New England Patriots: 5 game changers vs San Francisco 49ers
The New England Patriots offense will be in the spotlight in Week 7. Here are 5 offensive X-factors vs San Francisco 49ers.
Coming off an 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 6, the New England Patriots will look to get back to the .500 mark against Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and the San Francisco 49ers Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
While Bill Belichick will have his work cut out for him on the defensive side of the football, it is Cam Newton and the offense that will be in the spotlight for this game.
Can the Patriots get it going on the offensive side of the football?
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After a lackluster performance against the Broncos, all eyes will be on how Cam Newton bounces back and whether the team can get players to step up at the wide receiver position and the tight end position.
If the answers are in the locker room like Newton says, this is the game for those answers to start showing up and proving the New England Patriots offense has what it takes to win football games against good teams like the San Francisco 49ers.
Here are 5 offensive x-factors in this Week 7 matchup.
New England Patriots X-factors: David Andrews stabilizes the O-line
The New England Patriots got some good news this week with the return of center David Andrews.
After missing the last few games after undergoing thumb surgery, Andrews was activated off the injured reserve list on Saturday, which is great for the Patriots’ offensive line and the running game in general.
What Andrews return allows is for Joe Thuney to move back to his natural position stabilizing the line especially if Shaq Mason also returns. The San Francisco 49ers defense gave up just 16 points against a high-powers Los Angeles Rams team last week, so any success on offense this week will start with the offensive line.
Getting David Andrews back in the mix not only adds toughness to the unit on the field, but also adds veteran leadership. In all, the New England Patriots offensive line must win the line of scrimmage battle to get things going in the run game and eventually the passing game.