The 49ers (2-13) travel to Gillette Stadium for a 10:00 PT kickoff against the New England Patriots (13-2) in the season finale.
Tom Brady starts at quarterback for the Patriots. Corey Dillon runs the ball. David Givens leads the receivers. Ken Dorsey starts for the 49ers in his return to the starter role. Kevan Barlow at running back; Rashaun Woods at receiver.
The season finale at the defending Super Bowl champions.[1][2][3]
Tom Brady and the 13-2 New England Patriots host the 49ers Sunday morning at Gillette Stadium. The 49ers' season finale, the kind of cross-conference road game where the defending Super Bowl champions and the league's likely-best team get the schedule's expected blowout.
Ken Dorsey returns to the starting role for the finale. Kevan Barlow stays the lead back. Rashaun Woods (the rookie 31st overall pick out of Oklahoma State) the WR1 in this game. The Patriots come in with Brady at quarterback and Corey Dillon as the league's leading rusher.
Favored by New England by 17 at home. The kind of finale where the line predicts the box score. Dennis Erickson's last game as 49ers head coach.
Week 17 across the NFL sees the playoff field set. The Eagles, Falcons, Cowboys, Vikings, Lions, Buccaneers, Saints, and Packers compete in the NFC. The Patriots (13-2), Steelers, Colts, Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, and Jets compete in the AFC. The 49ers (2-13) are eliminated. The Sunday finale is the kind of week where the league's worst record meets the league's likely-best team and the box score afterward will be exactly what the line predicts.
Through fifteen games the 49ers are 2-13 with a -179 point differential. Ken Dorsey returns to the starter role. Kevan Barlow averages 56 rushing yards a game. Brandon Lloyd averages 51 receiving yards a game. The defense allows 28.9 points per game. The Patriots are 13-2 with Tom Brady averaging 250 passing yards a game and 27 TDs/12 INTs. Corey Dillon averages 110 rushing yards a game. David Givens leads the team in receiving. Vegas opens the Patriots as 17-point home favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 13-2 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 10-5 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9-6 | W6 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-11 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 14-1 | W13 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8-7 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-8 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-12 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-3 | W8 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-7 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 7-8 | W2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-4 | L1 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-6 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-8 | W4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 7-8 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-10 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 13-2 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-9 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 5-10 | L8 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 9-6 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-9 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-10 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-4 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-8 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7-8 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-10 | L3 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Steve Bush 4 yard pass from Ken Dorsey ( Todd Peterson kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Mike Vrabel 1 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Deion Branch 8 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 7-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Corey Dillon 6 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 7-21 |
Tom Brady threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns and the New England Patriots beat the 49ers 21-7 at Gillette Stadium in the season finale. Corey Dillon ran for 116 yards and a touchdown. Ken Dorsey threw for 189 yards and a touchdown to Rashaun Woods. Kevan Barlow ran for 103 in the loss. The 49ers finished 2-14 in the year-ending road loss. Dennis Erickson was fired the next day.[1][2][3]
Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes Sunday morning at Gillette Stadium. Corey Dillon ran for 116. The New England Patriots beat the 49ers 21-7 in the season finale. Dennis Erickson was fired the next day. The 49ers' season ended 2-14, the franchise's worst record since 1979.
Ken Dorsey threw for 189 with a touchdown to Rashaun Woods (the rookie 31st overall pick's first NFL touchdown reception). Kevan Barlow ran for 103. Eric Johnson caught five for 51. Cedrick Wilson caught one for 9. The defense surrendered 21 to a Patriots team that was on the way to its third Super Bowl in four years.
2-14. The kind of season finale where, with Dennis Erickson's coaching tenure officially ending the next day, the year's identity tape produced one more loss against the league's best team. Mike Nolan will be hired for 2005. The offseason will be about the head-coaching search, the offensive coordinator hire (Mike McCarthy in 2005), the QB1 future (Alex Smith via the first overall pick), and the kind of rebuild the franchise has not had to undertake since the Bill Walsh hire in 1979.
