49ers vs. Patriots 2nd quarter thread: The Niners red zone woes ...

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.

On the ensuing possession, Sam Okuayinonu forced a fumble to give the Niners a short field. That’s how the 49ers are going to 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.