Nick Bosa leads the 49ers as they get back on track in blowout victory over the Patriots

The Niners scored 30, but it felt like it could have been more. The defense allowed 13, but that wasn’t all on them.

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

He blitzed, which has been a rarity. Sorensen used an extra defensive end, Yetur Gross-Matos, and lined him up as a defensive tackle on the initial third down of the game. Sorensen continues to mix it up, which is what you want to see. New England converted their first two third downs. Malik Mustapha was in a position to make a tackle on the first third down, but he could not corral the ball carrier.

Isaac Yiadom had great coverage on the final third down of the drive to force an incompletion and a 49ers punt.

The 49ers had a scare on their first offensive possession as rookie right guard Dominick Puni went to one knee on second down and had to leave the game. Thankfully, he jogged off under his own power and returned 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 ability not only extended plays. However, the 49ers could not find the end zone after getting inside the red zone and had to settle for three points.

Sam Okuayinonu forced a fumble on the ensuing possession to give the Niners a short field. That’s how the 49ers will have to get off the field moving forward: Timely turnovers.

It gave San Francisco a short field, but once again, the offense stalled in the red zone. That was the 49ers’ 14th trip inside the red zone and only sixth touchdown. The red zone offense has been lagging in the first month of the season.

One way to score without having to worry about the red zone is a pick-six. Fred Warner continues to perform like the best defensive player in football:

That wasn’t necessarily a bad read by Jacoby Brissett. It was an unbelievable play from one of the best players in the sport.

New England put together an 11-play drive on their next series that chewed up nearly six minutes off the clock. The Patriots converted three first downs, but a 4th & 1 attempt came up short after Ji’Ayir Brown and Fred Warner met Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield.

Maliek Collins deserves most of the credit, as his penetration forced Stevenson to cut back. Collins has been better than advertised to begin the season and came through for the defense once again.

Jordan Mason caught a 38-yard touchdown pass after a nifty move before outrunning the defense. George Kittle was flagged for a phantom holding call that negated Mason’s touchdown.

Kyle Juszczyk scored on the drive, but that was also called back. The 49ers were flagged for an illegal shift penalty. The replay showed that Jauan Jennings had gotten set.

Once again, the offense was facing a third and 10 in the red zone, staring at its third field goal attempt. George Kittle had other ideas.

On the drive before the half, Kevin Givens recorded another sack, which gave him 2.5 on the afternoon. At that point, Givens led the team in sacks.

The 49ers’ first punt of the game came with 49 seconds remaining in the first half.

Maliek Collins added to the sack total on the ensuing drive to end a scoring chance for the Patriots before the half. New England attempted a 63-yard field goal as the clock expired, and it was good to make the score 20-3 at the half.

The biggest takeaway from the first half was Sorensen going after Brissett. That might have been a product of his opponent, but Brissett was blitzed on 40 percent of his dropbacks, which was nearly triple the 49ers average on the season.

The 49ers had a chance to build their lead to begin the half, but Isaac Guerendo fumbled the kickoff, which gave New England a short field. Brissett found a wide-open receiver on 4th & 1, and he went untouched into the end zone to make the score 20-10.

The turning points during the previous two games happened after special teams’ gaffes. Would this be another? You can’t let bad teams hang around.

The broadcast highlighted that Warner’s return with an ankle injury was questionable. The cameras showed him limping on the sideline. The ‘Niners’ depth was seriously tested.

Deebo Samuel ran right by his man en route to a 53-yard gain. Completions of 53, 32, and 38. He was averaging over 12.5 air yards per attempt due to those explosive plays.

The defense forced a punt on the following possession. Deommodore Lenoir gave up a 21-yard back shoulder fade. He was in an ideal position, but those are nearly impossible throws to defend.

Dee Winters made a tackle for a gain of nothing on the next play. That was his first snap of the game. Nick Bosa nearly had a sack, but it was enough to flush Brissett from the pocket and force a punt.

Aiyuk made an acrobatic catch as he dove to make a 3rd & 9 reception against the Patriots’ top cornerback, Christian Gonzalez. On the ensuing third down, Aiyuk appeared to get hooked by the cornerback, but there was no call. The 49ers were forced to punt for the second time in the game.

Jacob Cowing had left the game with an injury, which meant the 49ers had to dig deep for a punt returner. Kyle Juszczyk fielded the ball cleanly and even returned the punt.

The kids had their chance to play on defense. Evan Anderson saw plenty of snaps at defensive tackle. After Warner left, Tatum Bethune saw snaps as the third linebacker.

Lenoir was flagged for another pass interference. The 49ers also gave up an 11-yard reception on 3rd & 10. It looked like De’Vondre Campbell got lost in coverage. But on 3rd & 8, Brissett’s throw to rookie Jay’Lnn Polk was too wide, and the Patriots had to settle for a field goal. Slye’s 54-yarder was good, to make the score 27-13.

Purdy continued to hunt the big play on the ensuing possession. This time, it was a post route to Jennings for a gain of 45 yards. Purdy dropped the ball in a bucket, but would have a costly turnover in the red zone.

Brock tried to find Aiyuk in the end zone but did not see the safety from the Patriots dropping, which led to an interception.

Anderson recorded his first career sack on the next drive. He can thank Bosa for that, who had Brissett in his grasp on multiple downs that drive but could not bring the quarterback down. Brissett’s fourth-down throw was caught, but it was out of bounds.

It was a sack party for the 49ers. They ended with six on the day, and it was capped off after Bosa finally got to Brissett with just over two minutes to play. Bosa may have only finished the day with one sack, but he was all over the place for much of the game and was incredibly disruptive.

Purdy finished with 288 yards, averaging 10.8 yards per attempt — double Brissett’s. For the third time in four games, Jennings led the 49ers in receiving yards. He finished with three receptions but for 88 yards. The offense scored 30 despite settling for field goals a couple of times in the red zone.

Mason went over 100 yards for the third time in four games. He is the leading rusher in the NFL.

The defense held New England to 13 points and only 3.5 yards per play, and one of those touchdowns was a product of a special team’s blunder.