49ers at New England Patriots

Colin Kaepernick threw for 221 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more as the 49ers beat the New England Patriots 41-34 on Sunday Night Football at Gillette Stadium. Frank Gore ran for 83. Michael Crabtree caught two touchdowns. Randy Moss caught one. Delanie Walker caught one. Tom Brady threw for 443 yards and a touchdown. Stevan Ridley ran for 90 and a touchdown. The 49ers improved to 10-3-1 in the year's signature win.[1][2][3]

Colin Kaepernick threw four touchdowns Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. The 49ers beat the New England Patriots 41-34 in the kind of Sunday-night primetime road win where the year-two team's competitive identity, in Kaepernick's fifth NFL start, produced the year's signature performance.

Kaepernick threw for 221 yards. Frank Gore ran for 83 yards. Michael Crabtree caught two touchdowns. Randy Moss, in his return to Foxborough, caught one. Delanie Walker caught one. Vernon Davis caught five for 70. The 49ers' offense produced 41 points.

Tom Brady threw for 443 yards. Stevan Ridley ran for 90 and a touchdown. The 49ers' defense generated five sacks of Brady. The kind of Sunday-night primetime road win where the year-two team's competitive identity, in Kaepernick's fifth NFL start, was the year's signature primetime moment. 10-3-1 with the Seahawks at home next.

49ers 41, Patriots 34. Margin: +7. Fourteen-game record: 10-3-1, +139 differential.

• Colin Kaepernick: 14-of-25 for 221, 4 TDs + 6 carries for 18, 0 TDs.
• Frank Gore: 20 carries for 83.
• Michael Crabtree: 2 TDs.
• Randy Moss: 1 TD.
• Delanie Walker: 1 TD.
• Vernon Davis: 5 catches for 70.
• Tom Brady: 36-of-65 for 443, 1 TD.
• Stevan Ridley: 16 carries for 90, 1 TD.
• Wes Welker: 13 catches for 138.
• 49ers D: 5 sacks of Brady.
• Year's signature win.
• 49ers 10-3-1; Patriots 9-5.

A 41-34 Sunday Night Football road win over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The 49ers improve to 10-3-1 in the year's signature primetime win.

How it unfolded

Kaepernick led an opening touchdown drive ending in a Vernon Davis catch (wait, the TD was to Walker). Tom Brady answered. Both teams traded scores. Kaepernick threw two touchdowns to Crabtree. Randy Moss caught his touchdown in the return-to-Foxborough storyline. The 49ers led 31-17 at halftime. The third quarter was Brady touchdown drives that pulled the Patriots within 31-31. Kaepernick threw his fourth touchdown to push the lead back. A late Akers field goal sealed it 41-34.

The turning point

Kaepernick's third-quarter fourth-touchdown response. With the Patriots having pulled to 31-31 and the Sunday-night primetime crowd seeing Brady's 443-yard come-back, Kaepernick's fourth touchdown drive immediately pushed the lead to two scores and the 49ers' defense closed out the rest of the way.

By the numbers

Kaepernick 14-of-25 for 221 with four TDs. Gore 20 carries for 83. Crabtree 5 catches for 107 with two TDs. Moss 4 catches for 21 with a TD. Walker 4 catches for 21 with a TD. Davis 5 catches for 70. Brady 36-of-65 for 443 with a TD. Stevan Ridley 16 for 90 with a TD. Wes Welker 13 catches for 138. The 49ers' five sacks of Brady.

Personnel watch

Kaepernick's career-best four-touchdown game. Crabtree's two-touchdown game. Randy Moss's return-to-Foxborough touchdown. The defense's five sacks of Tom Brady. The kind of Sunday-night primetime road performance where the year-two team's competitive identity, in Kaepernick's fifth NFL start, was the year's signature primetime moment.

What it means

10-3-1 with the Seahawks at home next week. The Sunday-night primetime road win is the kind of result that, in Kaepernick's fifth NFL start, has the year-two team's competitive identity firmly in the conference's top tier. The Seahawks home game next is the divisional rematch.