A game against the injured and struggling New England Patriots was just what the San Francisco 49ers needed after losing two games in a row on the road.
However, there are still many things the 49ers need to improve if they want to have a strong playoff run.
Big plays from Fred Warner, Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and the defensive line helped the 49ers secure a 30-13 win over New England despite their mistakes.
“I just felt like we were playing from behind a little bit there in the third and fourth quarter,” Kittle said. “We need to clean that up, especially when we’re playing like very dominant teams that have like really good offenses.
Not saying the Patriots don’t, but our defense was playing very good against them today.”
San Francisco had two turnovers, committed two penalties that took away touchdown passes from Purdy, and allowed the Patriots to convert their first two third downs of the game before tightening up.
But the big plays made those errors less important. Warner returned an interception for a 45-yard touchdown, Purdy made four big passes of at least 30 yards, and Kittle made an amazing touchdown catch by jumping over three defenders, helping the 49ers move past their losses to Minnesota and the Los Angeles Rams.
“It was chippy,” Warner said about the week of practice. “I think it was exactly what it needed to be. You dropped two, especially the one last week. It left a sour taste in our mouth. I think it was the right type of week.”
Now the Niners are preparing for two division games in five days, starting with a home game against Arizona on Sunday before traveling to play first-place Seattle on Thursday night.
