: 14th —– James White vs. Nick Bellore
What’s at stake?
The Patriots are currently in a 3 way tie for first in the AFC with the Raiders and the Chiefs, so a loss here could put them behind the 8-ball. The 49ers are out of conference so this doesn’t affect tie breakers, but a win is important here for seeding. The more the team can keep their future in their own hands, the more they can play by their own rules. This also gives them a chance to bubblewrap Brady, Gronk et al.
Early thoughts:
New England clearly outclasses Chip Kelly’s squad here. I could list all the stats, player records, play versus the run/pass etc etc, but the talent is at a totally different level. This game is a slow one over a plate for the team to correct what they struggled with against Seattle. The 49ers are as close to a gimme as you can get in the NFL. Good teams beat bad teams. So put your money where your mouth is Pats. You can say yes this is a lose-lose because the only way the team can appear like they’ve fixed some problems is by blowing out the 49ers, that is what good teams are supposed to do. That still doesn’t mean this isn’t an important step. The team always faces diversity. I’d rather worry about how badly they’ll beat San Fransisco than if Gronk will be healthy in time for the playoffs.
