Keys to Garoppolo’s return trip to New England

Let’s just get the infamous history out of the way: When they last met, Kyle Shanahan’s offense worked up a 28-3 lead over Bill Belichick’s defense in the Super Bowl four seasons ago.

Not that they need a reminder of the New England Patriots’ record comeback.

It was Shanahan’s final act as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator before becoming the 49ers’ coach. So, yes, he knows what his 49ers (3-3) are in for when they visit Belichick’s Patriots (2-3) on Sunday.

A constant chess match awaits between two of the NFL’s sharpest minds.

“When it’s not working, he’s always going to have a plan to adjust,” Shanahan said. “So, the game never stops. You’ve always got to keep going and hopefully you have more points than them when time runs out.”

Four seasons ago, the Patriots historically adjusted and won 3428 in Super Bowl LI in Houston.

Last season, Shanahan again saw a Super Bowl lead vanish in the fourth quarter, when the 49ers fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. Belichick, however, credited Shanahan for the monumental task of getting the 49ers onto that championship stage so fast.

“He’s shown pretty quickly in San Francisco how good he is and how quickly he put a great team on the field and took them to the top of the NFC,” Belichick said.

The only other times Belichick and Shanahan (as a coordinator) faced off resulted in 34-27 Patriots wins, in 2009 when Shanahan was the Houston Texans’ and 2011 when he was in Washington. “Kyle has a great offensive mind,” Belichick added. “He really knows how to attack and stress a defense, puts the defense in compromising positions.”

Here are a few ways the 49ers must succeed to improve to 3-0 on the road:

Tracking Cam Newton — Cam Newton is coming off a lousy game, after coming off a COVID-19 hiatus. He threw for 157 yards with two interceptions, four sacks and no touchdowns in last Sunday’s upset loss to Denver.

His passer rating has dropped weekly and he’s yet to throw more than one touchdown in a game with the Patriots. The last time Tom Brady went four straight games with no more than one touchdown in them: 2014.

What makes Newton so intimidating is he’s the Patriots’ leading rusher (225 yards) with five touchdown runs and a 5.0-yard-per-carry average.

The Patriots’ make-shift line will cause more scrambles, so the 49ers linebackers must be on the prowl, as well as the safeties. Marcell Harris might start for an injured Jaquiski Tartt at strong safety, and the 49ers would prefer he not blow assignments but rather make plays like he did last December when he forced a Lamar Jackson fumble in Baltimore.

Run it again — The Patriots have allowed only one rushing touchdown all season. The 49ers must alter that.

What made the 49ers so efficient and 2019-like last Sunday was their ability to run so well, and that includes Jimmy Garoppolo’s short tosses to Deebo Samuel that officially counted as pass plays but are runs in Shanahan’s mind.

Raheem Mostert will be missed, again. He is out with a high-ankle sprain, and the 49ers offense went into a third-quarter rut without him last Sunday. So Jerick McKinnon needs to show he can regain the burst and play

making ability from his first few games this season.

Mixing in Jeff Wilson Jr. is a trusted choice, but the more enticing factor is to turn loose rookie JaMycal Hasty, whose speed and shiftiness fared well as a fourth-quarter closer last game.

Kittle’s cohorts — Surely you heard how much Belichick raved about Kittle on Monday. All of it seemed sincere, all of it worthy. Obviously, the Patriots will try to contain the 49ers’ offensive catalyst and force others to beat them.

“Probably a lot of double teams, different coverages, and they’re going to throw a whole bunch of things to confuse us, maybe,” Kittle said. “You can game plan for so much, but, honestly, it’s going to be more of a reactionary thing out there.”

Deebo Samuel is coming off a fantastic outing and looks hungry for more yards, either on the ground or finally on passes beyond the line of scrimmage.

Perhaps rookie Brandon Aiyuk (three touchdowns in five games) will gain extra motivation by seeing his Arizona State predecessor, N’Keal Harry, on the other sideline.

Now would be a great time for Trent Taylor to emerge, and he showed signs last game with a spin move for a third-down conversion on their third touchdown drive.

Mind games — Tying off what Kittle said about playing reactionary football, Garoppolo knows as well as Shanahan about the Patriots’ unpredictability under Belichick. For 3 1/2 years, Garoppolo worked “at a very high level” as Brady’s backup and their scout team quarterback, Belichick said.

What is the No. 1 rule going against a Belichick defense? “Is that a trick question,” Garoppolo initially responded.

“You’ve got to be on your toes,” Garoppolo continued. “Finding the safeties is a big part of it. They do a great job mixing and matching their DBs.

“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to play ball. They’ll do something we’re not prepared for and at the end of the day you’ve got to play ball.”