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)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Denmark provided U.S. forces in the east Atlantic with support last week as they intercepted an oil tanker for violations of U.S. sanctions, a Danish government official confirmed on Tuesday, despite tensions between the allies over the Trump administration’s desire for control of Greenland.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, declined to provide details about what the support entailed.

But acknowledgement of Danish support for the U.S. operation comes after tensions spiraled between the NATO allies as President Donald Trump renewed calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland. The vast Arctic island is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.

The U.S. interception in the Atlantic capped a weekslong pursuit of the tanker that began in the Caribbean Sea as the U.S. imposed a blockade in the waters of Venezuela aimed at capturing sanctioned vessels coming in and out of the South American country.

The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Danish support for the U.S. operation was first reported by Newsmax.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday at the White House to discuss Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting has not yet been formally announced.

Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said earlier Tuesday that Vance would host a meeting with him and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, in Washington this week.

Løkke Rasmussen told reporters after a meeting of the Danish parliament’s foreign policy committee that Vance had expressed a wish to take part and that he will host the meeting at the White House, with Rubio in attendance. Neither the White House nor Vance’s office responded immediately to emails and text messages seeking comment.

Løkke Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister, has been foreign minister since 2022 in the government of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

At a joint news conference with Frederiksen in Copenhagen on Tuesday, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated that Greenland isn’t for sale, Danish media reported. He said that the island is part of the kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland doesn’t want to be owned or ruled by the U.S.

Frederiksen also said Greenland isn’t for sale and underlined Denmark’s willingness to invest in Arctic security. She said it hasn’t been easy to stand up to unacceptable pressure from a close ally and there are many indications that the most difficult part lies ahead.

Tensions have grown this month as Trump and his administration push the issue and the White House considers a range of options, including military force, to acquire Greenland. Trump reiterated his argument that the U.S. needs to “take Greenland,” otherwise Russia or China would, in comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

He said he’d rather “make a deal” for the territory, “but one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”

A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation is headed to Copenhagen for meetings on Friday and Saturday in an attempt to show unity between the United States and Denmark.

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Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a briefing at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)