Latest 49ers Injury Serves As Another Benefit For Patriots

It was known the San Francisco 49ers' offense would be shorthanded when it faced the New England Patriots in a Week 4 game at Levi's Stadium. Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve, Deebo Samuel is expected to miss a couple weeks and George Kittle missed Week 3 due to hamstring tightness.

The Niners' defense will be without a key cog Sunday, too.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is headed for injured reserve after he suffered a triceps injury against the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. Hargrave served as an anchor on the defensive front and graded as San Fran's best defensive tackle in passing situations, per Pro Football Focus. His absence will leave a 6-foot-2, 305-pound void on the line.

New England's offensive line, which is among the worst in the league in pass protection, should benefit from Hargrave's absence.

Hargrave graded as the 15th-best defensive tackle in pass-rush metrics, and played more than 60% of defensive snaps for the Niners.

Veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins and Jordan Elliot, among others, will need to step up in place of Hargrave. Both Collins and Elliot graded better overall than Hargrave, but the latter did so in far fewer snaps. Elliot is much stronger against the run (13th among defensive tackles) than the pass (131st), per PFF. He has one pressure on 36 pass-rushing snaps this year.

Simply put, Elliot is not as daunting a task as Hargrave.

Of course, the Niners do still have star edge rusher Nick Bosa. Bosa is one of the best pass-rushers in the league and had 12 pressures in three games. But without Hargrave in the middle, it would be wise for Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to adjust blocking assignments and ensure Bosa does not blow up quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the backfield.

Perhaps the Patriots rely on their heavy personnel much like they did in their Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals? Perhaps New England tries to run the ball at Bosa to limit his impact on the pass rush?

Regardless, it's clear the Patriots are getting the 49ers at the right time.