The New England Patriots lost to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday in Santa Clara. What happened? Here are my biggest takeaways in the immediate aftermath. FINAL SCORE: 49ers 30 – Patriots 13
— Yes, the Patriots lost. It wasn’t particularly close. You could call it a blowout. But I’d argue that it wasn’t an embarrassing one. It easily could have been against a really talented 49ers team.
— San Francisco still has some major injury issues. But they’re still fully capable of pouncing like a puma to strike for big plays.
— The Patriots on the other hand aren’t the same level of predator. In terms of star power, they’re lacking. But they weren’t exactly easy prey.
— No, Jerod Mayo’s team went down kicking and screaming like an angry possum.
— That’s not a football spirit animal that’s going to win a championship. But when you’re overmatched, sometimes the best thing you can do is show some fight.
— The Patriots couldn’t block the 49ers front. They couldn’t stop their receivers from making big plays. They couldn’t protect the football. They couldn’t keep their key players healthy.
— This was a really bad game. But hey, they made this game a pain in the butt for San Francisco.
— The 49ers had the game in hand in the second half. But the Patriots kept scrapping. Jabrill Peppers played a big part of that by picking off Brock Purdy in the endzone. Jacoby Brissett kept it up by continuing to flip the ball out while under fire.
— It also helped that Joey Slye has an absolute cannon for a leg, making field goals from 63 and 54 yards.
— After a rough first half, Patriots finally got a break when rookie Isaac Guerendo fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half.
— New England turned their gift-wrapped turnover into seven points. However, the defense quickly game up a 55-yard pass to Deebo Samuel on the ensuing drive. It was that kind of day.
— You know what’s a recipe for disaster? Having rail-thin wide receiver Tyquan Thornton attempting a key block on defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu. It shouldn’t be a shock that New England lost three yards on that running play.
— Injuries remain a major issue: rookie tackle Caedan Wallace, safety Kyle Dugger and David Andrews all left the game in the first half with injuries. They were ruled out in the second half.
— The Patriots pulled off a nifty trick play on third down where Jacoby Brissett fired a ball over the middle to Pop Douglas, who then lateralled the ball to Rhamondre Stevenson for a first down. However, it was called back due to a block in the back penalty.
— Here’s the kicker: It was a ticky-tack call. FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira agreed with the broadcast team that it wasn’t a great call.
— Well that’s a new one: The 49ers had fullback Kyle Juszczyk return a punt in the third quarter.
— Juszczyk, an eight-time Pro Bowler, has returned six kickoffs in his career. However, this marked his first-ever punt return.
