The Patriots are en route to San Francisco for a matchup with the 49ers, and both teams are managing significant injuries that could impact this Week 4 tilt.
On the Patriots side, New England ruled out CB Alex Austin (ankle), G Michael Jordan (ankle), and OT Vederian Lowe (knee) for Sunday's game. The following players are questionable for the Patriots: LB Anfernee Jennings (shoulder), G Sidy Sow (ankle), CB Jonathan Jones (shoulder), and OT Caedan Wallace (knee).
The concern for New England is the left side of the offensive line. The Patriots are 32nd in pass-block win rate, with QB Jacoby Brissett being pressured on a league-high 46.4% of his drop-backs, per Pro Football Focus. Now, there could be even more shuffling with G Sidy Sow expected to return while left tackle is an unknown.
With Lowe ruled out and Wallace questionable, waiver-wire addition Trey Jacobs has been repping as the top left tackle in practice this week. After spending his rookie season on Denver's practice squad, the Broncos waived the undrafted free agent this summer. The 6-6, 315-pound tackle played 14 snaps late in last week's loss to the Jets, allowing a sack in 11 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle.
On a positive note, Jacobs had a solid preseason for the Broncos, allowing just two quarterback pressures with a 73.0 overall grade in 101 snaps. He also registered an 8.38 out of 10 relative athletic score (RAS) at his Pro Day coming out of South Florida. You can see that athleticism on film, with some impressive blocks in space on crack tosses, screens, and outside zone schemes. Jacobs also started the final eight games of his collegiate career at left tackle, so he has left-side experience.
Being down to your fourth-string offensive tackle is never good, especially against 49ers stud pass-rusher Nick Bosa. However, Patriots left tackles have allowed a league-high pressure rate of 20.8%, with three sacks. Left tackle has been a weak link on the offensive line through three weeks, so maybe Jacobs can offer more than what they've gotten thus far.
There's also the possibility that Wallace could be active. Jacobs could get the start since he's the Patriots healthiest option, with Wallace as a fallback plan if Jacobs struggles early in Sunday's game. That's how the Pats approached left tackle when Lowe was banged up in the season-opener but eventually took over for a struggling Chuks Okorafor.
At left guard, Jordan (out, ankle) started the first three games this season. The veteran has been one of their more stable linemen, allowing only a sack and four quarterback pressures. It's worth noting that Jordan has only had 42 one-on-one opportunities in pass protection compared to 56 for rookie RG Layden Robinson, so Jordan has been uncovered some.
Although the veteran has been serviceable, the Patriots went into the season expecting Sow to be their starting left guard. Sow had a strong rookie season as a run blocker, showcasing the ability to move the line of scrimmage in New England's gap schemes. Like most rookies, Sow was up and down as a pass blocker last season. Still, it was a promising first year for the 2023 fourth-rounder, who is hoping to make the leap in year two. Sow's power as a run blocker is an upgrade over Jordan.
Based on practice this week, the Patriots projected starting offensive line is as follows: LT Trey Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Layden Robinson, and RT Mike Onwenu. New England's line will face a 49ers pass rush that ranks 12th in pressure rate this season (33.7%) and majors in four-man pass rushes. We'll see if the Niners test a makeshift left side with a more aggressive pressure plan like the Jets did last week.
Moving over to the defense, the Patriots head into Sunday's matchup with some uncertainties in the secondary. First, the team ruled out CB Alex Austin due to an ankle injury, testing their cornerback depth—specifically, New England's size against a bigger 49ers receivers corps. The Pats have rolled with a corner trio featuring Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, and Marcus Jones (slot), but their smaller corners got exposed at times against the Jets. Mainly, Jets wideouts Allen Lazard and Mike Williams used their size to out-muscle the Joneses.
Austin also had some issues playing on the boundary, allowing a 10-yard touchdown to Lazard, while Marco Wilson was inactive last week after struggling in the first two games (two catches on two targets for 20 yards and two DPIs). This week, the Patriots need a plan for Niners breakout WR Jauan Jennings (6-3, 215), who had 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns last week. Jennings ran many of Samuel's routes as a 'Z' receiver with a nearly 50-50 split of his routes run from the slot and out wide (68 wide, 65 slot).
Gonzalez will likely shadow 49ers star WR Brandon Aiyuk, but Jennings is a tough matchup for the Joneses in man coverage. The Pats could bracket or use robber help from the safeties to close Jennings off to the middle of the field, but ultimately, it'll become a matchup between a 6-foot-3 wideout against a 5-foot-9 corner down the field.
With Austin out and Wilson's early-season struggles, rookie CB Marcellas Dial Jr. could get an opportunity. Although he struggled in the preseason, Dial might see an increased workload on defense. The 5-11, 190-pound corner has been active in the first three weeks as a core special-teamer but only played two snaps in mop-up duty on defense in Week 3. Dial repped this summer on the outside and in the slot, bringing some size and physicality with 70th percentile arm length (32").
Practice squad DB Isaiah Bolden is another possibility to make his NFL debut this week. At 6-2, 201 pounds, the 2023 seventh-rounder is a terrific athlete with great size. Bolden worked a slot safety role some in training camp and can play special teams (and return kicks). His cover skills are still a work in progress, as are Dial's, but it's a more even matchup when it comes to matching size on size with Aiyuk, Jennings, and possibly Deebo Samuel. Even fourth-string WR Ronnie Bell (5-11, 191) has good size – the 49ers don't roster small receivers as a part of their physical identity.
The next housekeeping items for the Patriots are practice squad elevations, which need to be submitted to the league by 4 pm ET on Saturday. Bolden is one possibility, as is hulking OT Caleb Jones as tackle depth. Last week, the Pats used a standard elevation on LB Joe Giles-Harris in the wake of captain Ja'Whaun Bentley's season-ending injury. We'll keep you updated here on any elevations from the practice squad.
The Patriots will face the 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara with kickoff at 4:05 pm ET on Sunday.
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