San Francisco, CA
5 things to watch when Patriots play San Francisco 49ers
FOXBOROUGH – This isn’t where the Patriots wanted to be, but after two losses in a row, the show must go on.
On Friday, the Patriots left New England for a cross-country trip to San Francisco to take on a talented 49ers team. After a strong start and upset win, to start the season, Jerod Mayo’s team is coming off a blowout loss to the New York Jets.
Now, they’ll take on the NFC favorites, on the road.
The 49ers have a roster full of elite players but are also dealing with health issues. San Francisco’s offense will be without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and Pro Bowl receiver Deebo Samuel. On top of that, four Pro Bowlers – tight end George Kittle (hamstring), tackle Trent Williams (illness), defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (triceps), and quarterback Brock Purdy (back) – were on the injury report this week.
The Patriots must turn the page and forget about their performance in New York.
“What I will say is the challenge for us is just in the front: offensive line and defensive line. I don’t want to sound repetitive, but they are a do-what-they-do type of team, and we know what they’re going to do, the fans know what they’re going to do, but you still have to stop them,” Mayo said. “They have a lot of good players on that team, offensively and defensively, All-Pro-caliber players almost at every level if you really look at the roster. So, it’s definitely a challenge, and I think the guys – I tell them all the time, look at it as an opportunity to go out there and perform.”
Here are five things to watch when the Patriots take on the 49ers:
Brandon Aiyuk
This matchup is like when you see someone in public who once rejected your advances and hope to show them what they’re missing.
The Patriots had a trade in place with the 49ers to acquire All-Pro receiver Brandon Aiyuk. They even had a contract offer on the table that would’ve reportedly made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
Instead, Aiyuk rejected the Patriots, used them as leverage, and ended up re-signing with the 49ers for less money.
Ouch.
The Patriots will get a chance to see Aiyuk on Sunday. It’ll be fascinating to see if Christian Gonzalez can slow down the receiver. Aiyuk clearly didn’t think much of the Patriots roster. We’ll see how they respond.
Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots passing attack is ranked last in the NFL, averaging 102 passing yards per game. Of course, the team is also ranked first in the NFL in interception rate (0.0%).
Jacoby Brissett has a tough job. He’s being used as a piñata this season, taking hits from opposing defenses while keeping the seat warm for Drake Maye. The veteran hasn’t exactly lit up the stat sheet this season, but he’s also not making too many egregious mistakes.
Out of all quarterbacks, who’ve started three games, Brissett is last in the NFL with 368 passing yards, but his interception percentage of zero is tied for first. The 49ers are ranked 20th in the NFL in passing defense. They’ve allowed 217.7 passing yards per game.
We’ll see if Brissett can put together a better effort this time.
Offensive line
Brissett has been sacked at an alarming rate this season.
Entering this week, he’s fourth in the NFL in sack percentage (the times sacked on plays where he’s supposed to pass the ball). Last week, he was sacked five times and hit 12 times overall.
That won’t work on Sunday. San Francisco has one of the better pass rushes in the NFL. Four-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa anchors this defensive line. On Thursday, Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called Bosa a “nightmare.”
The Patriots should be getting back left guard Sidy Sow this week. That’s positive. However, they’ll likely start third-string left tackle Caedan Wallace. He’s been elevated due to Vederian Lowe’s knee injury and Chuks Okorafor leaving the team.
We’ll see if the results are any different.
Rhamondre Stevenson
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best-run defenses in the NFL. They head into this game ranked ninth in the league, allowing 104 yards per game on the ground. Opposing teams, however, are averaging 4.52 yards per carry against the 49ers – and that’s 21st in the league.
That brings us to Rhamondre Stevenson.
He’s arguably the Patriots best offensive player. He’s why the Patriots offense didn’t look putrid in the first two weeks. However, he’s fumbled three games in a row. That’s bad news because after going away from the run last week, the Patriots need to hammer the ground game again.
