Patriots coaches admitting fear of 49ers not great before Week 4 matchup

After an embarrassing loss to the Jets in their only primetime game of the season, the Patriots are not expected to have an easier time against their Week 4 opponent, the 49ers. They'll be on the road again this weekend and playing a team hoping to get back on track since shockingly falling to a 1-2 record to start the year.

It's far from an ideal scenario for the Patriots, who would also like to add another win to the season but are much shorter on firepower than the perennial Super Bowl favorite.

The only silver lining to Sunday's game is the long list of injuries the 49ers are dealing with, particularly to some of their best players on offense. They are expected to be down RB Christian McCaffrey (who was placed on IR) and WR Deebo Samuel, with TE George Kittle's status up in the air.

Starting quarterback Brock Purdy is also a name worth monitoring in the days leading up to the matchup. He is dealing with a back injury, but he has been participating in practice this week, so it might be wishful thinking to believe he might not suit up.

One player who will be on the field and wreaking havoc is star pass rusher Nick Bosa, who is not expected to cut the Patriots offensive line any slack on Sunday. And unfortunately, the coaching staff is already admitting their fear of what Bosa will likely bring to the table.

Patriots coaches expressing fear of Nick Bosa not a great look ahead of their Week 4 matchup

While it's not exactly shocking that a team's offense would be nervous to line up against a player like Bosa, especially a team in similar shoes to the Patriots, admitting that fear days ahead of a game doesn't bring on much optimism for their chances to sneak out a win.

That was something that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt mentioned when meeting with reporters on Thursday morning, stating that Bosa is a "nightmare" and "definitely a concern" when asked about the difficulties of playing a defense like San Francisco's.

The second the 49ers were known to be an opponent for the 2024 season, it was clear they were going to be one of the more difficult games of the season, so hearing Van Pelt express that is far from shocking. And hearing a bit of humility from the coaching staff rather than what would likely be, if not perceived as false confidence is somewhat refreshing.

However, considering the issues the Patriots' offense has been dealing with this year already, mainly on their offensive line, hearing the offensive playcaller be nervous about an upcoming defender feels like Sunday's matchup might be an absolute disaster.

Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it would be nice if the Patriots could take advantage of the depleted team to have another upset win this year and not go into the game fearing what might happen.

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