The New England Patriots are limping into a tough Week 4 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. After two straight losses, they enter Sunday's game as 10.5-point underdogs vs. the reigning NFC champions.
As daunting as the matchup seems, the Patriots might be catching the Niners at the perfect time.
San Francisco is 1-2 to start the season with consequential injuries on both sides of the ball. Star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is out for the season and will therefore miss Sunday's game along with running back Christian McCaffrey and - in all likelihood - wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Tight end George Kittle has participated in practices this week but is hampered by a hamstring issue.
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Does the 49ers' shorthandedness make them ripe for an upset on their home field? NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco weighed in on Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast.
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"I would say yes," Maiocco said. "Because there are still so many questions about where they are health-wise. ... So I would say that yeah, it's probably a pretty good time for the Patriots to be facing the 49ers.
"At the same point though, there are a lot of really good, skilled, dynamic veteran players on this team, and one of the things that Nick Bosa said after the loss to the Rams was that they can't just turn the page and just say, 'Everything's gonna be OK, forget about that game.' He said, 'We have to feel it.' So in other words, it's up to the veterans to absolutely take that loss hard and not just talk about, 'We've got to turn around and play better.' It's doing the work, doing all the things behind the scenes that enables this team to play better, correct the mistakes.
"So from that standpoint, I guess you could look at it both ways. From a health standpoint, the Patriots are catching the 49ers at a good time. But maybe from a mentality standpoint where the 49ers know they don't have many more mulligans left, the 49ers have to be on points and beat a team that they should beat handily Sunday at Levi's Stadium."
Sunday's Patriots-49ers matchup is set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Also in the episode:
- Difficulties the Patriots will face adapting the "Shanahan offense.”
- How's Brock Purdy looked so far this season?
- Can the Patriots protect Jacoby Brissett?
