49ers vs. Patriots 2nd Quarter Thread: The Niners’ red zone issues continue

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen got creative on the first possession against the New England Patriots.

He flashed, which was a rarity. Sorensen utilized an additional defensive end, Yetur Gross-Matos, lining him up as a defensive tackle for the first third of the game. Sorensen keeps shuffling, and that’s exactly what you want to see. New England converted its first two third downs. Malik Mustapha was able to make a tackle in the first third but was unable to hold on to the ball carrier.

Isaac Yiadom had great coverage in the final third of the drive, forcing an incompletion and a 49ers punt.

The 49ers had a scare on their first offensive possession when rookie right guard Dominick Puni went down on one knee on second down and had to leave the game. Luckily, he jogged away under his own power and came back within one play.

The offense moved the ball down the field with relative ease. Brandon Aiyuk caught a 38-yarder. Deebo Samuel and Jordan Mason had productive rushes, while Brock Purdy’s scrambling skills didn’t just extend plays. However, the 49ers were unable to reach the end zone after entering the red zone and had to settle for three points.

On the ensuing possession, Sam Okuayinonu forced a fumble to give the Niners a short field. This is how the 49ers have to leave the field in the future: Timely turnovers.

It gave San Francisco a short field, but once again the offense stalled in the red zone. This was the 49ers’ 14th trip into the red zone and only their sixth touchdown. The Red Zone offense lagged in the first month of the season.