The Giants came into this game with a record of 1-1. They are in the middle of a three game stretch versus all NFC West opponents and are so far 1-0. The 49ers have a very different team compared to the Cardinals, and the Giants know they will need to play safely and limit the turnovers if they want to compete against this complete Niner team.
The Giants game plan was to make Brock throw the ball and limit the run game. So far this season, they have been one of the better run defenses so it should have worked in their favor. The game got off to a hot start by the Niners offense, as Brock drove down the field for a touchdown on their opening possession.
The Giants wouldn’t be able to counter, as Jones was having a tough time throwing the ball with three interceptions thrown in the game thus far. The game would continue on with the GIants continuing to shut down the Niner running game, but it would open the door for the passing game to shine. They tested the strength and accuracy of Brock’s arm and he made them pay with multiple deep shots and touchdowns.
After stopping the Niners and holding them to a few field goals, the Giants would only be down 10 nearing the middle of the fourth quarter. After a first down run, Jones would set the Giants up with a second down near midfield. He would then proceed to miss three wide open receivers on three straight downs which lead to a turnover on downs. The following play, the Giants would give up a 49 yard run up the middle which was the Niners longest run of the game. This would seal the game with a score of 32-17.
Key Injuries:
RT Neal – Out 4 weeks
Neal just came back this week from a practice injury that lasted the first two weeks of the season. He will be out an additional 4 weeks which is not ideal for his development. His injury rating is above average so the injuries come at a shock. Nonetheless, this is bad news for one of the worst offensive lines in the league.
Key Stats:
QB Jones: 20/38 280 Yards 3 Int
Jones was terrible on this day. THe Giants got down in the game so they were forced to throw with Jones and it was not successful. Jones’ first interception was a ball that was too slow to get to a wide open Hyatt, and the defensive back jumped the ball. This mixed with his three straight misses to end the game, have Coach Burn looking at a possible quarterback change in the future.
RB Barkley: 15 Rushes 118 Yards 2 Touchdowns
Barkley had a good day running the ball, but the game got out of hand too quickly to implement the large dose of running the ball that coach Burn had implemented in the offense. The Giants need the running game to have 20 plus carries and less throws by Jones in order to succeed.
TE Waller: 6 Receptions 137 Yards
After his game winning touchdown last week, Waller finally got into the mix and did as good as could be in this game. The Giants would like to continue to see him with these types of games as he is a huge mismatch against most teams.
Up next, Seattle comes to town, in what should be a good game between evenly matched rosters.
