Warner, 49ers defense dominate Patriots in six-sack performance Week 4

After two tough losses on the road, the 49ers respond with a resounding win at home, never in doubt against the Patriots Sunday afternoon.

The San Francisco 49ers leave Week 4 back in the win column, handling the New England Patriots, 30-13. While the contest was projected to be victory for the home team, no one knew for sure after Week 3’s collapse to the Rams on the road. It wasn’t pretty throughout the game, but the Red & Gold got it done, with a large help going to the defensive unit.

That’s how SF set the tone out of the gate, only allowing two first downs for the visitors. A pass break-up by cornerback Isaac Yiadom sealed the deal to force the punt.

On the other end, the 49ers’ offense got it going early as well. Quarterback Brock Purdy & Co. would embark on a 15-play, 90-yard drive, that included a 38-yard gain to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk over the middle. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find paydirt, settling for a field goal to take the lead.

The 49ers never looked back after that, getting a lead as high as 20 points midway through the contest. New England didn’t let up however, forcing the Red & Gold to remain competitive thanks to the efforts of kicker Joey Slye. The visiting placekicker hit both of his FGs from 50-yard-plus, including a 63-yard effort to put the Pats on the board to end the first half, 20-3.

Despite the competitive nature throughout from NE, the contest just wasn’t, seeing the home side handle business comfortably.

Back in the W column 🙌#NEvsSF x #FTTB pic.twitter.com/gZKaTKoOOv

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024

49ers’ defense had their way with the Patriots

The big story of the game was defense, returning to the standard of 49ers football Sunday. San Francisco made life hell for Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, consistently getting into the backfield. The defensive line racked up six sacks Week 4, including the game-sealing strip sack by defensive end Nick Bosa, allowing the home side to ice the game at 30-13.

Defensive linemen Kevin Givens and Sam Okuayinonu were the real stars in the trenches, making plays left and right. The former had 2.5 sacks Sunday (career-high), while the latter had two tackles and a forced fumble in his third game played this season. Fellow DL Maliek Collins also played well with 1.5 sacks, three tackles and a fumble recovery.

The best play of the day defensively came via Fred Warner interception however.

FRED WARNER PICK-6. LEGEND.

📺: #NEvsSF on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Mk2VkYc7Q9

— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

Up 6-0 at the start of the second quarter, Warner high-pointed a wary pass from Brissett over the middle, falling to the ground in the process. The star linebacker popped up and used the blocks of his teammates to find his way towards the near sideline. Needing a little extra at the end, Warner dove into the endzone for the 45-yard pick-six to put SF up, 13-0.

The Patriots as a whole would generate a mere 216 total yards, compared to the 49ers’ 431. Additionally, New England went 5/16 on third down, coughing up three turnovers in the process. The visitors averaged only 3.5 yards per play, a sign that the 49ers’ defense has their number throughout.

On top of that, the group did it without Warner for the entire second half, battling a

“I thought the defense was awesome all day. Anytime you score, even better,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame.

49ers’ offense did enough against the Patriots

Offensively, the 49ers had their moments against the Patriots, both good and bad.

While Purdy & Co. racked up the numbers, the possessions tell a different story, especially early on. The 49ers’ offense would go a 15-play drive, but couldn’t cash in for a touchdown. On the next series, after a turnover no less, the 49ers were only able to have five plays before settling for another FG.

The 49ers have struggled with redzone offense this season, well under their 68% clip in 2023 in that area. SF would convert two redzone tries into six points, but were only 50% on the day (2/4).

Even still, San Francisco averaged 7.2 yards per play, able to move the ball throughout the air and ground game.

Purdy was a big part of that, throwing for 288 passing yards, one TD and one interception. He finished Week 4 with a 89.7 QB rating. While his completion percentage wasn’t as high Sunday, Purdy took chances downfield on multiple occasions. That includes pickups of 38, 45, 53 yards, showcasing the gunslinger’s ability to get big, chunk plays.

Meanwhile, Jordan Mason got it going on the ground.

The 49ers running back ran over the Patriots for 123 yards on 24 carries in Week 4. He also contributed in the passing game with two catches for 37 yards. His lone TD came in the third quarter, carrying it in from four yards out.

The best play of the game for the 49ers’ offense came on a 12-yard TD to George Kittle in the second quarter.

Facing a third-and-10, Purdy dropped back and found the tight end streaking to the left corner. Despite being triple-covered, Purdy threw it up anyways, allowing Kittle to come down with the highlight-reel catch along the right corner.

George Kittle in triple coverage and he still scorespic.twitter.com/JHn44fxHbG

— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 29, 2024

That play led to a three-score lead of 20-0 for the 49ers, essentially putting the game out of reach.

The 49ers’ Week 4 win puts them back in winners’ circle, now 2-2 on 2024 season. After suffering back-to-back losses, SF needed a win badly to re-position themselves in the NFC standings. They’ll host Week 5 as well, seeing the Arizona Cardinals come into town.

“It feels good to get a win. It’s such a long year. If you looked from an outsider’s perspective or looked online, you’d think the building’s burning down,” Bosa said postgame. “But I told the D-line guys in our meeting last night that we’ve lost some guys, but I haven’t lost confidence in this group one bit and that’s the truth. I think we’re going to be just fine.”

San Francisco 49ers 2024 Schedule:

Regular Season

• Sunday, October 6th vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PDT
• Thursday, October 10th @ Seattle Seahawks [TNF] – 5:15 pm PDT
• Sunday, October 20th vs. Kansas City Chiefs [SB LVIII Rematch]– 1:25 pm PDT
• Sunday, October 27th vs. Dallas Cowboys [SNF] – 5:20 pm PDT
• Week 9 Bye Week

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