49ers at Patriots Week 15 SNF Preview and Result

San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots: Sunday Night Football

The New England Patriots enter Week 15 action as the team to beat in the NFL. They absolutely pounded the Houston Texans, a team that was supposed to push them around, last week. Tom Brady shredded Houston’s pass defence for 296 yards and four touchdowns and the Pats churned out another 130 yards on the ground. Those numbers will serve as a warning shot for this 49ers defence. San Francisco muffled Miami’s offence last week and allows just 14.2 points per game – best in the NFL.

Brady’s Bunch

There’s no secret to the Patriots’ success this year – they own the best total offence in the league and average more than 36 points per game. Not many teams can keep up to that sort of attack. Six different Patriots have at least 20 receptions and four have at least four touchdown catches. Meanwhile, running back Stevan Ridley is making Brady that much more dangerous in the pocket. Ridley has already cracked the 1,000-yard plateau and has 10 touchdowns. “There’s no greater experience than winning, and winning with the group of guys that we have. To win seven straight has been pretty exceptional,” Brady told WEEI this week. “That’s 100 percent of where my focus is. I’m proud to play on this team, and hopefully we can keep winning. Certainly, this week is going to be our biggest challenge we’ve had all year.”

They Call Him Colin

Alex Smith doesn’t like it, but the 49ers are a much more dangerous team with Colin Kaepernick under centre. Kaepernick embarrassed the Chicago Bears the last time the 49ers were on in the national spotlight and he will undoubtedly be the focus of New England’s defensive scheme. It won’t be easy. The 49ers are averaging 26 points per game since Kaepernick took over and Frank Gore continues to move the chains and control the clock. They’re ready for this matchup, too. “This is a showdown we’ve been waiting for, and we’ve got to put points on the board,” tight end Delanie Walker said Wednesday. “We know New England’s got an explosive offense, and we can be the same with Kap. One thing we’ve got to do as a team is keep our offense on the field and keep our defense on the bench. That’s the main focus this week.”

Prediction

There’s a lot to like about the San Francisco 49ers right now. They pound the ball and now have a quarterback that can beat secondaries deep or outrun defensive linemen. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. But are they ready for this big of a road game? I’m not so sure. With San Francisco traveling across the country to play in cold conditions, you have to give the edge to Brady and the Patriots. Final score prediction: New England 28, San Francisco 21.