Five 49ers to watch in Sunday’s game vs. rebuilding Patriots

The 49ers opened last NFL season on fire, winning their first five games before going into a three-game tailspin. This year, the rough patch has come early. Now, the 49ers are in desperate need of a victory after back-to-back poor performances in losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. The seriousness of the situation is not lost on quarterback Brock Purdy, as the 49ers took to bounce back against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. "Every game matters, every play matters, every drive matters," Purdy said. "All of it matters and it ties together. But more than anything, we have a standard here and that's what we're focused on every single day. We hold each other to that standard and we're hard on ourselves, but that's, I think, why this is a successful organization." In order for the 49ers to experience success on Sunday, these are five players who must step up to the challenge: Linebacker De'Vondre Campbell Coach Kyle Shanahan suggested a change could be in the works at linebacker. Veteran De'Vondre Campbell, whom the 49ers signed in the offseason to take Dre Greenlaw's spot while he's out, has been a liability in pass coverage. The 49ers started...