49ers look to bounce back from consecutive road losses when they host the Patriots

New England (1-2) at San Francisco (1-2)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, FOX

BetMGM NFL odds: 49ers by 10.

Against the spread: 49ers 1-2; Patriots 1-1-1.

Series record: 49ers lead 9-5.

Last meeting: 49ers beat Patriots 33-6 in Foxborough, Mass., on Oct. 25, 2020.

Last week: Patriots lost to New York Jets 24-3; 49ers lost 27-24 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Patriots offense: overall (32), rush (8), pass (30), scoring (31).

Patriots defense: overall (19), rush (5), pass (27), scoring (10).

49ers offense: overall (3), rush (10), pass (2), scoring (9).

49ers defense: overall (16), rush (9), pass (20), scoring (21).

Turnover differential: Patriots plus-1; 49ers plus-1.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson was held to 23 yards rushing after having 201 yards rushing the first two weeks. Stevenson's 15 forced missed tackles are the third most in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

WR Jauan Jennings made the most of his increased opportunity last week with Deebo Samuel hurt by catching 11 passes for 175 yards and three TDs, joining Hall of Famer Jerry Rice as the only Niners players to reach those marks in a game. QB Brock Purdy has a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeting Jennings this season.

Patriots DE Keion White vs. 49ers RT Colton McKivitz. White has been one of the most productive edge rushers early this season. He has four sacks and 12 pressures playing both sides of the line early this season. He might line up more this week on New England's left side to avoid All-Pro Trent Williams and take advantage of McKivitz, whose 13 pressures allowed are tied for the most of any tackle this season, according to PFF.

LG Sidy Sow returned to practice for New England after missing the first three games. ... T Vederian Lowe has not played since leaving the Week 2 loss to Seattle in the second half with a knee injury, also returned to practice but coach Jerod Mayo was noncommittal on how much he would be able to do. ... Niners TE George Kittle is expected to return after missing last week's game with a hamstring injury. ... San Francisco lost DT Javon Hargrave to a season-ending triceps injury last week.

The Patriots have won the past two road games in the series, beating the 49ers at Levi's Stadium in 2016 and at Candlestick Park in 2008. ... San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan won his only meeting against New England since taking over in 2017, winning 33-6 on the road in 2020.

The Patriots haven’t thrown an interception in three games yet this season. The NFL record for most consecutive games starting a season without an interception is nine by the 1960 Cleveland Browns. … White’s seven quarterback hits are tied for third in the NFL. … Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson has fumbled in each of the first three games (two of them were recovered by New England). … LS Joe Cardona has had at least one special teams tackle in each of the first three games for New England. His career high for a season is four, in 2017. The NFL record for special teams tackles is 12 by Zak DeOssie of the New York Giants in 2008. … San Francisco has lost back-to-back games for the first time since a three-game skid last October. ... The Niners have made the playoffs just three times in 30 seasons when starting 1-2 or worse and never after a 1-3 start. ... San Francisco ranks last in the NFL with an average of 3.14 yards after catch per reception. The Niners ranked No. 1 every season from 2018-23, averaging 6.57 yards after catch per reception over that span. ... The 49ers are allowing 6.11 yards per play, the fourth-worst mark in franchise history through three games and third worst in the NFL this season. ... Purdy had his 16th game with a passer rating of at least 100 in his first 24 regular-season starts. Patrick Mahomes' 18 games with a rating of at least 100 are the most ever for a player in his first 25 starts. ... RB Jordan Mason's 324 yards rushing are the third most for a 49ers player through three games in franchise history. ... San Francisco LB Fred Warner had his 49th pass defensed last week for the most among linebackers since he entered the league in 2018 and four shy of Patrick Willis' franchise record for linebackers.

San Francisco WR Brandon Aiyuk has had a slow start after not practicing during training camp because of a contract dispute. He has 11 catches for 119 yards and has been held to fewer than 50 yards in three straight games for the first time since 2021. It might be best to wait for Aiyuk to shake off that rust before relying on him.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, left, is brought down by New England Patriots defensive end Keion White, right, in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, right, scores a touchdown past Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens (26) and cornerback Cobie Durant (14) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) carries the ball against the New York Jets during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military says a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq and rescue operations are underway.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely.

Here’s what is known so far about the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft to crash during the war against Iran:

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.

Based on the same design as the Boeing 707 passenger plane, the tanker has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as allied aircraft, according to an Air Force description. The aging plane is set to be phased out as the air force receives a full complement of next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers.

Despite upgrades over the years, the KC-135s' age has fueled concern about their reliability and durability.

“The last of these planes were produced in the 1960s,” said Yang Uk, a security expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed more slowly than expected.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.

A basic KC-135 crew has three people: a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions.

Refueling typically happens at the back of the plane, where the boom operator is located. A fuel boom is lowered to connect with fighters, bombers or other aircraft. On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.

Some KC-135s can also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers also have room above the fuel stores to carry cargo or passengers if needed.

Refueling tankers could play an increasingly important role if the Iran war drags on, as U.S. aircraft may need to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the country, said Yang.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the crash in Iraq. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the plane was carrying at least five crew members.

A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved in the incident was also a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the other plane landed safely in Israel.

The U.S. Central Command did not elaborate on the circumstances of the crash, but said it “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

Yang said it would be rare for a refueling tanker to be downed by enemy fire because such operations are usually conducted in the rear of combat zones.

The crash came after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly downed last week by friendly Kuwaiti fire.

KC-135s have been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent happened on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan while taking part in the war in Afghanistan.

In that crash, the crew experienced problems with the plane’s rudder, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation. While they struggled to stabilize the plane, the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.

The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain.

The accident caused the tanker to crash, killing four onboard. The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.

Schreck reported from Bangkok. AP writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft performs a flyover during the national anthem before an NCAA college football game between Central Florida and Georgia Tech, Sept. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)