FOXBORO, Ma. — This is the live blog for the first quarter of the 49ers Week 15 game against the New England Patriots. I’ll update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.
5:22 It’s 34 degrees outside, but with the windchill it’s more like 29 degrees.
5:25 Frank Gore calls tails. The coin flip lands on tails, and the 49ers surprisingly choose to defer. Do you think this is a good decision?
5:31 Devin McCourty returns the opening kickoff to the Patriots’ 15.
5:33 Stevan Ridley fumbles on the second play of the game, but the refs are reviewing the play and it looks like Ridley was down.
5:34 The refs rule Ridley was down. It’s third and one.
5:36 Ridley runs up the middle and NaVorro Bowman tackles him two yards behind the line of scrimmage.
5:36 The Patriots punt and Ginn returns it to the SF 37.
5:37 First play, Kaepernick hits Crabtree for 11 yards.
5:37 Next play, Crabtree catches a wide receiver screen and gains 13 yards.
5:38 Next play, diamond formation. Kaepernick hits Moss for a 12-yard gain.
5:39 Two plays later, Kaepernick throws to James in the flat, and it looks like James fumbles but the refs rule it incomplete, and it’s not challengable. Third and 7.
5:41 Kaepernick throws it up to Moss, who is wide open. Alfonzo Denard let Moss run right by him. 24-yard TD pass. 7-0 49ers. Six plays, 63 yards, 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
5:43 Moss just passed Isaac Bruce for third-most receiving yards all time.
5:44 First play, Brady throws a back shoulder pass to Lloyd on the left sideline. 23-yard gain.
5:45 Next play, Aldon Smith blows by Solder and smacks Brady as he’s throwing. Incomplete.
5:46 On third and eight, Aldon Smith loops around the inside and grabs Brady as he’s throwing. Another incompletion. The Patriots punt, and Ginn makes the fair catch at the SF eight yard line.
5:48 Gore gains four yards on first down and five yards on second down, and on third and one, Kaepernick fumbles the snap. He falls on it. Andy Lee punts.
5:50 The Patriots are flagged for holding on the return, so they’ll start their third drive from their 20 yard line.
5:51 First play, Brady overthrows Welker deep down the middle. Rogers picks it off and returns it to the Patriots’ 5 yard line. Brady made the tackle.
5:52 First and goal from the five, Crabtree can’t catch a fade pass in the end zone.
5:53 Next play, Kaepernick completes a pass to Delanie Walker in the flat. Walker doesn’t drop it – he catches it and fumbles. The Patriots recover at their own 10 yard line.
5:55 The Patriots go three and out. On third and three, no one blocks Aldon Smith and Brady throws it behind Hernandez. The Patriots punt, and Ginn returns it to the SF 41.
5:59 On second and six, Kaepernick fumbles another snap. Gore recovers it. Loss of four. Third and 10.
6:00 Kaepernick throws a beauty to Crabtree down the left sideline, but Crabtree can’t hold on. He had run out of bounds anyway.
6:01 The 49ers run a fake punt. Dashon Goldson takes a direct snap and runs around the left end for 31 yards. First and 10 at the Patriots 28.
6:03 Roman plays for the field goal. He calls three straight runs and goes three-and-out.
6:04 Akers misses the 39-yard field goal wide left. He’d been hooking field goals in warmups. Perhaps he overcompensated.
6:05 The 49ers were aggressive on the fake punt, and then they went conservative by playing for a field goal. The 49ers need to remain aggressive to win this game.
6:08 On third and 11, Brady completes a screen pass to Shane Vereen. Bowman forces the fumble and Culliver recovers. The 49ers defense is dominating the best offense in the NFL. 49ers ball at the Patriots 34 yard line.
6:11 Kaepernick slightly overthrows a wide open Vernon Davis in the end zone, and the ball passes through Davis’ hands. He should have caught that.
6:12 On third and one, Roman goes conservative again and calls a Gore run up the middle. He comes up half a foot short. The 49ers have to go for this, because they can’t rely on Akers.
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