Patriots-49ers Week 7 Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots welcome Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers to Gillette Stadium this weekend. The Pats have lost two straight and at 2-3 on the season, are in desperate need of a win on Sunday.
Will the Patriots bounce back from a disappointing home loss to the Broncos? The WBZ-TV/CBS Boston Sports crew is split in this week's predictions:
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports
Last week was a train wreck for the Patriots. But look for that same train to get back on track this weekend against Jimmy G. and the 49ers.
The Patriots have lost two games in a row. The last time they lost three straight was back in 2002. The Patriots are coming off a loss against Denver in which they only scored 12 points.
Now, with a normal week of practice, look for this offense to get back in sync.
Patriots 24, 49ers 21
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports
The Patriots have had a well documented month of October. Nothing has come easy.
This is their biggest game of the season. There is lots of good character on this team, and I think they'll find a way to handle Jimmy G. and the speed of the 49ers.
Patriots 24, 49ers 17
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports
So if there was ever a must win game, this could possibly be it. I trust that now that the Pats were able to get back to practice, they will look a lot better than they did against the Broncos.
Also, what Brian Flores and the Dolphins did against the 49ers a couple of weeks ago is something the Pats can pull from.
Obviously, this would be a landmark game if Tom Brady was still with the team and Jimmy G. was coming back to town, but this game still means something and the Pats have to make sure they slow down San Fran tight end George Kittle.
The Pats need to win and try to get on a roll. I feel they will get back in the win column.
Patriots 30, 49ers 14
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
Just to be entirely honest here … if this were last week, I'd be taking the Patriots. But it's very difficult to not be affected by the events of last weekend.
Even being accepting of the fact that the Patriots will not look that bad again this year, it certainly didn't help matters that the 49ers finally looked like the defending NFC champs last week.
It really feels like after last week, the Patriots could have used a soft landing like the Jets. This one's tough.
49ers 24, Patriots 16
Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
After getting a normal week of practice and some key members of the offensive line back, the Patriots should look a lot better this weekend. But I'm still not super confident that they'll get a win.
San Francisco is getting healthy and looking more like the team that went to the Super Bowl last season. New England's defense will have to lock down George Kittle if they want any chance in this one, and they'll also need to force Jimmy G. into making a few mistakes. The Pats can't let San Francisco take short passes and turn them into big gains.
Cam Newton and the offense should be better this weekend. But they're still very much a work in progress, and I don't think the Patriots will be snapping their losing streak against a talented San Francisco team.
49ers 27, Patriots 24
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-49ers clash on WBZ-TV! Pregame coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m., and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!