The San Francisco 49ers beat the New England Patriots 30-13 on Sunday, snapping a two-game skid and improving their record to 2-2. Although it was a win, there were still some bad moments—and even some downright ugly ones—during the game.
The Good
The 49ers' offense moved the ball efficiently throughout the game, scoring on five of their 11 drives.
Brock Purdy looked like "Glock" Purdy, throwing for 288 yards and a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle over three New England defenders.
In his fourth start, Jordan Mason continued to emerge as a weapon in the dangerous 49ers offense, recording his third 100-yard game.
Jauan Jennings showed his Super Bowl performance was no fluke, hauling in three passes for 88 yards.
The 49ers' defense held the Patriots to just 216 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers, including a 45-yard interception return by Fred Warner. Out of the six sacks of Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett, defensive lineman Kevin Givens led with 2.5. Second-year kicker Jake Moody remained a fan favorite, going 3-for-3 on field goals.
The team committed six penalties for 43 yards, but none were game-changers, so good job overall on discipline.
The Bad
Injuries have been a bug-a-boo for the 49ers. Fred Warner, George Kittle, Jordan Elliott, Jacob Cowing, Chris Conley, and Kyle Juszczyk were all injured during the game, though none are expected to miss significant time.
Despite moving the ball well, the 49ers should have put a "50-burger" on the scoreboard. Instead, they settled for three Jake Moody field goals, which could have been touchdowns. Brock Purdy channeled Brock "Favre" when he threw an interception in the end zone intended for Brandon Aiyuk, who was double-covered.
Also, there was a costly fumble on special teams during the second-half kickoff return by running back Isaac Guerendo (more on that in the Ugly section).
The Ugly
The 49ers special teams—need I say more? The special teams unit contributed to an opponent's score for the second week in a row. Too often this season, the special teams have allowed teams back into games or given them the lead.
This week's gaffe contributor: Isaac Guerendo, whose fumble on the kickoff return to start the second half led to a Patriots touchdown, cutting the 49ers' lead to 20-10.
Let's hope special teams coordinator Brian Schneider can get the unit playing better and stop hurting the team.
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Written by:Sports has been my first love since I was 12 years old. At one point I wanted to play football professionally. I started to take photography as a hobby in my teenage years but this was when I followed sports. I started to listen to sports radio, I found my true calling and it was to be a sports talk show host. Though I follow football and basketball, I started to have a new love of cultures around the world. After graduating from San Antonio College in 2018, I worked for the Castroville News Bulletin before going to A&M San Antonio to get my communications degree. Since I have written for the Ranger of San Antonio College, the News Bulletin and the Mesquite of Texas A&M San Antonio, I met many people and went to a lot of events. My major milestone was being in the press box of the San Antonio Commanders game for the Mesquite and being apart of a press conference with the Medina County Sheriff and other local news outlets. When I am not doing anything, I like to watch old cartoons on the DC Universe, play video games such as Mega Man and the Mass Effect series. I have also created Youtube channel called "Anger Management" with my friend Aaron Donnell.
