The New England Patriots will look to avoid a third straight loss, following a 24-3 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets last Thursday. The schedule does not get any easier, as they take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
If there’s any silver lining for New England, it is that this is an undermanned 49ers team. Even though they’re both cleared to play in the game, quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle have both been nursing injuries leading up to this matchup.
But the 49ers are missing running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, while wideout Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams are questionable to play.
The Patriots are dealing with problems of their own. The offensive line is still a work in progress, and the unit gave up seven sacks against the Jets. They have struggled to protect quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the first three games of the season. That has led to issues overall with the entire offensive unit.
They currently rank last in the league in total offense with an average of 246.3 total yards per game.
The Patriots offense especially looked stagnant in the last two games, and now, they’re going up against a 49ers defense that allows 321.7 yards per game. They are tied with the Patriots with eight sacks on the season.
The 49ers are coming off a disappointing 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday. New England needs a bounce-back victory to get back to a .500 win percentage on the season.
Will Sunday’s performance be a gritty effort like we saw from the Patriots in their season-opening upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals? Or, will the offense sputter like we’ve seen against the Jets and Seattle Seahawks?
Here’s the full round-up of Patriots Wire staff picks for the Week 4 matchup:
Jordy McElroy (1-2) – Patriots 16, 49ers 24
Danny Jaillet (1-2) – Patriots 27, 49ers 10
Cam Garrity (1-2) – Patriots 33, 49ers 23
Who are you taking in Sunday’s game? Be sure and let us know who you are picking and why.