Why 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan believes ‘Patriot Way’ exists after Tom Brady

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are gone, but the "Patriot Way" remains alive and well heading into New England's Week 4 matchup with the 49ers.

During an interview on NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan," Kyle Shanahan detailed how first-year coach Jerod Mayo is continuing Belichick's legacy by upholding the standard set during the Patriots' dynastic run over the last two decades.

"Definitely. With Mayo taking over, people have been there on defense," Shanahan told Papa when asked if the Patriot Way still is evident. "They've had three games so far, but the scheme's the same, the mentality is the same. Bill has had that scheme there for 20 years. Their head coach played in it, he's coached in it for a long time, so he knows it inside and out also.

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"The defensive coordinator has done both of those also. Just to watch them on tape for these three games, it's very similar. They do the same things, their fronts, their coverages and just the fundamentals of how they run, how they tackle, how they shed blocks. It's a very good defense and they're going to be a very good team throughout this year."

New England enters its Week 4 matchup against San Francisco with a 1-2 record but is the NFL's 10th ranked defense in points allowed through three weeks. The Patriots' record might not reflect how tough of an opponent they've been this season, particularly after losing a 23-20 thriller against the undefeated Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

Last time these two teams squared off was Week 7 of the 2020 NFL season, with the 49ers' recording a resounding 33-6 victory over the Patriots in Foxborough.

Now, four years later, San Francisco seeks a similar performance on its home field, aiming to rebound from consecutive losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.