Patriots vs. 49ers: The Good, Bad and Ugly from San Francisco’s Week 11 Loss
By Peter Panacy
The Good
San Francisco’s first-half efforts were commendable, to say the least.
While the 49ers only managed 10 points of offense in the first half, there was a point the Niners were actually outgaining New England in the second half.
Here's another weird stat from #NEvsSF... #49ers outgaining the #Patriots 216 to 212.
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) November 20, 2016
A lot of this had to do with running back Carlos Hyde, who ran with much more gusto this week than what we saw out of him a week ago against the Cardinals. Hyde finished the contest with 86 rushing yards on 19 carries — and average of 4.5 yards per attempt.
He didn’t find the end zone, but tight end Vance McDonald did. He was the Niners’ leading receiver with three catches for 46 yards and the touchdown. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s throw was right on the money, as shown below:
That's a @49ers TD!@Kaepernick7 finds Vance McDonald for SIX. #NEvsSF https://t.co/9HgBmcYbcF
— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2016
Kaepernick’s first-half efforts were good too. He finished 16-of-30 for 206 yards and two touchdowns — a passer rating of 97.4. He also rushed for 32 yards, which added another element to San Francisco’s offense.
Defensive end DeForest Buckner was another positive in what was otherwise a shaky 49ers defense. He nearly was credited for his fourth sack of the season, but his pressure is starting to ascend.
And give credit to San Francisco’s defense for holding New England to a mere 13 points over three quarters.
Get this — the 49ers won the time-of-possession battle 30:45 to 29:15. And kicker Phil Dawson netted career field goal No. 400.