SF 49ers vs. Patriots: 5 matchups that will decide Week 7 outcome
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Who performs better in the red zone, the SF 49ers or Patriots?
New England’s offense isn’t exactly lighting up scoreboards this season, yet its defense remains the No. 11 scoring unit in the league. And as for many years under Bill Belichick, it’s been a philosophy of “bend, don’t break.”
This has been especially true in the red zone, where the Pats enter this contest with the league’s sixth-best red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns 50 percent of the time within the 20-yard line.
Kyle Shanahan’s offenses have historically performed poorly in this area, although the SF 49ers are in the middle of the pack this season with red-zone touchdowns scored 66.7 percent of the time.
That’s promising. But let’s flip the script.
San Francisco is actually better, defensively, than New England in the red zone so far in 2020, allowing opponents to score on their red-zone trips just 46.7 percent of the time — good for third best in the league. While the Niners have their defensive woes this season, this stat is probably a good indicator why Robert Saleh’s unit still ranks 10th best in scoring.
Meanwhile, the Patriots own the league’s 24th-best scoring offense in the red zone, converting touchdowns 55 percent of the time here.
Advantage: SF 49ers.