49ers hold off Patriots, win wild one in New England, 41-34

Before starting the column, it seems appropriate to mention what happened in Newtown on Friday morning. The obvious things to say have all been taken, but count me among those optimistic that this is a time that will bring out the best in us. After such a horrifying glimpse at our worst, what other option do we have?

Now, to much lighter events from the weekend ...

On the flip side, the loss did show New England fans what the Patriots are capable of. Not only can the offense put up points in bunches against a top defense, but the personality of the team is one that won’t quit when facing large deficits. From Pats Pulpit:

It wasn’t necessarily a dominating performance but the 49ers have won a number of ugly games this season and the 41-34 victory was no different. San Francisco took a 17-3 lead into halftime and then extended it immediately to 31-3 in the first few minutes of the third quarter before allowing the Patriots back into the game.

His monster effort was mostly futile, however, as the Patriots fell 41-34 in a crushing loss.

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The loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Pats and kept the Niners on top of the NFC West.

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According to the NFL Network’s Albert Breer, the man was loaded into a ambulance almost immediately and was talking on his way out of the stadium. Medical personel were on the scene quickly after the man fell, according to Breer’s tweets from late Sunday night.

Second, with their 31 points, New England now has cleared 500, making them the first team in NFL history to do that in four separate seasons. They’re averaging 36.3 points per game - the only team in the league to average more than 30 per game - and that will only dip slightly with their effort tonight even if they don’t score any points.

49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald broke through the Patriots offensive line on 2nd-and-10 to bring down Tom Brady and help his team hold a lead. In the process he lost his helmet. He didn’t need it anyway.

With three wide receivers spread, the 49ers had to respect Brady’s ability to pass on the short yardage play instead of packing the box.

After trailing 31-3, the Pats have fought their way back to 31-17 with under a quarter to go.

It’s a strange night in New England. Ed Hochuli is making bizarre calls that nobody understands, and two of the league’s best teams are really struggling to hold onto the ball. One of the game’s strangest sequences occurred in the third quarter when Tom Brady threw his second interception of the night.

Brady was throwing the ball to Aaron Hernandez, who couldn’t hold onto it on 1st-and-10. The ball ricocheted off his hand, then off a helment before landing in the arms of Aldon Smith.

What hell is Ed Hochuli talking about? That was the question the entire world of football fans and media members were asking after a confusing chain of events in the second quarter of Sunday night’s game between the 49ers and the Patriots.

The Patriots punted on 4th-and-6 to the 49ers 32-yard line. San Francisco was flagged for a penalty. New England got dinged for a first touching violation, when a player from the kicking team touches the ball before it was touched by a player from the receiving team.

Whatever teams show up on Sunday, this is a sneak peek of what could easily be the matchup in this season’s Super Bowl, as both teams have an argument for the elite of their respective conference.

Jeremy Gottlieb from Pats Pulpit took note of the fact that this matchup features the best offense and the best defense in the NFL.

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Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.

Depending on where you look, New England is anywhere from a 5- to 6-point favorite. Experts agree that, by the end of the night, the Patriots will have improved to 11-3 on the year.

Analysts at CBSSports.com almost unanimously picked New England, with Will Brinson the only one out of eight going with the 49ers.

The Patriots’ home-field advantage and offensive firepower coupled with the superior point differential have the oddsmakers looking for New England to both win and cover the spread. According to OddsShark, they are favored by 5.5 points after the opening line was just 3.

That’s indicative of this game being a hard-fought contest that should go the Patriots’ way, and is also evidence that the 49ers are still a legitimate threat to the Patriots’ quest for NFL supremacy as they are believed to play within a touchdown of the prolific Patriots.