After facing a tough test in the 49ers’ 23-17 Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, coach Kyle Shanahan expects a similar challenge from the New England Patriots’ defense in Sunday’s matchup at Levi’s Stadium.
Former Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores gave the 49ers all they could handle in the Vikings’ win over San Francisco, presenting an interesting matchup Sunday due to New England deploying a similar scheme.
“It all comes from the same foundation; Brian [Flores] has put his own personality on it, his own spin,” Shanahan told Greg Papa on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan.” “But the fronts and the threats of blitz, things like that, going back in a zone, it’s extremely similar. They probably play a little more man than Minnesota’s doing. Maybe a little bit less [cover] zero. But it’s all still there, so you can tell where Brian came from.
“As all coordinators do, you’re a product of your environment. But once you branch out, it suddenly becomes your own. So there are some differences, but it’s definitely obvious it comes from the same tree.”
New England’s defense is allowing 19.6 points per game this season, 10th best in the NFL through three weeks. However, the Patriots’ offense is having issues of its own scoring, ranking 31st in the league at 13 points per game.
Despite the struggle scoring, Shanahan also praised the Patriots’ offense, highlighting offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s ability to maximize the talent on his roster with effective personnel groupings.
“Alex has been doing it for a while, does a really good job,” Shanahan said. “His history comes from Cleveland, so they do some similar stuff to that. In these three games, especially their first two games, they’re playing to their personnel very well. They got two very good running backs, they’re committing to the run.
“They’ve had close to 40 carries in … I wanted to say both their two wins, but both their first two games that they should have won. Had a couple mistakes there at the end that cost them.”
Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson have been the focal point of New England’s offense, combining to average 4.9 yards per carry on 75 rushing attempts through three weeks.
After looking extremely competitive in their first two games, the Patriots got blown out by the New York Jets in Week 3, a result Shanahan believes was influenced by New England getting away from its identity after trailing early.
“They got away from it a little bit against the Jets once they got down, 21-3 I believe, they lost it and ended up only having 15 carries,” Shanahan said. “That was the game they ran the ball the best in terms of yards per carry. So, they got a formula to win. They got the right quarterback to tie with that, the right running back and definitely the right defense and special teams to balance that out.”
With San Francisco seeking a critical bounce-back win, it’s clear Shanahan isn’t overlooking New England despite the 49ers entering Sunday’s contest as a double-digit favorite.
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