SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers are looking forward to matching up with Tom Brady and the prolific offense of the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

It may be more a matter of keeping up.

After breakout performances in Kaepernick's first two NFL starts, the San Francisco offense lacked rhythm and punch the past two weeks as the 49ers lost in overtime to the St. Louis Rams and struggled for three quarters before finishing off the Miami Dolphins.

The Niners realize they likely will need more this week with the NFL's top-ranked offense on the other sideline. And it's a prime-time opportunity for San Francisco's 12th-ranked attack to show what it can do now that Kaepernick has settled in as the team's starting QB.