Five things to watch in Sunday’s Patriots-49ers matchup

Can the Patriots establish the run game and keep the score close enough to make this game competitive?

The Patriots (1-2) have a chance to bring their record to .500 on Sunday. The last time they were .500 or better at this point in a season was 2019, with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady at the helm.

They are heavy underdogs in this matchup with San Francisco. The 49ers, who lost in the Super Bowl last season, have one of the NFL’s most potent passing attacks.

The 49ers are off to a slow start at 1-2, and star running back Christian McCaffrey is out, but keeping up with Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk & Co. will be a tall task for a Patriots team averaging 102 passing yards per game.

Can the Patriots establish the run game and keep the score close enough to make this game competitive? Here are five things to watch.

1. ‘Nightmare’ matchup on the edge

Pass protection was an issue during last week’s loss to the Jets, as the Patriots allowed a season-high seven sacks.

This week, they’ll face one of the game’s premier pass rushers in Nick Bosa, who has averaged 14.8 sacks over the past three seasons.

“Nightmare. Great player. Generational player,” said Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “Speed, power, all of it. So definitely an issue and definitely a concern. We have to make sure he doesn’t ruin the game for us, because he is that type of rusher.”

The Patriots will attempt to contain Bosa despite having limited depth at left tackle. Vederian Lowe (knee) did not participate in practice Wednesday or Thursday. Chukwuma Okorafor left the team. Rookie Caedan Wallace, who started in place of Lowe, was limited (knee).

2. Rhamondre Stevenson’s ball security

Stevenson became the first Patriots player to commit a turnover this season during the loss to the Jets. He has been dynamic at times, running hard and bouncing off tackles.

However, his fumbling is becoming a pattern. Three of his seven career fumbles have come in the last three games.

“Rhamondre is probably top-five in the league as far as breaking tackles,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said. “Now, that’s a dual-edge sword. You always want these guys to break tackles and try to make these big explosive plays, but in doing that, sometimes the ball gets loose.

“We always talk about ‘double in trouble.’ If people are around you, put two hands on the football. It sounds simple to say, but it is hard to do it sometimes, especially when you’re trying to get extra yards.”

3. Aiyuk’s ability to gain separation

With just 119 receiving yards and no touchdowns, Aiyuk has been somewhat underwhelming.

However, he leads the NFL in separation win-rate according to The Athletic.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said opposing defenses have been throwing a lot of zone coverage at San Francisco, which may be part of the reason why the production isn’t matching up with the separation numbers.

“Usually when it’s a zone, there’s not many people around the guys or just people underneath,” Shanahan said. “It’s about throwing over people.”

Despite the sluggish start from Aiyuk, the 49ers lead the league in passing yards per game (267.7). The Rams could not stop Jawaun Jennings (11 catches, 175 yards, 3 touchdowns) last week. The Patriots have given up 772 passing yards, eighth-most in the NFL.

4. Adapting without Javon Hargrave

The 49ers will be without the defensive tackle, who left the Rams game with a partially torn triceps.

Shanahan said it’s a big loss that could change their approach to pass rushing. He was asked if he feels the 49ers can generate enough pressure through their front four to maintain the kind of coverages they like to run.

“You’ve got to have plans with that. We do when Javon is here,” Shanahan said. “You love to always get there with the front four, that’s the goal. Getting there with four and having seven guys in coverage makes it a lot harder for the offense, but if you can’t do that, you’ve got to mix it up.”

5. Can the Patriots make Purdy uncomfortable?

Purdy has completed 72.6 percent of his attempts this season. He went 22 of 30 for three touchdowns and no interceptions last week.

Patriots defensive end Keion White listed a couple of keys for making things uncomfortable for Purdy.

“Getting pressure in his face fast, winning our one-on-one matchups in the rush, and I feel like we have the personnel to do that,” said White.

The Patriots blitzed the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers on 40 percent of his dropbacks last week, according to Pro Football Focus. They sacked him twice, but for the most part, Rodgers didn’t look bothered, completing 27 of his 35 attempts for 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins compared it to Stephen Curry hitting 3-pointers with a hand in his face. The defense felt it had hands in Rodgers’s face a lot, but a great player made great plays, Wilkins said.

Keeping the quarterback in the pocket will be a point of emphasis.

“I think that goes back to our fundamentals,” Wilkins said. “There’s not going to be a scheme in our playbook that says we’re going to be OK with letting the quarterback out. All those things are accounted for; we’ve just got to lean on our fundamentals, lean on our rush-lane discipline.”