As the New England Patriots look to bounce back from a tough home loss last Sunday, here are some key thoughts heading into this week's match up against the San Francisco 49ers.

Moving In Opposite Directions- The Sunday afternoon battle pits two teams that are moving in very opposite directions against each other. While they are coming off of a tough-to-take, home loss, the Pats have put together another solid season thus far. They enter the game at 7-2 overall and with a stranglehold on the AFC East for the umpteenth year in a row. The 49ers are in many ways the polar opposite of New England, as they stumble into the match up at 1-8 and in last place in the NFC West. San Francisco is the heavy underdog heading in and their isn't much reason to expect the game to go any other way than a classic Patriots rout.

Going Gronk-less- The Pats will be without their best offensive weapon, tight end Rob Gronkowski, Sunday. Gronkowski suffered a perforated lung in the team's 31-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week and, while he finished out that game, did not practice at all this week. Of course, having Gronk out on the field is always a plus for the offense, but against a struggling 49ers defense, which ranks at the bottom of the league, the Pats should be able to survive without the All-Pro.

Slim  At Receiver- Along with Gronkowski, the Patriots will be playing the game without their top deep threat wide receiver, Chris Hogan. For a team that is already slim, depth wise, at the receiver position, it must be a somewhat serious injury for Hogan. He was a game-time decision last Sunday, after dealing with a back issue all week. He did suit up, but played a much more limited role in the game. Apparently the back problem hasn't gotten much better and will cause the Pats to dress just three true receivers (Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell) for the game. Special teams ace Matthew Slater is technically a receiver by trade and has found his way onto the field for a number of offensive snaps throughout his career, but he is clearly not considered a legitimate option when the team is at full strength. While they will lose some big play ability the Hogan posses, as he is averaging over 20 yards a catch this season, the team should be able to get past suspect 49ers passing defense. It really will be a matter of not over exerting the guys that enter the game healthy enough to play.

Picking What he Wants- The San Francisco defense is pretty bad across the board. Entering the game, they rank dead last in the league in terms of total yards allowed per game, rush yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. Even with the Pats entering with limited options in the passing game, this is a game where offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should be able to pick pretty much whatever he wants to do with the confidence that his team will be able to execute. No matter whether Gronkowski and Hogan were available or not, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady should be able to find his receivers and big plays down the field throughout the afternoon.

Blount Force Trauma- The San Francisco defense is horrible against the run. In fact, they have allowed a league-worst 180.4 rush yards per game through their first nine games this season. Due to that fact and some of the injuries and lack of depth in the receiving corps, it's safe to expect a pretty big day out of the New England ground game. If the team goes run heavy, there should be a lot of power back LeGarrette Blount on the field Sunday. Blount is already on pace for one of his best seasons ever as a pro and is currently on track to set the team's single season record for scores by a running back. Expect the big back to power into the end zone a couple more time Sunday and give the San Francisco defense an unhealthy dose of Blount Force Trauma.

Passing Backs- This game presents a great opportunity for the Pats to feature their passing backs. With injuries at the receiver and tight end positions, there could be a lot of James White sightings on the field. White has been effective catching passes out of the backfield so far this season, catching 33 balls for 290 yards, which averages out to 8.8 yards per catch. There is also the very real possibility that Sunday is the first game back for 2015 phenom Dion Lewis, who started this season on the PUP list as he battled his way back from an ACL tear. Lewis was added to the active roster prior to last week's game but was inactive. Sunday might be the perfect time to get the shifty, dual threat back back on the field. If Lewis does make his long awaited return, expect him to get a lot of opportunities to catch the ball in the flat and then try to make a move in space.

A Chance To Improve- This game represents yet another chance for an underachieving and underwhelming Patriots defense to get itself going in the right direction and improve on what has been a bit of a disappointing campaign. Coming off of arguably its worst performance last week, the defense will go up against one of the weaker offenses in the league. Facing an offense that averages under 200 yards per game through the air could allow the Pats to try and figure out some thing in terms of getting a pass rush going and putting pressure on the quarterback. If New England can't force the 29th ranked 49ers offense off the field on third down and keep them out of the end zone, there will be a heightened cause for concern in Patriots Nation.

Cause Some Turnovers- Over the past few years, the Patriots defense had been rather adept at causing turnovers and making plays that helped swing momentum in their direction. This year's team, however, has struggled to create similar opportunities, as they enter the game with a minuscule +1 turnover differential through nine games. Going up against a lackluster offense could help the Pats maybe take a few extra chances and create some of the turnovers they have failed to produce so far this season.

Prediction- This game should never be close. Even without Gronkowski and Hogan, the Patriots offense should be able to easily navigate its way through a very, very suspect San Francisco defense. Expect the backs to play a big part in New England's success offensively. The Patriots defense is still a trouble area, but against an unpolished unit like that of the 49ers, it should be good enough to get the job done. The Patriots should be in cruise control early in this one.

Patriots 38, 49ers 9

 

 

 

More From WFHN-FM/FUN 107