49ers Find Confidence and Identity in 30-13 Win Over Pats

After a last-minute loss to the Rams, the 49ers needed a game to find themselves. New England served as a necessary sparring partner for the Niners in an unequivocal 30-13 victory.

Beating the Patriots is nothing special, they are one of the worst teams in the league with the worst offensive line. While the victory must be viewed in that context, it served a crucial purpose: the Niners managed to regain their confidence, their rhythm and their identity.

San Francisco appears ready as the eight-game stretch that will define the season begins. Next week in Arizona at Levi’s, twice in Seattle, in Kansas City, Dallas, Tampa Bay and finally in Green Bay and Buffalo. To win the division, they must beat Seattle and go through the eight-game stretch with no more than three losses. There is no margin for error now.

49ERS ON OFFENSE

The 49ers needed solid games from Jordan Mason and Brock Purdy and both delivered. Mason with 123 yards on 24 carries, Purdy 15-27 for 288 yards. However, Purdy threw a pick and Mason fumbled but recovered the ball twice. The offense also had penalty issues before the snap. The execution needs to be cleaner.

Confidence can be gained by having each weapon contribute in crucial moments and the offense moving the ball with rhythm and consistency.

Kyle Shanahan saw an opportunity to utilize Jauan Jennings not only as a third-down specialist but also as a deep threat. He got Deebo Samuel involved in the early throws, eventually getting red zone scores on a brilliant catch by George Kittle and dominant blocking for an easy score by Mason.

Aiyuk, Jennings and Samuel all had catches of at least 38 yards, Mason 24. This is part of a new identity that the Niners need to create so that they can create explosives without Christian McCaffrey and do so by spreading the wealth around and such make offense more difficult to defend.

The offensive line struggled in pass defense as Purdy had to scramble for two first downs and buy time too often while waiting for receivers to open up.

With this game, the 49ers took an important step forward and will need to achieve the cleaner execution they need through eight games to emerge as title contenders.

49ERS ON DEFENSE

Yes, admittedly that was against the worst offensive line in the league. That said, that’s exactly what the Niners had to do: be aggressive and succeed at it.

With a blitz rate of just 14%, they entered the game as the most reserved blitz players in the league. Against New England the rate rose to 35%. Six sacks, a season high.

Whether this was just a reaction to what worked for the Jets against the Patriots last week, the lesson for Nick Sorensen is to keep it up. By sending five rushers, the defensive line can use their talent to get to the passer.

Kevin Givens replaced Javon Hargrave with 2.5 sacks. Maliek Collins had 1.5. Nick Bosa with a strip sack fumble and recovery. Evan Anderson was kicked off the practice squad with a sack. Leonard Floyd had three quarterback hits, one of which contributed to Fred Warner’s pick-six.

Play balls

Jauan Jennings – Three catches for 88 yards, including a 45-yarder that he nearly threw for a touchdown.

George Kittle – Excellent hands and body control on touchdowns and excellent run blocking throughout the game.

Fred Warner – The pick-six highlighted why Warner is a unanimous First Team All-Pro. A smart decision to bait the throw and then jump the pass with an athletic leap, then the speed to get up and run it in. Warner had seven tackles in the first half alone. He was sidelined in the second half with an ankle problem, but was on his feet throughout and giving him a rest seemed to be a precautionary measure.

Kevin Givens – 2.5 sacks in his first starting opportunity. An upgrade over Hargrave.

Ji’Ayir Brown – After his worst two starts as a pro, Brown led the team with eight tackles and had two tackles for loss.

Nick Sorensen – The dogs were released, six bags.

Penalty flags

Isaac Guerendo – Designed primarily as a kick returner, he runs after a blocker and fumbles. Guerendo is the first bust pick leader in this draft.

Brian Schneider – His special teams make at least one big mistake per game. They must all take the Hippocratic Oath: “First, do no harm.”

Next week

Arizona (1-3) comes to town after a 42-14 loss at the hands of the Washington Commanders. The Cardinals defense appears to be Budda Baker and the Imposters. Baker is All-World, 14 tackles, the rest of the Arizona D, not so much. The Niners will need to take full advantage of this as they hope to stay on top in their remaining seven division games.

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