Rob Gronkowski was missing in action Thursday for the Patriots.
The star tight end didn't practice as he continues to heal from a perforated lung he suffered in Sunday night's nail-biter of a loss to the Seahawks.
Gronk is considered unlikely to play Sunday against the hapless 49ers.
The Patriots have a two-game lead in the AFC East and are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC, with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Texans should New England lose this weekend and Houston beats the Raiders Monday night.