San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
The 49ers crushed the Patriots Sunday afternoon, controlling the game on both sides of the ball and forcing Bill Belichick to bench former MVP quarterback Cam Newton.
Kyle Shanahan’s offense allowed the 49ers (4-3) to work the edges of the Patriots defense, stretching the field horizontally with outside runs and quick passes that resulted a time-of-possession ratio of nearly 2-to-1.
Fourth-string running back Jeff Wilson set a career high in rushing yards and scored three touchdowns before suffering an ankle injury. Jimmy Garoppolo, in his return to New England, completed 20 of 25 attempts but two of those incompletions were interceptions — one on an end-of-half Hail Mary.
Here’s what the 49ers had to say about their win:
Head coach Kyle Shanahan
On Fred Warner’s interception: It was a very impressive catch. Any time the ball is low like that and you get fingers under it and not trapping it, it was a heck of a deal, a very impressive play. The D played unbelievable the whole day.
On the defense: It was an extremely physical game by our team in all three phases. It was fun to watch.
On the team’s identity in its last two wins: How it’s been the last two weeks is how we’d hope every week is, obviously. But when you play defense the way our guys have been playing, to run the way we have been, and just how physical all our guys have been playing … Every play, it seems like the last play for our guys. I’m just very impressed with the character of our guys individually, which adds up collectively.
On defensive backups playing well: Extremely impressed. Both those safeties to come in and have the game they did, and Jamar Taylor who wasn’t here until a couple weeks ago … since he’s come in, he’s played unbelievable.
On Jeff Wilson’s ankle injury: I know he’s hurting. Hopefully we’ll get better news tomorrow but it’s not looking great right now.
On Deebo Samuel’s injury: Those (hamstring injuries) take time. Hopefully the severity won’t be too bad and he won’t miss too much time.
On facing the Patriots: Going against a good defense is always a challenge and I always enjoy going against Bill and his team. Anytime you play well against a team coached by him, it means a lot.
On his running backs: We knew on Monday if Jeff was healthy, he’d be starting. We weren’t sure until he got a lot of practice on Thursday. Otherwise we would have gone with Hasty. We were able to rest Jet, play him only on third down and that will help him going forward.
On Kyle Juszczyk: He made some huge blocks like he always does. Kyle is the best fullback in the game. He’s been huge for our team since he’s been here. One of the best leaders and best blockers.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
On returning to New England: It was a cool week. Lot of emotions, lot of memories. Coming back here to the same stadium and hearing the same songs they used to play. It was a fun night.
On finishing off a game with a big lead: That’s always our mindset. When we’ve got them down, keep them down and don’t let them breathe. It started from the first snap and carried it through the whole game.
On the offensive looks and playcalling: The adjustments and communication was real clean tonight. It transferred on the field and it showed.
On the Niners defense: That group, you can’t say enough about them. It starts with the D-line, getting after the quarterback and letting the dogs loose. Four turnovers, whenever you can do that, it helps the whole team.
On handing the Patriots the worst home loss of Bill Belichick’s tenure: It never really was in my mind. I wanted to come in and get a win. To me didn’t matter if we won by 1 or 100.
On the 49ers’ two-game win streak: We’re in a good spot right now. Playing well all three phases. We’re playing together. Felt it in the locker room and in practice. It’s a good feeling when you’re in that groove.
On the running game: I gave the victory chain to the running backs. They were running hard, getting those extra dirty yards.
