Pats play keep-away, overwhelm Niners

SAN FRANCISCO — One of the loudest criticisms of 49ers coach Mike Nolan throughout his tenure has been the implementation of a conservative defensive philosophy.

The 49ers turned up the pressure on New England quarterback Matt Cassel. They sacked him five times. But, ultimately, the 49ers’ defense failed miserably on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

The organization retired Steve Young’s No. 8 jersey at halftime. In the second half, it seemed as if they retired the team’s current offense.

The Tom Brady-less Patriots held the ball nearly 20 minutes longer than the 49ers, and cruised to a 30-21 victory.

“I know we brought pressure,” Nolan said. “It’s a good example of getting five sacks. (I know) how excited people get about sacks and how they think they’re directly related to winning. That should give you a great example that it really isn’t.

“To win is all about having more points than the other team. It gets down to staying on the field offensively on third down and getting off on defense, and a lot of other things. But it’s never one area.”

The 49ers (2-3) lost for the second consecutive week and fell out of a first-place tie with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. But the 49ers have bigger problems ahead. Their next two games are against the Philadelphia Eagles and at the New York Giants.

If the 49ers are unable to turn it around before the bye week — which comes after eight games — team ownership will have to consider a coaching change as a means of creating a spark.

“Right now is the time for the leaders to step up and make sure we keep a one-game-at-a-time attitude,” 49ers linebacker Tully Banta-Cain said. “We have to stay together as a team.”

The 49ers have fallen apart on the field the past two weeks. They surrendered four pass plays of more than 30 yards in a 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 28. On Sunday, the big play came early.

When the Patriots faced a third-and-8 midway through the first quarter, the 49ers sent cornerback Tarell Brown on a blitz from Cassel’s blindside. Just as Brown was arriving, Cassel unloaded the ball deep to receiver Randy Moss.

Cornerbacks Nate Clements and Walt Harris allowed Moss to get behind them. Moss hauled in the deep pass for a 66-yard scoring play to make it a 7-7 game.

“(We) gave them another big pass — uncharacteristic of our secondary,” Nolan said. “But two weeks in a row. I’m not going to say it’s becoming characteristic, but we got the quarterback on a blitz and he just unloads it deep and beats us.”

Clements’ take: “Good throw. Good catch. I thought I had it covered. It happens.”

But it has happened all too frequently in recent games against the 49ers. Clements was beaten deep in single coverage for an 81-yard pass against the Saints. And he could not deny the significance of Moss’ play.

“They were faced with an adverse situation, and they responded,” Clements said. “They switched around and changed the momentum of the game themselves. We have to learn to weather the storm and continue to press.”

Cassel made just his third start since high school. He was a backup at USC who found his way into the Patriots’ starting lineup after Brady’s season-ending knee injury in the season opener.

Cassel completed 22 of 32 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown. Both of his interceptions came in the first 20 minutes of the game. He seemed to gain a lot of confidence after his deep strike to Moss.

“It was an important part of the game,” Cassel said. “We were able to get on the board. It was a third-and-long situation. It was something that we had been practicing a lot during the week.”

The Patriots were at their best — and the 49ers at their worst — on the plays that really mattered. New England converted 8 of 17 on third down, while the 49ers were successful on just one of nine.

Both sides of the ball shared in the blame for the 49ers.

“They had the ball far too long,” 49ers linebacker Takeo Spikes said. “It’s disappointing and frustrating. We have to give our offense more opportunities.”

And, clearly, the 49ers’ offense had to take better advantage of their opportunities.

“We had too many three-and-outs,” 49ers quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan said. “Three-and-outs just aren’t good enough for any offense. I feel that there were a lot of reasons. They were playing coverages sometimes and bringing pressure sometimes. But I don’t worry about any of that. I only worry about what we’re trying to do.”

The 49ers actually regained the lead in the first quarter when they moved the ball quickly down the field. O’Sullivan connected with Isaac Bruce on a 6-yard scoring pass with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter. But the Patriots went on to seize command with 20 unanswered points.

O’Sullivan completed 14 of 29 passes for 130 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked just once, but he was constantly on the move to avoid the Patriots’ pass rush.

The 49ers wanted to pound the ball at the Patriots’ defense but were beaten to the punch. New England rushed for 144 yards, with Sammy Morris gaining 63 yards on 16 carries. The Patriots gained 10 first downs rushing, while the 49ers managed 12 first downs — of any kind — for the entire game.

“Defensively, it’s always good when you don’t have to play,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We were able to make some adjustments, which is always tough with (Mike) Martz’s offense.

Our offense was able to stay on the field. It gave us time to talk over stuff and also give our pass rushers a bit of a breather. Chasing O’Sullivan was tough today, too.”

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at 49ers.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com