Patriots at 49ers
Tom Brady will be making a homecoming of sorts when he leads the New England Patriots into a road game against the skidding San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Brady, who grew up in the Bay Area and rooted for the 49ers, will be trying to bounce back from his first loss since returning from a season-opening four-game suspension.
New England will be facing its second straight NFC West opponent after dropping a 31-24 decision at home to Seattle last week, failing to score the tying touchdown in four opportunities at the goal line. Brady could be without his favorite target in behemoth tight end Rob Gronkowski, who suffered a chest injury Sunday and had not practiced through Thursday. San Francisco has lost eight in a row but pushed Arizona to overtime last week before falling 23-20. "I think if you’re a competitor, you get excited about playing in games like this," 49ers coach Chip Kelly told reporters. "You don’t think of it as, ‘Oh my God, we don’t have any hope.’"
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -13. O/U: 51
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (7-2): Even if Gronkowski is able to play, which appears increasingly unlikely, Brady still has the luxury of throwing to backup tight end Martellus Bennett, who made seven catches for 102 yards against Seattle. “Look, I’ve started the majority of my career," Bennett, who has three 100-yard performances this season, told reporters. "Starting in a football game is just football. It doesn’t matter how I play or when I play. It’s just the same thing.” New England also will feature a heavy dose of LeGarrette Blount, who rushed for 69 yards and three touchdowns while having over 20 carries for the fifth time this season. The Patriots yield 18.1 points per game despite ranking in the bottom-third in sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions.
ABOUT THE 49ERS (1-8): San Francisco showed some moxie in ending a string of four straight blowouts by erasing an early 14-point deficit and clawing back from 10 down in the second half against Arizona. Carlos Hyde, who rushed for six touchdowns in the first five games, returned to the lineup after missing two contests with a shoulder injury but was limited to 14 yards on 13 carries. Colin Kaepernick has rushed for as least 55 yards in three of his four outings since replacing Blaine Gabbert as the starter, but he could be without deep threat Torrey Smith (shoulder), who was limited in practice Thursday. The 49ers rank last in the NFL in total yards (429.7) and rushing yards (180.4) allowed.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Kaepernick passed for four touchdowns in a 41-34 win at New England in 2012 - his fourth career start.
2. Brady leads the league in completion percentage (72.9) and passer rating (125.5).
3. 49ers K Phil Dawson needs one field goal to become the 10th player in NFL history to reach 400.