The 49ers, coming off another Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, should still be the NFC favorites this year. After parting ways with Bill Belichick, the Patriots had a rookie head coach (Jerod Mayo), a rookie quarterback (Drake Maye) and low expectations. However, both teams go into Sunday’s game with a record of 1:2.

San Francisco has struggled with injury issues on both sides, which explains back-to-back road losses at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. Running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve before the team’s season-opening win against the New York Jets and there is no indication yet as to when he will return to the field. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle also missed last week’s game but returned to practice before Sunday’s game. Your status needs to be monitored.