Plus, taking the weekly temperature of the fans.
After a disappointing performance on Thursday Night Football against the Jets, the New England Patriots enter Week 4 with a 1-2 record. They’ll take on the 1-2 San Francisco 49ers in the team’s first trip to the Bay area since 2016.
The team went through an overhaul this offseason, ushering in new leadership in the coaching staff and in the front office. That included new coordinators in all three phases, headlined by new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington.
A former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, Van Pelt spent four seasons in Cleveland as the team’s offensive coordinator before coming to New England. He brought his West Coast-inspired wide zone running scheme over from his time with the Browns.
DeMarcus Covington was promoted from within after being with the Patriots since 2017. Covington worked with the team’s front seven, spending 2019 coaching the outside linebackers and 2020 through 2023 coaching the defensive line.
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