The 49ers were reeling from a last-minute loss to the Rams and needed a game to find themselves. New England served as a necessary sparring partner for the Niners in an undoubted 30-13 win.

Beating the Patriots is nothing to write home about, they are one of the worst teams in the league with the worst offensive line. While the victory must be placed in that context, it served a crucial purpose: the Niners wanted to regain their confidence, rhythm and identity.

San Francisco appears to be ready as they begin the eight games that will define the season. Arizona next week at Levi’s, Seattle twice, Kansas City, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and closing in Green Bay and Buffalo. To win the division they will have to beat Seattle and get through the eight games with no more than three losses. There is now no room for error.

49ERS ON OFFENSE

The 49ers needed solid games from Jordan Mason and Brock Purdy and both delivered. Mason with 123 yards on 24 carries, Purdy 15-27 for 288 yards. However, Purdy threw a pick and Mason fumbled, but recovered the ball twice. The offense also had pre-snap issues with the penalty kill. The implementation must be cleaner.

Confidence can be gained as each weapon contributes in key moments and the offense moves the ball with rhythm and consistency.

Kyle Shanahan saw an opportunity to use Jauan Jennings not only as a third down specialist, but also as a deep threat. He got Deebo Samuel involved in the toss sweeps early, eventually getting red zone scores after a brilliant catch from George Kittle and dominant blocking for an easy score from Mason.

Aiyuk, Jennings and Samuel all had catches of at least 38 yards, Mason 24. This is part of a new identity the Niners need to create, that even without Christian McCaffrey they can hit explosives and do so by spreading the wealth, allowing the attack more difficult to defend.

The offensive line struggled in pass protection, as Purdy had to rush for two first downs and too often had to buy time while waiting for the receivers to open up.

With this game, the 49ers took a significant step forward and will need to build on the cleaner execution they will need over the eight-game stretch if they want to emerge as title contenders.

49ERS ON DEFENSE

Yes, this was against the league’s worst offensive line, that’s true. That said, this is what the Niners needed to do: be aggressive and succeed.

They entered the game as the league’s most reluctant blitzer, with a blitz rate of just 14%. Against New England, that rose to 35%. Six sacks, a season high.

Whether that was solely a response to what worked for the Jets against the Patriots last week, the lesson for Nick Sorensen is to keep doing it. Sending five rushers frees up the defensive line to utilize their talent to get to the passer.

Kevin Givens stepped up and replaced Javon Hargrave with 2.5 sacks. Maliek Collins had 1.5. Nick Bosa with a fumble and recovery with a strip sack. Evan Anderson left the practice squad with a sack. Leonard Floyd had three quarterback hits, one of which contributed to Fred Warner’s pick-six.

GAME BALLS

Juan Jennings – Three catches for 88 yards, including a 45-yarder that he nearly jumped for a touchdown.

George Kittel – Excellent hands and body control for the touchdown, and excellent run blocking throughout the play.

Fred Warner – The pick of six highlighted why Warner is a unanimous First Team All-Pro. A clever way to bait the throw and then leap over the pass with an athletic leap, then the speed to get up and run inside. Warner had seven tackles in the first half alone. He sat out the second half with an ankle problem but remained on his feet throughout and it seemed a precaution to rest him.

Kevin Data – 2.5 sacks in his first starting opportunity. An upgrade over Hargrave.

Ji’Ayir Brown – After his two worst starts as a pro, Brown led the team in tackles with eight and had two tackles for loss.

Nick Sorensen – Release the dogs, six bags.

CRIMINAL FLAGS

Isaac Guerendo – Primarily lined up as the kick returner, he runs up the back of a blocker and rumbles. Guerendo is the primary leader for the failure of this design.

Brian Schneider – His special teams admits at least one major mistake per game. They must all take the Hippocratic Oath: “First do no harm.”

Next week

Arizona (1-3) comes to town after a 42-14 drubbing at the hands of the Washington Commanders. The Cardinals defense appears to be Budda Baker and the Imposters. Baker is all over the place, 14 tackles, the rest of the Arizona D, not so much. The Niners should take full advantage of that as they hope to top the standings in the remaining seven division games.

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