Ten Takeaways From New England’s 30-13 Loss in San Francisco

The New England Patriots began the 2024 season on a high note, upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 on the road to kick off the Jerod Mayo Era in Foxboro. But things have not gone as smoothly since. On Sunday, New England lost their third straight game, this time to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Patriots fell behind 20-0 in the first half and were never able to get close enough to scare the hosts. The 49ers held on for a 30-13 victory to improve to 3-1 on the season. New England dropped to 1-3 with the loss.

Ten takeaways from the Week 4 matchup:

Also Read – History, Common Players, and Fun Facts for Patriots-49ers

Security Concerns for Stevenson

Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled once in each of the first three games. For the first two weeks, he ran the ball effectively, and the Patriots retained the ball both times he fumbled. As a result, it was a virtual non-issue. In Week 3 against the Jets, he fumbled again, but his time, New England lost possession. Stevenson carried the ball only six times all game against New York, so it was a larger part of the narrative about his performance.

On New England’s second drive of the game Sunday, Stevenson fumbled yet again and San Francisco recovered. Although the Patriots’ defense held the 49ers to a field goal, it continued a discouraging pattern for the Patriots’ back. It is a concerning trend for a player the offense is designed to revolve around.

49ERS BALL pic.twitter.com/DpxLCnZNCG

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) September 29, 2024

Early Injuries

The New England Patriots suffered three costly injuries in the first quarter. Center David Andrews left with a shoulder injury. Safety Kyle Dugger and offensive tackle Caedan Wallace injured their ankles. All three remained out for the rest of the game. The loss of Dugger proved costly during the game. A miscommunication in New England’s defensive backfield contributed to a 49ers touchdown.

Pick Six for San Francisco

The Patriots escaped by only allowing three points on Stevenson’s turnover. They were not as fortunate on the 49ers next takeaway. Jacoby Brissett threw his first interception of the 2024 season on New England’s next possession. It appeared Brissett didn’t see 49ers’ All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who picked off his attempt down the middle of the field. Warner got up and ran the ball 45 yards to the end zone for the pick-six. New England’s two turnovers helped San Francisco’s lead increase from 3-0 to 13-0 in four offensive plays.

FRED WARNER PICK-6. LEGEND.

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— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

Offensive Line Issues

New England’s offensive line hasn’t looked great early in this season. They had the benefit of starting left guard Sidy Sow returning to the lineup on Sunday. However, they also had a left tackle, Demontrey Jacobs, making his first NFL start. In addition, David Andrews exited the game early. The numbers (pressures, sacks) are not going to look good for the line. Part of that is deserved. Another part falls on Jacoby Brissett. He needs to get the ball out quickly. If nobody is open, he needs to throw it away. Some quarterbacks can keep a play alive and make something great happen. With all due respect to Brissett, he is not in that group. He seemed to expect to have more time than he got several times. Based on what the pass protection has shown in 2024, it is hard to imagine where such expectations would come from.

Joey Slye, New England Patriots Record Holder

With time running out in the first half, Jerod Mayo called timeout with one second remaining. Joey Slye came on to attempt a 63-yard field goal attempt for New England. San Francisco led 20-0, so it appeared to be a Hail Mary for a moral victory and little else. Just the same, Slye drilled it through the uprights. The 63-yard field goal ties for the fourth-longest in NFL history and set a new franchise record.

Joey Slye drills a 63-yard field goal!

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— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

Strong Start to the Second Half

Despite Joey Slye’s fantastic finish to the first half, things weren’t looking great for New England. They trailed 20-3 at halftime, and the 49ers received to start the second half. But instead of rolling over, the Patriots came out fighting. Christian Elliss forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and recovered it himself.

New England took over at the San Francisco 27-yard line. Five plays later, they were in the end zone with their first touchdown of the game. A beautiful fourth-and-one call by Alex Van Pelt had Jacoby Brissett roll out left and find tight end Austin Hooper open for the score. In less than three minutes of game time, the Patriots cut the deficit in half, from 20-0 to 20-10.

Too Many Big Plays Allowed

Despite coming out strong, San Francisco picked up too many big plays in the game for New England to ever feel great about how things were going. They allowed six plays of 20 or more yards. 49ers QB Brock Purdy passed for 288 yards on just 15 completions (19.2 yards-per-completion). It helped San Francisco make over 50% of their third-down conversions (7-of-13). Three 49ers wide receivers had a reception of at least 38 yards. Part of the recipe for beating a superior team is winning the turnover battle and limiting big plays. New England was not able to do either.

PURDY DEEP TO DEEBO.

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— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

Still Hope in the Fourth Quarter

Despite things going poorly for the New England Patriots through three quarters, it was still a two-score game with over 13 minutes to play in regulation. San Francisco had possession, but Jabrill Peppers intercepted Brock Purdy in the end zone to get the ball back for New England.

When the Patriots got the ball back, they started to drive, completing an eight-yard pass. But then Jacoby Brissett got sacked and threw two incomplete passes, giving the 49ers the ball back on downs. San Francisco kicked a field goal to make it a three-possession game, making it officially out of reach with 4:58 to play.

Ultimately, Overmatched

The bottom line in this game was the talent. The discrepancy felt too great for New England to overcome without playing a perfect game. And unfortunately, they fell far short of perfect, with three turnovers and the plethora of big plays allowed. Even without reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers felt loaded on offense. His replacement, Jordan Mason, had a huge game. Neither Deebo Samuel nor Brandon Aiyuk had huge games, but shutting down both consistently felt exhausting on the Patriots’ behalf. And if they focused on them, George Kittle was available. Or they could run behind the best left tackle in the NFL, Trent Williams. On defense, they had Fred Warner and Nick Bosa leading the way, two of the top defensive players in the entire league.

A full healthy Patriots team playing mistake-free football would have a difficult time beating even a short-handed 49ers squad, like the one they faced today. New England simply needs to get more high-quality players before they are ready to compete with the big boys.

New England Patriots Stars of the Game

Even in defeat, the New England Patriots get three stars in this space. Today’s trio:

First Star – Jabrill Peppers

Second Star – Joey Slye

Third Star – Christian Elliss