Patriots 21, 49ers 7. Margin: -14. Sixteen-game record: 2-14, -193 differential.
* Tom Brady: 22-of-30 for 226, 2 TDs, 1 INT.
* Corey Dillon: 14 carries for 116, 1 TD.
* David Givens: receiving production.
* Ken Dorsey: 18-of-29 for 189, 1 TD (Woods), 0 INTs.
* Kevan Barlow: 25 carries for 103.
* Rashaun Woods: 3 catches for 76, 1 TD (first NFL TD).
* Eric Johnson: 5 catches for 51.
* 49ers 2-14 (final; franchise's worst record since 1979); Patriots 14-2.
* Dennis Erickson fired next day.
A 21-7 cross-conference road loss at Gillette Stadium in the season finale. Dennis Erickson coaches his last game. The 49ers finish 2-14, the franchise's worst record since 1979.
How it unfolded
New England scored on its opening drive with a Brady touchdown to make it 7-0. The Patriots added a Corey Dillon touchdown to make it 14-0. The 49ers managed a Ken Dorsey touchdown to Rashaun Woods to make it 14-7. Brady threw a second touchdown to make it 21-7. The second half was scoreless. The 49ers' offense managed no second-half points.
The turning point
The Patriots' opening two touchdowns. With the season finale featuring the league's likely-best team and the league's worst, New England's opening 15-minute period produced exactly the kind of game the line predicted.
By the numbers
Dorsey 189 passing on 29 attempts with a TD. Kevan Barlow 103 rushing on 25 carries. Rashaun Woods 76 receiving on 3 catches with his first NFL TD. Eric Johnson 51 receiving on 5 catches. Brady 226 on 30 attempts with two TDs. Corey Dillon 116 rushing with a TD.
Personnel watch
Ken Dorsey's clean game. Kevan Barlow's 103-yard rushing day (his second 100-yard game of the year). Rashaun Woods's first NFL touchdown reception. The kind of finale where the year's identity tape, against the league's likely-best team, produced exactly the kind of result expected.
What it means
2-14 with the offseason beginning. The franchise's worst record since 1979. Dennis Erickson fired the day after the finale. Mike Nolan will be hired for 2005. The offseason will be about the head-coaching search, the new offensive coordinator (Mike McCarthy will be hired), the QB1 future (Alex Smith via the first overall pick), and the kind of rebuild the franchise has not had to undertake since the Bill Walsh hire in 1979.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Ken Dorsey | 18/29 | 189 | 1 | 0 | |
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 22/30 | 226 | 2 | 1 | |
| Rohan Davey | 1/4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Kevan Barlow | 25 | 103 | 0 | 33 |
| Maurice Hicks | 10 | 32 | 0 | 8 |
| NWE | ||||
| Corey Dillon | 14 | 116 | 1 | 29 |
| Cedric Cobbs | 5 | 20 | 0 | 13 |
| Patrick Pass | 4 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| Bethel Johnson | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Rabih Abdullah | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Tom Brady | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Rohan Davey | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Rashaun Woods | 3 | 76 | 0 | 59 |
| Curtis Conway | 4 | 44 | 0 | 14 |
| Eric Johnson | 3 | 28 | 0 | 12 |
| Kevan Barlow | 2 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| Maurice Hicks | 2 | 10 | 0 | 14 |
| Steve Bush | 2 | 10 | 1 | 6 |
| Cedrick Wilson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Aaron Walker | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| NWE | ||||
| Jed Weaver | 4 | 62 | 0 | 25 |
| Christian Fauria | 3 | 37 | 0 | 20 |
| David Givens | 2 | 30 | 0 | 22 |
| David Patten | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Patrick Pass | 5 | 22 | 0 | 8 |
| Deion Branch | 3 | 22 | 1 | 8 |
| Corey Dillon | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Bethel Johnson | 2 | 15 | 0 | 10 |
| Troy Brown | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Mike Vrabel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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