SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jahlani Tavai is not here for the excuses.
The Patriots linebacker had just come off the field after Sunday’s 30-13 loss to the 49ers, a game in which the undermanned Patriots defense was forced to fight with one hand tied behind its back. Ja’Whaun Bentley and Anfernee Jennings were out, and Kyle Dugger left in the second half because of an ankle injury.
As a result, Brock Purdy and the San Francisco offense rolled up 431 yards, averaged 7.2 yards per play, converted 54 percent of their third-down chances, and averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
The opportunity to make excuses was there. The Patriots’ defense is the backbone of the roster; for the last year-plus, when New England has been competitive, it’s been because of the play on that side of the ball. If there was a group that had earned the right to make an excuse because of a bad day at the office or health issues, it was defense.
But standing in the midst of a quiet locker room, Tavai would have none of it.
“We deal with injuries 24/7 in this game,” said Tavai. “If people are panicking, I don’t know. Ain’t none of us worried or nothing. It’s next man up. For the younger guys and the guys who weren’t playing, it’s an opportunity.
“The results are the results. We’re going to do our best to continue to move forward and get to the next week. And I know the guys are [expletive] off right now, but we’re going to watch this film, dial it back, and figure out where we have to be.”
Tavai’s words were echoed by several of his teammates, including defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and defensive end Keion White.
“Very tough,” said Godchaux. “Just couldn’t seem to gain momentum in the game, to be honest.
“I’m very prideful in the work we put in on defense. I know we have a great defense. We just have to play like it every snap.”
Even after the Patriots lost Christian Barmore because of blood clots and traded outside linebacker Matthew Judon, the first week of the season showed a New England defense capable of weathering the storm and doing its part to carry the load when the offense broke down.
But Sunday, every time New England thought it was keeping things manageable, San Francisco’s offense would produce some sort of momentum swing that kept the Patriots at bay. New England tried to mix and match over the middle with Raekwon McMillan, Christian Ellis, and others. But Brock Purdy and the 49ers riddled the middle of the field with chunk plays.
It’s debatable whether the loss of Bentley signaled the start of the recent defensive slide, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that the points allowed have steadily increased since he left the lineup.
After holding the Bengals to 10 points in the opener, the Patriots have failed to keep an opponent under 20 points since Bentley went out. New England yielded 23 in the overtime loss to the Seahawks, and 24 in the prime-time defeat against the Jets. On Sunday, the 49ers posted 30 points (23 by the offense) in a game that really wasn’t in doubt after the midway point of the third quarter.
“It’s tough. He’s one of the leaders of the team,” Godchaux said of Bentley. “Communication always on point.”
But did the loss of Bentley create an untenable position for the defense? White shut down that talk immediately.
“There’s no such thing as too much. You have to be able to work hard and grind,” White said. “[Expletive is] going to be hard. Those are good players that we’re missing. But we’re in the NFL. There’s got to be another NFL player right behind him. And they expect you to carry yourself as such.”
One of the points of emphasis last week against the Jets was keeping the quarterback in the pocket. The Patriots were not consistent against Aaron Rodgers, and that helped set the stage for the 24-3 loss. The same was true against the 49ers. So what can be done to remedy the situation?
“If I knew, we wouldn’t be losing the contain,” White said. “Obviously, we need to [do] something. Part of it is on me. A lot of it was on me today. As a defense, we have to rush better.”
The Patriots will have to get back to it immediately. New England will host the Dolphins next weekend, a “winnable” game in the eyes of Godchaux, and an opportunity for the defense to rebound.
“We really have to go back to the drawing board,” White said, “and reevaluate ourselves as men and really get back to our physicality and fundamentals in order for us to be the kind of defense I feel like we could be.”
As for Tavai, he’s staying in the fight and bypassing the excuses, regardless of the opponent.
“I’m not stressing. We’ve got the right guys and I’m not going to choose any other team to be on,” Tavai said. “I believe in these guys that are [on this team] and we’ll get better.
“I have nothing but faith in all these guys. I love these guys. We’ll get it rolling.”
Slye kicks way into record books
Patriots kicker Joey Slye provided one of the only bright spots of the afternoon when he drilled a 63-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
It was a record blast for the veteran, and the longest field goal in franchise history, breaking the mark set by Stephen Gostkowski, who delivered a 62-yarder against the Raiders in Mexico City in 2017.
Slye, who also connected on a 54-yarder later in the game, is 8 for 9 on field goal attempts on the season.
Injuries continue to mount
The Patriots lost center David Andrews (shoulder), safety Dugger, and offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (ankle) to injury in the first half. Andrews and Dugger hadn’t missed a snap coming into Sunday. (Andrews missed his first offensive snap since Nov. 20, 2022.). Wallace was spotted after the game on crutches and a walking boot. Dugger limped out of the locker room with a walking boot on his right foot … New England’s inactives were outside linebacker Jennings, offensive tackle Vederian Lowe, offensive lineman Michael Jordan, defensive end Jamree Kromah,and tight end Jaheim Bell. Rookie Joe Milton III was the emergency quarterback.
More Patriots stories:
⋅ Already stretched thin, Patriots’ depth tested further in loss to 49ers
⋅ Christopher L. Gasper: It’s best to keep Drake Maye out of harm’s way until more help arrives
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.