SANTA CLARA – On a day former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo was honored, the team rolled back the clock to his second year in charge of the franchise.
And that is not a good thing.
The 49ers hung around for a while Sunday but went down in defeat to the New England Patriots on a rainy day at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers’ 30-17 loss extended their losing streak to a franchise-tying nine games.
Chip Kelly’s team matches the nine-game losing streak of 1978, which was DeBartolo’s second season running the 49ers. The 49ers fired Pete McCulley after the first four games of the streak, replacing him with Fred O’Connor.
The next season, DeBartolo hired Bill Walsh as head coach.
On Sunday, the 49ers received a lesson from the organization that most closely resembles what DeBartolo accomplished in the 1980s and ‘90s with Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana.
Bill Belichick’s AFC East-leading Patriots improved to 8-2 on the season, while the 49ers drop to 1-9 after opening the season with a 28-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
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Tom Brady was not his usual sharp self, perhaps due to the weather conditions, but he managed to throw four touchdown passes to lead New England to the victory.
Brady, a 17th-year professional, made his first start against the 49ers in the Bay Area. Brady grew up a fan of the 49ers and was at the NFC Championship game in January 1982 that produced Dwight Clark’s catch that propelled the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance. Brady was 4 years old.
Brady completed 24 of 40 attempts for 280 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. His passer rating was 114.6.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick got off to a good start, but struggled in the second half with nine consecutive incomplete passes. He finished with 16 completions on 30 attempts for 206 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 97.4.
Brady threw touchdown passes to cap the Patriots’ first two offensive possessions of the game. He tossed a 4-yard pass to fellow San Mateo native Julian Edelman. Brady’s second TD came on a 9-yard pass to running back James White for a 13-3 lead.
Kaepernick matched Brady pass for pass in the first half, as the 49ers kept it close. Kaepernick connected with tight end Vance McDonald on an 18-yard touchdown pass to make the score 13-10 at halftime. McDonald beat Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty for the score. McDonald took the team lead with his fourth touchdown reception.
In the first half, Brady completed 12 of 17 for 108 yards and a passer rating of 126.6. Kaepernick completed eight of nine attempts for 116 yards and a passer rating of 155.8.
The 49ers held the opposition scoreless in the third quarter for the second week in a row. Through the first eight games, the 49ers were outscored 58-13 in the third quarter.
But while the 49ers shut out Brady and the Patriots in the third quarter, it did not take Brady long in the fourth quarter to get into the end zone. Brady found receiver Danny Amendola alone in the end zone for a 5-yard scoring pass for a 20-10 lead with 14:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.
