Week 7 already! Pats have a bunch of players back in practice and should be focused on getting back to winnings ways. On Sunday the 3-3 San Francisco 49ers travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the 2-4 New England Patriots.
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2020
Game Time: 4:25 PM EST
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Network: CBS (Jim Nantz & Tony Romo)
All-time record: 49ers lead series 8-5-0
When They Last Met…
Patriots 30-17 Broncos
November 20, 2016
The Patriots won the toss and deferred possession to begin the first quarter, San Fran had a quick three and out before punting. Then, Tom Brady got to work.
After driving down to the 49ers four-yard line, Brady found Julian Edelman in the back corner of the end zone for the opening touchdown. The 49ers stalled on the following drive and settled for a field goal.
A 44-yard cannonball run by LeGarrette Blount got the Patriots deep into 49er territory to end the first quarter. On the first play of the second, Brady dumped off a screen pass to James White who rocketed his way into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown.
Colin Kaepernick then established a good drive for San Francisco with a mixture of pass and run which ended with him finding Vance McDonald for an 18-yard touchdown. Halftime Patriots 13-10 49ers.
The third quarter came and went without a point being scored, which set the stage for an explosive end to the game. Brady performed some Matrix-like dodging in the pocket and somehow got rid of the ball to Danny Amendola in the 49ers end zone for the touchdown.
The Patriots got possession back and Brady, whilst under pressure, skipped up in the pocket and launched the ball downfield to find Malcolm Mitchell in traffic who took it to the house for a 55-yard touchdown. A Stephen Gostkowski field goal then made it a 20-point game with six minutes to go in the game.
Kaepernick got a consolation touchdown to end the scoring, Shaun Draughn hauled in the pass for a 13-yard touchdown. Final- Patriots 30-17 49ers.
Performances
NE
QB Tom Brady 24/40 – 280 YDS – 4 TD
RB LeGarrette Blount RUSH- 19 ATT – 124 YDS
WR Malcolm Mitchell 4/5 – 98 YDS – 1 TD
WR Julian Edelman 8/17 – 77 YDS – 1 TD
RB James White 6/6 – 63 YDS – 1 TD
SF
QB Colin Kaepernick 16/30 – 206 YDS – 2 TD
Game Highlights
How The Patriots Win
I think one way to beat this 49er team is to run the ball hard from the start and get ahead in the game. San Fran will be without their star edge rusher Nick Bosa, along with Soloman Thomas and Dee Ford. Given the injury crisis they’ve suffered already this season, the Patriots must take advantage of the 49ers defensive weaknesses.
Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, James White, J.J. Taylor, and Cam Newton should all be ready to contribute on the ground. Now, it would be encouraging to see a revival of the passing game with some long plays and touchdowns, but in reality, I just want the team to win by any means, if it’s going to be a bunch of 1-yard rushing scores, so be it.
Jimmy G roles back into town looking to further dampen the Patriots spirit, but his season hasn’t been smooth sailing so far either. Garoppolo is still not 100% following an ankle injury he suffered earlier this season, he was also benched in his first game back after throwing two picks in the first half against Miami.
The Pats secondary still gives me some faith in them to force turnovers with good play, I have a feeling Adrian Phillips and Stephon Gilmore are going to have big games this Sunday, let’s see.
Player Spotlight – Jake Bailey
The core special teamer who replaced Ryan Allen as the team’s punter at the beginning of last season has been one of the most consistent players on the team over the past couple of seasons.
Bailey, who only turned 23 in June, has shown his ability to be a real asset to the team in helping them regain superior field position, especially this season, where until now, they’ve relied on it heavily.
The former fifth-round draft choice was a four-year starter at Stanford where he went viral for kicking an 84-yard punt.
Now, it’s no secret that I’ve been trying to get the hype train started for Bailey to gain a Pro Bowl selection this year, I think it’s only a matter of time before he comes into serious contention for it.
Good punters will have a good career across a number of teams in the league, excellent punters will have a great career with just one or two teams.
Familiar Faces
Former Patriots
Players
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (2014-17)
K Robbie Gould (Signed as UDFA/released 2005)
Coaching Staff
GM John Lynch (With Patriots during 2008 camp)
WR Coach Wes Welker (Wide Receiver 2007-12)
CB Ken Webster (Drafted in 2019/waived during camp)
Former 49ers
Players
QB Brian Hoyer (2017)
Coaching Staff
WR Coach Mick Lombardi (Assistant to HC 2013-16)
Asst Vinnie Sunseri (2016-17)
Broken Records
Here’s some key milestones that could be surpassed on Sunday.
QB Cam Newton
-Needs 245 passing yards to become the 48th quarterback in history to reach 30,000 passing yards.
RB James White
-Needs two touchdown receptions to tie Larry Garron (26) as most all-time in Patriots history for touchdown receptions by a running back.
S Devin McCourty
-Needs one interception to tie Mike Haynes (28) as sixth all-time in Patriots history for interceptions.
WR Julian Edelman
-With one touchdown catch, Edelman will tie Wes Welker with his 37th career touchdown reception, good for sixth-most in team history.
Score Prediction: 49ers 20-24 Patriots
Patriots bounce back for me this week, first time up against Jimmy G, I think BB, alongside a full week of practice, will have the team ready. It’ll be close, but it’ll be a win.
LFG
[…] Check out my preview for today’s match up here. […]