The 1-2 Patriots head on the road for the third time in the first four weeks of the NFL season. That schedule occurrence has happened to New England only six other times since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 (2022, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2003, 1994).
Only once did the Patriots emerge from such a four-game season-opening stretch with a winning record – that coming back in 2011 when they opened with a 3-1 mark, including 2-1 on the road. Here are the results of the other five road-heavy four-game starts:
2022 – 1-3 start and 1-2 away
2014 – 2-2 start and 1-2 away
2012 – 2-2 start and 2-1 away
2003 – 2-2 start and 1-2 away
1994 – 2-2 start and 2-1 away
Extra rest might be working in New England’s favor with a trip across the country to San Francisco (Santa Clara actually). Coming off a poor performance in a loss to the Jets on a Thursday night, the Patriots have nine-days to prepare for a banged-up 49ers team.
The last time the Patriots and 49ers met was during the empty-stadium Covid season in 2020. The Patriots were embarrassed, 33-6, in that game at Gillette Stadium. New England has not played at Levi’s Stadium since 2016 – a game the Patriots won 30-17 during a Super Bowl championship season. The Patriots also won on the road vs. San Francisco in 2008 – 30-21.
Beyond those two wins that came during the Patriots dynastic years, New England is 0-4 vs. the 49ers on the West coast.
The teams first met back in 1971 following the forementioned AFL-NFL merger with the 49ers winning, 27-10, in San Francisco. The Patriots won four years later, in 1975, 24-16 at Scheafer Stadium. The Niners dominated the matchup for a long time. Between 1971 and 1995, the Pats went 1-7 against San Francisco.
Since then, however, the Patriots are 4-2 in the series. One of the more exciting wins came back in 1998. The Patriots were 8-6 coming off a bad loss to the struggling Rams in St. Louis. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe had broken his finger three weeks earlier in a Monday night, last-minute win over the Dolphins. He had a pin inserted the following week, but continued to play in wins over Buffalo and Pittsburgh. But the situation worsened in St. Louis, and the pin actually came through his finger forcing him to the sideline for the remainder of the year.
So at 8-6 and with Steve Young’s 49ers coming to town, optimism was in short supply. Enter Scott Zolak. The Patriots backup finished the 49ers game an unspectacular 14-of-30 for 205 yards with two interceptions, but threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Robert Edwards in the first quarter and a 61-yard touchdown strike to Shawn Jefferson in the second.
The Patriots trailed 21-14 at the half after 49ers holder Ty Detmer bobbled a snap on a field goal try and proceeded to throw a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots defense toughened up with a second-half shutout, giving the offense the offense the opportunity to come from behind, which it did.
Edwards scored on a five-yard touchdown run to tie the game and Adam Vinatieri won it with :06 left on a 35-yard field goal that clinched a playoff berth. New England went on to lose the season-finale to the Jets and its Wild Card playoff game at Jacksonville.
In the last trip to Levi’s Stadium back in 2016, the Patriots led 13-10 through three quarters, before quarterback Tom Brady threw two fourth quarter TD passes – a five-yarder to Danny Amendola and a 56-yard catch-and-run TD to rookie Malcolm Mitchell – as the Patriots pulled away for the 30-17 win.
The series:
- The Patriots trail the all-time series, 9-5
- The Patriots longest winning streak against the 49ers is 3 games (1998-2008)
- The 49ers longest winning streak against New England is 6 games (1980-1995)
- The Patriots are 3-5 at home, 2-4 on the road in the series
- The teams have never played an overtime game
- New England has lost two of the last three vs. San Francisco but is 4-2 in the last six.
- The series dates back to Oct. 31, 1971 (a 27-10 49ers win in San Francisco)
- The 49ers largest margin of victory is 25 (a 28-3 home win on Sept. 17, 1995)
- The Patriots largest margin of victory is 14 (21-7 home win on Jan. 2, 2005)