Will Stevenson bounce back? It’s the Patriots best bet to move the football, so they are probably hoping he does.
Defensive performance
Expectations for the Patriots offense were already low. The big hope for this year’s team was that the defense would be a top-10 unit. However, they haven’t looked the part in the past two games.
Now, they enter this week ranked tenth in points allowed (19.0 per game) so that’s solid. The defense struggled the past two weeks against Aaron Rodgers and Geno Smith. Their passing defense is currently ranked 27th in the NFL while their run defense is among the best at No. 5.
Last week, the Patriots struggled to tackle, so that needs to improve on Sunday. They also need more turnovers and sacks. So far, the secondary has zero interceptions while the group is 22nd in sacks per pass attempt.
Can the Patriots defense turn it around in San Francisco?
Prediction: 49ers 23, Patriots 16
Sam Antonacci and Munetaka Murakami were hit by Trevor McDonald pitches and Colson Montgomery ended an 0-for-14 funk with a 3-foot
Numerous women who were detained in the San Francisco County Jail have accused the department of violating their rights after being subjected to a mass strip search that prosecutors said were used “for training” purposes.
Nearly 20 women have accused the San Francisco sheriff’s office of forcing them to strip naked in the county jail on May 22, 2025, and times before and after that date, while male deputies watched and cracked jokes.
The federal class action lawsuit was filed Friday in the United States District Court for Northern District of California. The suit was filed against the city and county of San Francisco, the SF County Sheriff’s Department, SF County Sheriff and several members of the department, per the complaint obtained by The Post.
The women alleged that while they were detained in the county jail, they were subjected to strip searches in front of male deputies who allegedly taunted and filmed them. Prosecutors claimed that this was not by accident and “it was deliberate,” per the complaint.
The plaintiffs include women who were strip-searched before May 22, women who were strip-searched during the mass operation on May 22, and women who were subjected to “suspicionless post-movement strip searches in the months that followed,” the complaint read.
The women claimed they were not only forced to strip naked in front of other women but that this also allegedly occurred while deputies wore body-worn cameras and recorded the searches.
“Multiple plaintiffs heard Sergeant Ibarra, the supervising officer, explicitly instruct Deputy Dockery not to deactivate her body-worn camera during the searches,” per the complaint.
“When Dockery asked whether she should turn her camera off, Ibarra said no. Ibarra later told detainees the footage might be ‘used for training purposes.’”
The complaint goes on to allege that Ibarra “told women the footage was similar to what they ‘see on YouTube’ and was ‘just like ‘Cops’” the TV show.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) states that strip searches must be conducted outside the view of anyone not involved and that no male staff are present when women are searched.
The suit also claimed that when various women either complained or filed grievances about the strip searches they were allegedly retaliated against.
“After plaintiffs LaSonya Wells and Alexcis Herrera organized other women to file tort claims, both were placed in segregation within a week,” the complaint read.
“Sergeant Ibarra directly threatened continued strip searches in November 2025 unless women ceased what he called ‘disrespecting deputies.’”
The suit was filed by attorney’s: Elizabeth Bertolino, Molly Ryan, Anthony Label, and Michael Christian.
Speaking to Mission Local in November, one of the women allegedly subjected to the strip searches talked about the trauma she still feels from it.
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“I’m still having nightmares about it,” one of the women told the outlet.
In November, the SFSO issued a statement that “appropriate personnel action was taken” following the numerous allegations.
“The conduct described is deeply concerning and does not reflect the policies, procedures, or professional standards we require of our staff,” the department told KTVU.
“We want to acknowledge the women who came forward. Every complaint raised within our facilities is taken seriously, and we remain committed to ensuring that all individuals in our care are treated with dignity, respect, and in full accordance with our policies and procedures.”
The women are seeking “compensatory damages for all constitutional and statutory violations” from things such as alleged emotional distress, trauma, physical injuries, loss of work assignments, etc, per the complaint.
The Post reached out to the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.
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