Hoyer: Three keys to a Patriots victory over 49ers in Week 4 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots have come crashing back down to earth since their surprising Week 1 win in Cincinnati.
They enter Week 4 with a 1-2 record after consecutive losses to the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. Thursday’s game vs. New York was a reality check as they were blown out, 24-3.
It didn’t help that they failed to execute any of former Pats quarterback Brian Hoyer’s keys to victory for the matchup. Hoyer pinpointed ball security, handling the Jets’ zone defense, and playing loose on the short week as New England’s three keys to a win over its division rival.
Although quarterback Jacoby Brissett took care of the football, running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled for the third consecutive game. The Jets’ defense wreaked havoc with 15 QB hits (five sacks).
Next on the schedule is a tough Sunday showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. The reigning NFC champions are 10-point favorites despite injuries to several key players.
So, how can the Patriots bounce back and pull off the upset? Here are Hoyer’s three keys to an improbable victory in Santa Clara.
1. Get back to your identity
“The main thing that we saw on Thursday night was the Patriots got away from who they were,” Hoyer said. “In the first week, they had 39 rushing attempts. In the second week, they had 36 rushing attempts. And last week against the Jets, it went all the way down to 15.
“Part of that I think, is they came out with the idea that they wanted to pass the ball down the field. Obviously, us in the media were talking about it, the fans were talking about it. I think that was part of their game plan. Another part is the game got away from them, so now you’re trying to get back in the game throwing the ball, and Jacoby took a lot of pressure, took a lot of sacks.
“Those are things you want to get away from and get back to establishing who you are, running the football. Thirty-nine rush attempts against the Bengals, you win the game. Thirty-six, you lose in a tight match against Seattle in overtime. Fifteen, it’s a blowout. And so I think part of that too is ball security. We talk about it every week. … Rhamondre has had a fumble each week. Unfortunately, this past week, he went over for a turnover, which never helps your cause in winning. So I think that’s something that he’ll be emphasizing this week, protecting that football.
“So I think when you talk about the Patriots identity, it’s running the football and securing the ball. Staying ahead on down and distance. Don’t put yourself in a lot of negative situations, and just play for the game to be close at the end and hope that you come up with more plays than they do.”
2. Patience to stay on track
“The 49ers defense, another really good defense that plays a lot of zone coverage,” Hoyer said. “They want you to drive the ball the length of the field 10, 12, 15 plays hoping that you’ll make a mistake at some point, and then they’ll get in the mode where they can pass rush with their great pass rushers in (Leonard) Floyd and (Nick) Bosa and guys like that.
“So patience to stay on track, but also patience to stay with the game plan. I think the one thing with where the Patriots are right now, even if you’re down two scores, stick with that run game. Know that it’s going to allow you to hit some play-action passes. There was a drive against the Jets where they started off with a hard play-action fake, you hit Pop Douglas for a big gain. I think you have to mix some of those in not just on second down, but mix them in on first down when you see that defense is committed to the run.”
3. Handle 49ers’ ‘Big Three’
“They have an elite player at every level,” Hoyer said. “Obviously, No. 97 Bosa on the defensive line. You could even put Leonard Floyd in there, who’s a really good pass rusher.
“At the second level, the best linebacker in the game in my opinion in Fred Warner. This guy’s a heat-seeking missile. He’s 6-4, he’s big, he’s fast. Had a chance to practice against this guy last year in a joint practice and when you’re playing a game, you recognize a guy and how talented he is. But when you see it in practice and he plays the game the right way, he’s going 1,000 miles an hour like it’s a real game just in practice. This is a guy that they’re going to have to take care of, especially if you’re trying to establish this run game. He’s a guy that can shed blocks, outrun linemen where they’re trying to get to him on the second level. So he’s a key to know where he’s at on every single play and make sure he’s blocked.
And then in the back end, they have (Talanoa) Hufanga, a really good safety. Shades of what Troy Polamalu used to be. Very aggressive, gets involved in a lot of different ways.
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“These three guys, you’re gonna have to make sure don’t ruin the game. And so, with the edge rushers, that’s staying ahead in down and distance so Bosa can’t get in a track stance and just tee off on the quarterback. In the run game with Fred Warner, you’re going to have to get off to that second level on some of these blocks, especially if you want to continue to establish the outside zone. “I think even this week, maybe go back to some of these gap runs where you’re double teaming the d-line up to Warner where he can’t run side to side.
“And Hufanga, you’re just going to have to know where he is at all times because he can be down at the line of scrimmage blitzing, he could be in the back end trying to intercept the ball.”
Watch Hoyer’s full Week 4 breakdown in the video above or the YouTube video below:
