FOXBORO -- On Monday night, J.J. Watt hit Tom Brady hard several times, but he couldn't come up with a single sack in the game.
Watt has the second most sacks in the NFL, with 16.5.
On Sunday night, the Patriots' offensive line will have another sack machine on their hands. This time, in San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who leads the NFL with 19.5 sacks.
"It's definitely a good achievement, setting the franchise record last week," said Smith in a conference call on Wednesday. "It means a lot to me. It's one of the goals I have. And I just have to really keep it going, and see if I can make that number even better."
"He's got a very high motor," said 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh in his conference call. "He really likes football. And he's got a lot of physical attributes, speed and power. And he's a very smart guy."
And to think, the Patriots were actually the first team that Smith talked to at the NFL combine before the 2011 draft, where he was taken seventh overall by San Francisco.
Before being drafted, Smith also made a visit to New England.
"It was a good experience," said Smith. "There's a lot of history there, with them being Super Bowl champions. And the coaching staff does a great job of teaching their players. It's really just a well-built organization, and they're doing things right."
Nowadays, Smith and the 49ers are also doing things the right way. But they still have to figure out a plan to get to Brady on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
"Well, we'd sure like to find the answer to that," said Harbaugh on Wednesday. "And then implement it. But it is really difficult. They're tough to do that against."
"Tom Brady's ball mechanics are really good, and they do a good job of disguising things," said Smith. "So we've got to not only be disciplined, but try to anticipate, and pay attention to film so when it comes game time, we make sure we're not caught off-guard by anything."